Bollywood’s representation of the transgender community has always been questionable. One of the reasons probably why is majorly seeing a trans character played by not an actual trans person.Either they are shown as a stereotypical character who is majorly made fun of, or a negative portrayal unapologetically the reason behind all the heinous crimes. Trans model and digital content creator Ella D’ Verma shared her take on this, and revealed what does she feels about transgender community being portrayed as in Hindi films.
Ella D’ Verma on showcasing Transgenders in Bollywood films
While sharing her experiences with gender identity and the road to self-discovery, Ella was asked whether she approves of Bollywood movies’ representation of transgenders. She said, “I think there’s really a refreshing shift now, from punch lines or comic relief, and sometimes to make audiences laugh, you have shown an LGBTQ character for that. But, now transgender people are being represented people with lives. Jinki life main besides being transgender, aur bhi cheeze hain.”
Despite being happy with the shift, Ella still feels that a lot of films just cast transgenders to make the storyline spicy. She continued, “But now also, I feel like, a lot of representation is done with the intention of shock value. Like, put the transgender character in a story, and the story main masala ajayega. I mean, yeah it’s definitely changing in the way, but at least I happy that we are not just a joke at this point. But, I’ll always say that its about making a standard and not a sensation. So, ideally we should get to a place where if there’s a transgender story in the media, it’s not gonna be something that everyone must be loosing their mind over her. It should be like any other person’s story.”
Ella D’ Verma on her Bollywood plans
As a content creator, Ella is tremendously growing in the digital space, commanding over 400k followers on Instagram. When asked whether she has any plans to venture into Bollywood now, she said, “Yes, I would love to. I have tried my luck here and there, and has auditioned for stuff. Also, I come from a theatre background and was always into co-circular activities in school, so yeah it does excites me. And as much as coming into Bollywood excites me, I would love to work behind-the-screen, like to write stories, because that part is also very exciting. So, i have no structured plan for now, but would love to do something in future.”
Born as Dev Verma, Ella explored the path of gender identity in her childhood. During her teens, she decided to embrace her feminine side by transitioning to Ella’ D Verma, becoming the woman she always wanted to be. Today, she has become a beacon of hope for many, and a powerful trans figure in the digital world.