Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju, who made her acting debut in Made in Heaven season 2, talks about acting opportunities for transpeople in India.
The second season of Made in Heaven brought with itself several old favourites and a bunch of new characters too. Among these new faces was Trinetra Haldar, a first-time actor playing one of the central characters – a transwoman who joins the titular wedding planning agency. The actress, who is herself transgender, talks about the opportunity to not just act but represent her community, and future aspirations.
Trinetra’s Made in Heavan character Meher is a transwoman who is a new entrant at the agency headed by Sobhita and Arjun Mathur’s characters. Talking about the role, she says, “It was very unusual to be someone else for a while but very thrilling too. Of course, Meher and I have similarities being transwomen but she is a different person. So getting into character was equally challenging for me.”
For years, trans characters in mainstream Indian films and TV shows have been played by cisgender actors. And while Trinetra does not hold that trend against the industry, she recognises that there is a time for change now. “I understand that actors are supposed to play all roles,” says Trinetra, adding, “And I have no issues with cisgender actors playing trans characters. But the traffic should flow in reverse too. I will consider that day a real day of progress when a transperson is cast as a cisgender character in a mainstream film or show.” Will Trinetra be the one to do that, we ask. The actress laughs and responds, “I don’t know but that would be my Bollywood dream. For now, the Made in Heaven role is a stepping stone in the right direction.”
The actress says that representation of trans characters by cis actors has done some harm though. “When men play trans characters, it perpetuates the stereotype that these characters look masculine and look a certain way. When women play them, it sets an unrealistic standard of beauty. And that is why representation is important. Transpeople can depict trans characters more accurately,” she says.
Trinetra was born in 1997 in Bangalore and spent the first two decades of her life as a male. Upon transitioning, Trinetra continued to study and even pursued MBBS, which she completed in 2021. The actress says that her family initially had reservations about her transition but in time, they have become her biggest cheerleaders.
