Curated for Pride Library, University of Western Ontorio, Canada
Copyright Sridhar Rangayan, 2009
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DISCLAIMER: All interpretations and readings is by the author. All the images and videos on this site have been used only for reference, collated from sources on the internet.
CREDITS
Title: A Mermaid Called Aida
Year: 1996
Language: English
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 52 mins
Director: Riyad Vinci Wadia
SYNOPSIS
A Mermaid Called Aida is a fascinating documentary that reveals the enigmatic real life story of India's most famous transsexual - the fabulous Aida Banaji. Director Riyad Vinci Wadia reveals the bittersweet struggle of a woman trapped inside a man's body to explore the politics of gender; and in doing so boldly challenges perceptions of race, culture and social morality. Aida takes the audience on a voyage of discovery into her complex inner life as a transsexual. Through no-holds-barred interviews and various genres of story-telling, a dramatic, often harrowing, yet always compelling tale of life in contemporary urban India emerges.
QUEER NOTES
A film with a heart containing an essentially humane message - an enduring story of struggle, hope and ultimate survival. This unique documentary is the first to give a voice to an Indian transsexual, and is exceptionally relevant as India undergoes its media-led Sexual Revolution. "I was a Venus with a penis," says Aida. "I tell my story not for fame, fortune or sensationalism, but in the hope that after I tell it people will understand the real me and not just stare....". The film blends the riveting interview sessions with Aida with caricatured interviewees representing her friends, family and associates along with fictionalized sequences on her life to create a complex tapestry.1
ACTOR/S IN QUEER ROLE
Aida Banaji as him/ herself (transgender)
LINKS
Imdb: www.imdb.com/title/tt0117027/
queer portrayals in Indian films