Others, the upcoming Malayalam film, will be a road thriller movie focusing on the transgender community, director Srikanth Sreedharan tells Silverscreen India.
Produced by Dr Manoj Govindan under the Widescreen banner, the film’s first-look poster was released by the makers via social media last week.
Apart from directing, Srikanth has also written the film’s story, screenplay and dialogues. In a conversation with Silverscreen India, he says, “Others conveys an uplifting story of the transgender community. Usually, films portray only sad, depressing accounts of their lives. But Others will tell a story about the victory of the community, highlighting their strengths and boldness.”
While many Indian films, like Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui and Thangam, a short in the Paava Kadhaigal anthology, have been criticised for not casting trans persons to play trans characters, the makers of Others have selected five artists from the transgender community to essay the roles of trans people.
Speaking about this, Srikanth says, “This was a conscious decision that we made, thanks to my friend actor Kani Kastruti, who enlightened us about this. She suggested that we provide opportunities to artists from the community and told us this will also ensure proper representation.”
In addition to the trans actors, the film also stars Anil Anto, Riya Isha, RJ Raghu, Anand Bal, Gopu Padavedan, Nishaa Mathew and Tessa.
Srikanth mentions that when he was living in Kochi, he happened to meet a few members of the trans community and got a chance to learn about their backstories, struggles, and more.
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“I believe stories based on real-life experiences create a strong impact in society. So, I decided to make a film that focuses on the upliftment of the transgender community. To have a better understanding and ensure political correctness in the matter, we spoke to a few doctors as part of the research process,” the filmmaker adds.
The shooting of Others began in October 2021 and was completed by December 1. Cinematographer Vipin Chandra helmed the camera. “Due to erratic weather conditions and the Covid-19 situation, there were some breaks in our shooting schedule. The actual filming took place over 16 nights, en route from Kochi to Kumily,” says Srikanth.
The film is currently in the post-production stage and a release date has not been announced yet.
Srikanth is an actor turned director, who has been working in the Malayalam film industry since 2012. He has acted in films like September 10, 1943; Ayal njan Alla; Kismath; and Who. He is also a model who has appeared in several advertisements.