New Delhi: Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, a 26-year-old doctor-turned-actor and transgender woman, will be marking her maiden innings in the film industry with Amazon Prime Video India’s 'Made In Heaven' Season 2 which is set to be released in the OTT platform this year.
Talking about how she landed her big break, Trinetra said, "I auditioned for 'Made In Heaven' Season 2 at the start of my internship in the hospital. I remember it was in the middle of my Gynaecology rotation, and I gave it a shot because I had nothing to lose. I had no contacts in the industry, I was making peanuts as an intern’s stipend at the hospital, and I had nobody to ask for advice. I gave it a shot because the child in me would’ve wanted to. When it worked out, I couldn’t believe it, and I still don’t think I can. As a child, I thought I was crazy for believing I was a girl and was reminded of it every day. Little did I know I’d also be a doctor, content creator, and actor one day. I don’t know how my performance will be received, but what I take a lot of pride in, is that I auditioned for this, it wasn’t given to me. I only want to get better from here, and I’m willing to work hard for it as I always have."
Her on-screen portrayal in the forthcoming series will revolve around the narrative of transphobia and will establish a milestone moment for the Indian trans community as Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju will be the first trans artist to play a recurring character in a mainstream OTT release.
Elaborating further on her role and how she plans to bring about a revolution through film as a medium Trinetra said, "I play a wedding planner who heads production at the wedding company Made In Heaven, producing and organising the most elite, large scale weddings in the bustling city of Delhi. While fantastic at her job, she struggles with acceptance as a trans woman, especially in attempts at finding true love. Through this character, I want people to see that trans women are also women, and deserve every right to be treated as such. Trans people in general are human beings, and we deserve opportunity, love, respect, and success. In a country where 99% of us are discarded by our biological families, I want society to see that a little acceptance goes a long way."
As Karnataka’s first trans-woman doctor, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju has always been committed to addressing the misconceptions that surround India’s trans community and has relentlessly worked towards improving the country’s medical ecosystem that continues to sideline the needs of the trans community.
With a long-term vision of increasing trans representation in show business Trinetra states, "I would give it my all to see actual representation of trans women on the big screen, rather than a man playing a trans woman because audiences continue to believe trans women are men in dresses and that our womanhood isn’t real. This has a direct influence on our rights - despite my documents saying "female", I was denied women’s hostel, I have struggled to access washrooms (gender-neutral restrooms don’t really exist in most cases), and the list goes on. When a cis woman plays a trans woman, she often sets unachievable standards of beauty for us, almost as if reinforcing the idea of womanhood and what it should look like - the cis way. Either way, an opportunity is taken away from trans talent."
Her brand extension from medicine to activism to content and now films spotlight Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju’s constant endeavour to ensure widespread inclusivity and representation for the trans community and to help bring the trans voice into the public consciousness.
Talking about how she was fascinated by cinema as a young child, Trinetra states, "As a young trans child, even the idea of becoming Karnataka’s first trans doctor and then working with some of the biggest filmmakers in the country might have been entirely unimaginable. Working with Zoya Akhtar, Neeraj Ghaywan, Alankrita Shrivastav, Reema Kagti and Nitya Mehra - and all at once - is an actor's absolute dream, and the good fortune of it all is not lost on me. Over these two years, I've learned so much, and I'm eternally grateful to everyone that made it happen. I used to be so mesmerised by the women around me on and off screen, but saw people like me only on the streets, begging and selling their bodies out of sheer compulsion."
"Cinema never showed me what my future could look like, only the streets did, and I was terrified. I didn’t understand gender roles and what was expected of me as the first-born son in my family, so I happily danced to item numbers with no idea how much it would embarrass the family. The people who called me all the names they did - tranny, chakka, mittha - all derogatory slurs, the people who used to imitate the hijra community’s taali/clap to make fun of me, now applaud and call me doctor. The greatest irony is that this hate often came from teachers, and doctors themselves - two professions we consider extremely noble. It took me years to accept myself and my identity, that I am in fact, a woman.”
Having undergone gender-affirming surgery at 21, armed with little more than conviction and gumption, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju has since emerged as one of the most prominent voices for trans people in the country. Be it as a medical professional or an artist, she has been very vocal about the rampant transphobia she witnesses every day. Whether her efforts be towards removing queerphobic content from medical textbooks, moving the courts to establish gender-neutral housing for trans people in universities, or more recently through acting, Gummaraju seeks to help other trans people navigate their way past stigma and rejection, towards a safe, healthy, and dignified life.
About 'Made In Heaven':
The first season of the critically acclaimed web series, which is the brainchild of directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, was released in the year 2019. The series follows the lives of two wedding planners — Tara and Karan, essayed by Sobhita Dhulipala and Arjun Mathur respectively— as they arrange the most flamboyant of Indian weddings for their super-elite clientele. Where the show stands out is its commentary on the social issues and archaic traditions such as same-sex relationships, infidelity, forced marriages, politics, casteism and elitism that are prevalent in each of these weddings and how the various characters navigate them.