Transcending stereotypes

For Shreya Reddy, going on a date with a man was nothing less than a dream come true. In all her 30 years, she had never once stepped out in public with her boyfriend. Thanks to a music video that she features in, she had the opportunity to not only do that, but also hold a man’s hand in public and say ‘I love you,’ while he served her wine and didn’t bother about what others thought of her. A transgender woman, Shreya shot for a music video titled Kuch Toh Log Kahenge, the premise of which is that of a transgender person going on a date with a man.
In real life, Shreya has a boyfriend, whom she has been dating for more than 16-years, but he doesn’t meet her in public. “My boyfriend visits my place every Sunday for four hours. I request him to take me to a hotel, or a movie, but he is reluctant to do so. He comes, eats food, spends time with me and leaves,” she says.

The video seems to have given a new lease of life to her, who now claims that she has realised that there are many in the world who wouldn’t mind holding her hand in public.

The idea came from lead singer Bhavya Pandit, a former participant of Indian Idol Season 4. The video originally had no transgender concept, but then when Bhavya and her partner Avijit Sathpathy did the song selection, they realised that the lyrics can be used in this framework too. While it is a step on the right direction, there’s a lot more work to do, believes Bhavya. “I was sceptical about how people would react to the video. But it’s been only two days and the comments are encouraging. We are waiting for some days and only then can we really gauge the response,” she says. The video has until now garnered more than 2,500 views on YouTube.

The video was shot within four hours, claims Harrish Iyer, the actor who plays the boyfriend in the video. Harrish, a known rights activists, was the last choice for the video. “We didn’t face any reluctance from anyone, but we spent a lot of time in finalising the male lead, and as the date for shooting came closer, we decided that I will play the boyfriend,” he says.

Bhavya and Shreya had met at one of the TEDX talks held in Bangalore, where the latter gave a speech on how she grew up facing a lot of problem in society. This apparently moved the singer, who then assured her that whenever she is doing any relevant work, she would surely consider her.

“So when Bhavya decided to make this video, she called me and I immediately agreed,” Shreya adds. Coming back to the premise she adds, “What I did in the video is what I really want to do; who doesn’t want to be loved? I have realised that there are many who won’t mind being with me, without feeling ashamed or guilty, so why should I run behind someone who is not comfortable with me? I am not running behind him anymore like I earlier did,” she adds.