Transgenders play female leads, create celluloid history

ThaiIndian.com – By Ayyappa Prasad

Chennai (IANS) Karpaka and Revathi, who are transgenders in real life, will rewrite cinema history by playing ‘female’ leads in the forthcoming Tamil films “Paal” and “Thenavattu”. While Karpaka features as the central character in “Paal”, Revathi will be seen in “Thenavattu”. A transgender is a person who attempts to take on the identity of the opposite sex.

“Karpaka needed a lot of convincing to play a very complex role opposite choreographer Kadhal Kandas, who is the male lead,” said Shiva Kumar, director of “Paal”.

“The project is the result of meticulous study in Mumbai amidst the community for over two months in the company of Vidya, the transgender author of the book ‘Living Smile’ who underwent a sex-change operation in real life,” added Kumar.