After making waves on debut in Made In Heaven, Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju plays a pivotal role in Kankhajura, that streams on SonyLIV from May 30. The adaptation of the Israeli series Magpie, Kankhajura — meaning ‘centipede’ — also stars Mohit Raina, Roshan Mathew and Sarah Jane Dias.
t2 caught up with Trinetra, who is also a doctor and lived the first 20 years of her life as a man before going in for gender-reassignment surgery, on her latest project and the representation of trans characters on screen.
What appealed to you about Kankhajura?
This is a very different genre, a different kind of show for me. To explore this world was exciting for me. A crime thriller is something I am fascinated by. It is a genre I enjoy watching as an audience, and as an actor, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to have trans representation in such a genre because it is not something you see very often. This is a character that I can’t relate to in many ways and that challenged me as an actor. Also, in terms of appearance and language, I really wanted to go all out.
Did this role allow you to explore any aspect of yourself as an artiste that you hadn’t done before?
Yes. Aimee (her character) goes through a lot of turmoil in her romantic relationship. The fact that she is dealing with a fair amount of abuse was difficult for me to read and then perform. It hits very close to home but when you are surrounded by such a supportive cast and crew, then you get to explore those vulnerable parts with a lot of safety. That helps you come out of scenes like that feeling almost a little bit healed.
It was interesting to portray a character who is going through so much, who is very vulnerable in her personal life but who has a strong wall up (around her) for the world. As actors, we somehow gravitate towards characters that help us process our personal issues.
Had you watched the original Israeli series Magpie before working on Kankhajura?
I did watch the original because I wanted to have some reference of that world. I think Chandan (Arora, writer and director) has done a fabulous job in adapting the story to Goa. When you watch the show, you will not feel that this is an adaptation of a series that was made in another country. Credit goes to Chandan for directing it that way.
In the career and the time in the spotlight that you have had so far, what would you count as your major highs?
One of my major highs was the first time I came to Bombay, and that was to audition for Made In Heaven. I had never been to Bombay before that. The first night I was here, me and a friend — who is also a doctor — went to Juhu beach. We sat there and talked about what if this audition works out. The next day, I auditioned for the part and I got it. It felt like Bombay was giving me a huge hug. That was a big deal for me.
Another high was cracking the role for Kankhajura. The biggest of highs is when you do some work and put it out there and a member of your community — someone from the LGBTQIA+ community — reaches out and says: ‘Thank you for your representation. It is because of what you put out there that I feel I am able to accept myself a little bit more.’ That is the biggest reward. Honestly, that is my purpose in life — to create representation so that we can see people like ourselves thriving and succeeding in life and doing good things.
There is much talk about inclusivity and slowly but surely we are progressing on that front. Of course, there is a lot left to do. How have you seen the attention and sensitivity towards inclusivity go up in casting in the last few years?
It is definitely very, very slow. After Made In Heaven, a part of me really hoped that Bollywood would open up to a lot of trans representation. But that hasn’t happened.
But the more casting directors and filmmakers I speak to, I realise that this is a very uncertain time for Indian entertainment, for Bollywood. A lot of filmmakers genuinely don’t know what is working for the audiences and what is not... what is bringing people to theatres, what is working on OTT.
There is a lot of confusion. A lot of shows are being shelved. Quite a few scripts that had been given a go-ahead or went into production, have suddenly been stopped. At such an uncertain time, no one is able to commit to trans representation with any amount of certainty. It is a grey area. But it is important for us, as trans actors, to bide our time, use this phase to work on our skills, to hone our craft and wait it out until the dust settles a little bit, until people figure out what the scene really looks like and then take it from there.
But I will definitely say that a lot of conversations have started happening. For a lot of people within Bollywood, for example, the idea of queer representation or trans representation is not a foreign concept anymore. Also, there are so many more trans actors now... there is Sushant (Divgikar), there is Ivanka (Das). Earlier, the excuse would be that the industry was not able to find people from the community to audition for parts, that they did not know where to look for us. But those excuses are not valid anymore. There are so many of us in the public eye, and very openly so. But I think the industry needs to figure out first what is working for it and then take it from there.
What are your short-term and long-term goals as an actor and an activist?
In acting, plans don’t work because it is a very uncertain profession. I started my journey as a doctor and it changed completely when I became an actor. I was assigned male at birth... I lived the first 20 years of my life as a boy, and then I transitioned and became myself. Sometimes, life doesn’t work out according to plan. So I have become someone who doesn’t plan so much.
Earlier, I used to plan everything... I had to have a five-year plan, a 10-year plan.... But now, to a large extent, I take it as it comes. Of course, you do things like planning finances, you plan some things that you can control. But you need to also understand that there is a lot as an actor that is completely out of your control. When you make peace with that, your life becomes a little more sorted and simple.
I will definitely say that one of my short-term goals is to enjoy the complete extent of my red hair as Aimee! I enjoyed that through the show and now for the promotions, my hair is red again. So I am enjoying doing my photo shoots and being this completely different person.
My long-term goal is to do a lot more work as an actor with various kinds of trans characters. Historically, there are so many trans characters that have been played by men and they have done it for far too long. I want more women to play these characters. In fact, as an actor, you should be able to play anything. I would also like to play a cis character at some point.
Is there anything that you watched or read recently that had a profound impact on you?
Perfect Days by Wim Wenders, who is an icon in the world of filmmaking. It is a beautiful movie about the smaller joys in life and about holding onto the art in your life, no matter what. Another movie that very profoundly impacted me was Joyland, a beautiful watch by Saim Sadiq. Laapataa Ladies was absolutely beautiful. I would urge Indian filmmakers to use that movie as an example that sometimes you don’t need A-listers, you don’t need formula for a story to be successful and impactful. It touched me on a very personal level.
Aamir Khan’s movie, Sitaare Zameen Par, is coming up. It casts intellectually challenged people. Would you count that as a significant step forward in terms of inclusivity?
Yes. It is fantastic because if we are talking about trans representation, then why not talk about disability representation too? I feel it is something we have never seen before. I watched the trailer... it seemed very interesting. Both Aamir and Kiran (Rao, filmmaker) have been at the forefront of telling very unique stories. It is my dream to work with both at some point. I am manifesting that. As far as Sitaare Zameen Par is concerned, it is beautiful to have disability representation in an uncertain time like 2025. And who does it better than Aamir?
