In Transit: A Gentle Documentary On Gender & Sexual Identity
| The new Prime Video docu-series is an absorbing work of nonfiction that forsakes beaten generalisation for genuine curiosity to learn and unlearn with the people on the other side of the screen. Ishita Sengupta writes.
| FOR THE LONGEST TIME , mainstream Hindi cinema struggled with portraying queerness on screen. The ignorance resulted in caricature-like portrayals. When awareness filtered in, it was accompanied by heavy-handed depictions; characters spoke like commentators, as if overcompensating for the decades-long indifference. The middle ground was not just inaccessible, it didn’t seem to exist. In Transit , the new docu-series on Amazon Prime, outlines the path by walking a step or two. The result is an absorbing work of nonfiction that forsakes beaten generalisation for genuine curiosity. Backed by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti’s Tiger Baby Films, In Transit, on the surface, unfolds like one of the many documentaries clogging the streaming space today. The design of multiple talking heads is all too familiar, conventional even. But Ayesha Sood, who has directed all four episodes, enters from a space to learn and unlearn with the people on the other side of the screen. Get access to 30+ streaming platforms with OTTplay Premium's Power Play monthly pack, for only Rs 149. Claim this limited time offer now! | This is reflected in the nine people who make their presence, each deeply tied to their identity but also not subsumed by it. One is a musician, another a clinical psychologist. One of them works at a multinational firm, while the other is a photographer. Sitting before the camera, they introduce themselves with their profession. It is a thoughtful touch that extends as the documentary unfolds, taking shape in big and small ways. For instance, In Transit remains careful not to conflate gender with sexual identity. It is an attentive step, especially given how everything is so often treated with sweeping abstraction. Among the nine of them, there is Anubhuti, a trans woman, who has undergone gender reassignment surgery. She talks about dating men and not finding the spark till told by her therapist if she has explored the possibility of liking women? It is a small but nuanced moment, making way for a documentary that stems from empathy. | Sood also dedicates an episode to their relationship with parents, especially after coming out. It is a tricky proposition given how many times pop culture has reenacted it with tragic proportions. In Transit deftly subverts it. Not that everyone’s parents are supportive, but across episodes, their evolving behaviour with reality comes into view. Aryan, a trans man based in Mumbai, shares that growing up, he had seen violence in the family. Yet his father turned out to be more sensitive with him than he was as a husband. Anubhuti shares finding unexpected help and assurance from her parents after suffering from post-surgery complications. ALSO WATCH | 5 Malayalam films with queer stories My favourite, however, is that bit where Rumi, a trans man, talks about his mother scoffing at the saris he gifted her, only to realise that she was more like him than he thought her to be. Just as he felt a masculine energy holding the tanpura , his sculptor mother derived something similar while holding that chisel. It is a tremendous revelation, deserving of its own standalone series. In this context, however, it humanises parents to an extent I had not foreseen. | Through candid conversations and easy references, the series subtly dismantles the many structures that are treated as allies of the community. Patruni, a gender-fluid drag queen, reflects that the idea of looking at gender in binaries is a limiting construct. Who decides that both ends have to be men and women, they ask? In Transit displays a similar brand of perception in its resistance to dramatically recreate incidents from their past. This is one of the most common pitfalls of Indian documentaries backed by streaming, where the need to be engaging borders on being sordid. Who can forget filmmaker Rakesh Roshan recreating the attack on his life in Roshans by redoing things he had done when he was really shot? This Pride Month, take a look at these short films with queer representation, available on YouTube Sood gets plenty to choose from. A forcible parent intrusion, a child being hit by his father for being effeminate, a relationship gone wrong. But the filmmaker resists it till the end, using instead playful animation to fill in the gaps. The visual language lends unexpected levity to such moments, offsetting the misery with some mirth. What remains more amusing is the extent to which people from the transgender community found representation in Hindi cinema and series, even when makers were mostly callous about the rendition. Aryan says that he felt validated for the first time after seeing the character Kajal, a tomboy, from the popular comedy series Hum Paanch . He even called himself Aryan because he wanted to share the name with superstar Shah Rukh Khan ’s son. Ditto for Madhuri, a trans woman, who named herself after the Bollywood actress for their shared love for dance. | Like what you read? Get more of what you like. Visit the OTTplay website , or download the app to stay up-to-date with news, recommendations and special offers on streaming content. Plus: always get the latest reviews. Sign up for our newsletters. Already a subscriber? 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