How has your craft as a filmmaker evolved over the years?
I hope a lot. I’ve been making films for over 20 years, and it would be tragic to stay the same. It’s a tough question for me to answer, but I think I’ve moved on from just exploring the craft to really trying to make the story sing.
Could you give us some insight into the making of the series?
We had a long period of research and development. We built a small team with Journalist Dipti Nagpaul, Trans Activist Anindya Hajra, my team with Vani and Urooj, plus some researchers and academics. Through the course of the year we had numerous conversations with lawyers, trans activists, academics and historians, through which we taught ourselves about the histories, mythologies, politics and complexities of trans life in India. It was a revelatory and eye-opening process that I’m thankful for.
During this time we obviously came across names of characters that we wanted to explore casting for the series. Our research brought us both the narrative notes we wanted to hit as well as the characters we want to cast to tell their stories.
Once we had this in place we went about structuring the series – we wanted to tell trans stories through a lens where we explore universal themes. Identity, Love, Family and your place in the world.
It requires courage to come in front of the camera and talk about your story and life that has not been the easiest; how do you make your subject open up and get their guard down?
Through our research we started to build relationships with our characters. Phone and video calls, in-person meetings. All to build trust and relationships. It was important that our characters trusted us, but it also meant we needed characters who were at a stage in their lives who could share their stories. Characters who could speak without the fear of their immediate circles turning against them. We were extremely lucky to find this in our characters. Eventually, in front of the camera, they all wanted to talk, to be heard.
Each of the four episodes follows a theme: realisation, survival strategies, the quest for romantic relationships and the importance of nurturing community networks. There is convergence as well as divergence in the stories of individuals. How did you decide on the structure you wanted to give?
What we discovered during our research was that being trans in India is diverse and complex in nature, much like India itself. There are many expressions and experiences of being trans. We wanted to bring this diversity to the front, but we tied it together with a universality in themes. So Love, Family, self-discovery and your place in the world are narratives that almost anyone can identify with.
And there are divergences and convergences in all of it. You may be trans and want a very heteronormative wedding, you maybe trans and exploring your queerness. It all exists; life is not binary.
A lot of documentary making relies on the editing process. What did the editing process for this series entail?
I’m super lucky to have Anupama Chabukswar as the editor on this. She, along with her team, I have worked with before, and we have a good appreciation for each other’s perspectives and a healthy respect for each other’s POV. They often say editing is the screenwriting in documentary, and that was very true for us. Even though we had structured and researched our storylines, eventually, it is crafted on the edit table.
We also use a lot of animation in this storytelling, so it was a fresh challenge for all of us.
How has the making of this series affected you?
It has affected me hugely. In seeing the trans experience up close, but also in knowing these characters, it has inspired me deeply. Their courage and self-awareness for me is spellbinding. When you grow up questioning your identity from day one, you are inherently a curious person; you are a person who wants to be known authentically. There are no pretences. These are qualities I look for in people I want to spend my life with – Real, No Bullshit and those who want to change the world.
Lastly, what’s next?
Right now, its all In Transit.
Words Hansika Lohani
25.06.2025
