Loo and behold: Jay Jithin's short film in CISFF

There are very few films that veer from the beaten track of commercialism and try to look at subjects that are often swept under the carpet. The third gender is one such group and topic that most filmmakers shy away from. Jay Jithin, on the other hand, always wanted to do a film that would have a social message wrapped in a bold theme. So, he zeroed in on the transgenders. The short film I wonder Why not only notched up some impressive hits on YouTube but also went on to win the Rituparna Ghosh Award for best Trans film at the Chemeen International Short Film Festival.

While Jay did not delve deep into the complexities of the community, he decided to highlight one particular problem the transgender face everywhere — the lack of public toilet facilities.

Even if a transgender decides to use the women’s facilities they are often subjected to condensing looks, sneers, ridicule and mockery. Jay decided to set his short film in a swanky mall and he says, “The attitude of society towards the third gender is very judgmental and I wanted to target the elite as well as the younger generation who normally throng a mall. Hence I have set my scenes in the washroom of a mall and zoomed in on the normal crowd who visit a mall — the youngsters, the housewives, the giggly teenagers and the middle aged. The reaction of these people when they spot a transgender exiting a women’s washroom is the main focus of the film.” Jay has beautifully captured the shuttered gazes, the sudden cessation of laughter to be followed by mocking smiles and the general attitude of the common man to the third gender. He adds, “It is the educated society that needs to be sensitised to the third gender and my aim is to create awareness."

Sheenaz Yusuf who is based in Chennai and associated with an NGO helped Jay with the idea. The funding for the project has come from those associated with the film. The role of the transgender has been played by a real transgender, Sharon, who was only glad to enact her dilemma in front of the cameras. Jay has spared no effort in bringing an international feel to the short film because he wants to showcase it at film festivals across India. What has made Jay and his team totally upbeat is the response from the transgender community when the film was shown to them. He says, “They were very happy with the film and its message.” Jay is also planning to specially screen the short film for the third gender. Meanwhile Jay is busy with the scripting and directorial works of his projects in Tamil.