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Regular-article-logo Sunday, 29 June 2025

Caught on camera: Untold story of a fighter

Filmmaker captures transgender's journey from begging to getting postgraduate degree

Shuchismita Chakraborty Published 17.06.17, 12:00 AM
Bharat Kaushik (right) with Veera Yadav (second from left) during the shoot in Patna. Telegraph picture

She took admission for a masters in social work at Patna University in 2016 but soon after joining she was mocked at, taunted, and physically assaulted.

She bravely sailed through the first year with 62.32 per cent. Now in second year, she feels life isn't easy for people like her when they choose to take a different path away from their other community members.

Meet Veera Yadav, a transgender, on whose life city-based filmmaker Bharat Kaushik, 27, is making a documentary - The Veera-Untold Story - that would be screened in Kinnar Festival (transgender festival) to be organised by the state, art, culture and youth affairs department at Ravindra Bhavan on June 23.

The 15-minute documentary would not only show what Veera has gone through at her college but also focus on the emotional trauma she has had when her family had disowned her.

Bharat, who was also a student of Patna University, said he decided to make the documentary on Veera because he wanted to show the plight of the transgender community and what kind of ordeals they go through everyday.

"Veera is socially and economically challenged. She resorted to begging to earn livelihood. She lived with her family but they used to torture her. Her hair was suddenly chopped and she was even stabbed with scissors leaving deep bruises on her body and mind. The documentary shows these," said Bharat.

He added: "From her days going around begging till her college days, we have tried to cover every aspect in the film. It has been shot at Patna Junction, Rajendra Nagar Terminal, Patna College. When we started shooting at Patna Junction, we could feel the enormous sufferings transgenders go through. People would abuse Veera and call her by different names. When people can do such things in front of camera and crew, you can imagine what kind of harassment transgenders face when they are alone begging and doing other odd jobs."

Veera, who wants to be a social activist, said she is happy that a film is being made on her and this would help her work on women-related issues that need immediate attention.

"I am happy that a documentary is being made on a transgender. It's not an usual story. Here the transgender begs and educates herself everyday. Veera is trying hard to establish herself in society but a few people are posing challenges only because she is different. The society is treating her not as a human being but a material that is different from others," she said.

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