‘Not everyone is in a position to tell their stories': In Transit makers Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Ayesha Sood on the need for authentic representation

Indian Express

13 hours ago

Your new docu-series on Amazon Prime Video, In Transit, follows the life of nine transgender, non-binary personalities and their journeys. What triggered the idea for this series?
Zoya Akhtar: The reason we wanted to do the series is also how the title came about. It felt like there were these people on a journey. And, not just them; it seemed the law of the land was also on a journey — the mentality was beginning to shift. But everything is in a flux right now. So, while it (homosexuality) was decriminalised, the civil liberties were still not there. There was also 'trans', as in transitioning. In Transit was the working title but the name just stuck.
You must have gone through several stories before you zeroed in on these nine people.
Ayesha Sood: We had a long period, almost a year-and-a-half, of research and development. We built a small crew of trans-activists, journalists, researchers and production assistants. During that time, a lot of names came up. We started conversations with them. We started investigating their stories and a long list filtered down into a shorter one. It also depended a lot on the fact that characters should be able to tell their stories. Not everyone is in a position to do that.
In Made in Heaven S2 (2023), you introduced a transgender character Meher, played by Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju. Did that move lead to the making of this series?
Reema Kagti: Definitely. When Zoya and I were researching Meher's character, we realised we needed to educate ourselves. We reached out to people in the community and those interviews opened our minds. That was when Zoya thought this was a series waiting to happen. We even changed the track of Trinetra's character because we ourselves learnt a couple of things.
Akhtar: Our work for In Transit started way before Made in Heaven S2 dropped.
In 2018, the Supreme Court gave sanctity to LGBTQIA+ relations but it left the policy framework for Parliament. For the last seven years, there hasn't been much headway. What is your expectation from the lawmakers?
Akhtar: When we wrote Made in Heaven S1, it was still a criminal act. It was released on March 8, 2019. Before it dropped, it was decriminalised. We had to put a disclaimer at the end of the series. I'm hopeful that things are going to change.
As filmmakers, we have to tell those stories because stories bring change. Stories connect you to the other person. You think this is too much or this is not for me or this is not my culture but then you realise that these people have the same concerns as you. They are living in the same system as you. Stories bring us closer and they show us how similar we are.
Kagti: It's a process. Today, things are better than how they were 30 years ago. Maybe not a lot better but like any social change, this will also take a long time.
Sood: Based on my experience of travelling across the country, you'll be surprised how accepting different communities are. I think society is getting there. Regardless, I think policy and laws have to change first and society will follow.
When you are dealing with people who are vulnerable, it takes that much time for them to open up and trust you.
Sood: Over a period of a year-and-a-half, we built this team and started to find these characters. We had conversations with them over phone, Zoom and later met them in person. All this while we were trying to get to know them and their stories better. Eventually, they knew exactly what this conversation was going to be like.
Kagti: All the nine characters are courageous. They all felt a certain responsibility
to speak up.
In your experience, what are the positive changes you have seen over the last decade and how much has filmmaking contributed to them?
Akhtar: All positive reinforcement that can come with accurate and authentic representation is needed because one may be growing up and feeling different. One may not have that in one's family or in one's friend circle and that could be an isolating experience. When one is able to see these stories on screen, one definitely feels: 'Okay I am not alone'. That is very important and that comes with all kinds of things, whether it is your community, sexuality, disability or even a point of view. You just need to see how you feel represented in a way that may not be in your immediate environment but makes you feel like part of society in a good way.
Which medium do you think is more effective while telling stories — features, series or documentary?
Akhtar: There is no one thing you can choose. It depends on how stories lend themselves to certain mediums. A certain film can't be stretched for eight hours and a certain series can't be put in three hours. You can't say what is more effective. I am greedy. I love storytelling and I would tell a story in whatever form I think it works. But my heart is in the features.
What are the dos and don'ts that you followed?
Sood: We never asked any of our characters about whether they have transitioned. If they tell us about it, we talk about it. But sometimes some of the characters have not had a physical transition. We never wanted to make them feel like we are being voyeuristic about their lives. I was never going to ask them if they had had a surgery and what it felt like. If they talk to me about their surgery, only then are we going to bring up how they feel afterwards.
You mentioned how one of the characters identified with Kajal bhai in the 90s' show Hum Paanch and, for decades, Rekha and Sridevi have been queer icons. What is the impact cinema has had?
Sood: Cinema is the background score to everybody's world. This is the world that we live in and this is our go-to pop culture. Cinema is the world that everyone, sort of, feeds off.
Aamir Khan recently said that people are not going to theatres because they get to watch new releases on streamers. How effective is the pay-per-view YouTube model that he spoke about?
Akhtar: The model he is speaking about is interesting. YouTube is the most watched platform in India. There are a lot of factors to why the footfalls have fallen post the pandemic. The viewing habit changed because people started watching stuff that was accessible to them. It is very expensive. Regular families choose their outings. Traffic is not fun. Having said that, I have great faith in community viewing. I was in the cinema yesterday, it was a full house and people were clapping. Nothing beats that.
Kagti: Parents who enjoy watching movies in theatres must try and inculcate that activity in their children.
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Do you think something should be done about the gap between the movie releasing and when it becomes available on OTT?
Akhtar: Producers take certain decisions because of economics. But I agree that there should be more of a gap. Therefore, if you know that you may not see a particular film for a while, that informs the decision differently for certain films. For the big spectacle, tentpole films, anyway, people want to go see it in the theatre.
Kagti: It is a two-way process. If, as an audience, you are feeling there is an absence of the kind of films you love watching, you must go out and support the releases that you like.
In today's day and age, after a movie comes out, there are people who come on social media and say it is 'their' story.
Akhtar: There is a lot of heft when it is a true story. In that case, we will first take the concerned person's permission, rights, blessing and put it out that this is a true story. But, when it is not a true story and if people feel that way, we can't control it. They are free to say what they want, take action and go to court.
Kagti: If you really feel this way, you should go to court but nobody actually does. In this day and age of social media, they just want the attention. Then, it ends.
Do you have a dream project?
Akhtar: For the longest time, my dream project was to make my first film. Luck By Chance (2009) could have been my dream project.
Kagti: Whatever we are doing right now is our dream project. Once that gets over, the next one feels like the new dream project.