It was overwhelming for me, says SA Hanan on audience response to Trans Kashmir

Directed by Surbhi Dewan and SA Hanan, the feature documentary Trans Kashmir brings to the fore the discrimination and struggles of a beleaguered community. The documentary traces the work done by its members traditionally, highlighting the shrinking opportunities for livelihood. 

The film delves into the issues and examines the work being done by non-profit organizations, in particular, the Sonzal Welfare Trust in advocating for the wellbeing of sexual minorities in Kashmir.

Filmmakers Hanan and Dewan described their journey in making the film. Speaking about the genesis of the film, Hanan said, “Surbhi and I did our MFA [Master of Fine Arts] together in New York, at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Once we came back, we had the idea of doing a project together. We were looking at some subjects. In 2016-2017, I came across stories on transgenders in Kashmir. I developed an interest in the subject and talked to Surbhi about making a film and that’s how the idea developed.” 

Trans Kashmir review: An incisive look at a community relegated to the margins of society

Dewan spoke about why the theme of the film appealed to them, saying, “When he [Hanan] came up with the idea of doing a film on the transgender community, it was a fresh perspective. We never think about the LGBTQ community when we think of Kashmir and that was the kind of thing we wanted to do. We didn’t want to add to the mainstream narrative of films on Kashmir because a lot has already been said and done, and a lot cannot be said and done…We just wanted a fresh angle into Kashmir and we wanted to look at something that was not talked about much and yet had weight.

"As he said, they were coming in the news so there was something that was going on, there was some sort of a movement that was starting because they were coming to the media, there was a case that had been filed. So there was something happening there which we thought would be interesting to look into.”

Although the film was conceptualized much earlier and the shooting began in May 2019, it took longer than expected due to COVID and the numerous shutdowns that took place in Kashmir.

The filmmakers were keen to make the community comfortable with filming their stories and presenting them to the world, “The film involved a lot of pre-production work, which was also convincing them [the transgender community] about what we were doing this for because a lot of media people had gone to them and shot short stories for television, so there were trust issues because they said that people come and shoot and we don’t see them after that…They specifically asked us not to put it [the film] on YouTube. They thought it was just a news story for a TV channel, and that we were just doing our job and that we didn’t really care about them,” Hanan explained. 

While most of the shooting process went smoothly, there were certain things that could not be captured due to sheer circumstances. The filmmakers wished to shoot through the wedding season, which is significant for the community as it includes many dancers and performers. One pivotal part of their lives, that of mingling with transgenders from other states and travelling, too could not make it into the film.

Dewan said, “The community in Kashmir is not as isolated as it seems. They have close connections with the hijra communities outside the region and they meet each other once a year. They all come to Delhi, Agra and Ajmer; they travel around…there is a connection within them but due to COVID, this did not happen. Also, this happens during winters in Kashmir, when it’s too cold, so they travel South. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to document it visually so we weren’t able to include it in the film.”

Trans Kashmir had its premiere at the Kashish Film Festival in June this year and received a wonderful response. Hanan said, “For me, the response was overwhelming. I saw a lot of people who were curious to know about the transgender community in Kashmir. We know about the transgender community in South Asia, they have a kind of similar culture and people thought that the people from the community in Kashmir would have the same culture…so it was a new thing for them. There was a lot of empathy and curiosity in the audience. It was overwhelming for me. I didn’t expect this kind of a response.”

Dewan added, “They [audience members] were also moved by their stories and there was an eagerness to connect with them and help them in some way; that sort of emotion was prevalent amongst a lot of people who came up to us after the discussion [at Kashish]. They are so different from the South Asian hijra community that it’s something people are very moved by and amazed that this is their reality.

"There are so many organizations at Kashish and we were also trying to initiate conversations with them to get them to collaborate with Sonzal Welfare Trust in Kashmir and try to help with organizing some livelihood training and even [address] mental health issues…so there can be some actual impact to the community.” 

The documentary has also been shared privately with the people featured in the film as well. Dewan talked about their reaction, saying, “A lot of the people [from the community] have watched it. They were very happy. Their concerns were regarding how they would be represented so, in that sense, they were very happy with the film and of course, they were happy that the film was going to be shown at Kashish and that the film will go far and wide. That’s all they care about really because their idea is for their story to go beyond whatever little that it’s been to already.” 

Hanan spoke about his hopes from the film, and said, “The community here, in this information age, they are well aware of the things happening outside. They have humble demands. They are happy the way they are living and just want basic human rights like every individual. They want education, jobs and some pension for their old age, these are the basic demands. If this film can fetch them something regarding basic human rights, that will be great.”

Trans Kashmir is on its festival run and the filmmakers have applied for a censor certificate, hoping to take the film to wider audiences. It was also screened recently in New Delhi at the India Habitat Centre.