Before Arpit became Arpita in Starbucks ad, Saurav became trans model Siya

The 25-year-old features in a recent Starbucks advertisement, part of its #ItStartsWithYourName campaign – a warm account of parental acceptance as Arpit becomes Arpita, a transwoman, with Siya essaying the role of Arpita. “When I got the brief about this advertisement, I wanted to be the one doing it, so I auditioned in three different styles,” says the Mumbai-based actor.

Siya, who legally changed her name from Saurav in 2020, spent her early teens at a boys’ school in Dehradun. She recalls being bullied and called names by fellow students.

While the advertisement drew praise for its message on inclusion, it also attracted a fair share of trolls. “The first two days were really nice, I received a lot of appreciation. But it is not all roses. Many people are saying nasty things but I try to not let them affect me though sometimes they do.”

But Siya had been through worse – and come out stronger for it. Being in an all-boys’ school meant she attracted a lot of unflattering attention. “I would hold my pee for several hours to avoid being bullied inside the washroom. And then, when I was 15, I tried to commit suicide,” she says, adding that she started bunking school.

Being in an all-boys’ school meant that Siya attracted a lot of unflattering attention. She would avoid using the washroom for hours to avoid being bullied inside the facility. She attempted suicide at 15.

It was when her mother, a lab assistant at a school in Dehradun, found out that Siya had been bunking school, that she decided to share her inner conflict. “When I told her (about my feelings), she said maybe she doesn’t understand me today but she will educate herself to understand me better. That was a turning point in my life,” she says.

The next day, her mother met the principal to ensure Siya wasn’t bullied anymore.

When Siya finally shared her inner conflict with her mother, a lab assistant at a Dehradun school, she told her that she would educate herself to understand Siya better. The 25-year-old called her mother’s acceptance “a turning point” in her life.

When it was time to join college, Siya prepared to face herself – she grew her hair and started dressing “in a more feminine way”. “I enrolled for BCom in a college in Dehradun. There, I learnt of a Delhi-based NGO that supported trans people. So I boarded a bus and came to Delhi. By the time I reached, it was evening, so I spent the night outside Mata Chanan Devi Hospital in Janakpuri. A policeman came and started harassing me, assuming I was a prostitute. He checked my bag for condoms. I had to show him my tickets from Dehradun to convince him. I can never forget that night,” says Siya, who started making frequent trips to Delhi for hormone therapy and psychiatry help. By 19, Siya relocated to Delhi and took up odd jobs, including that of a beautician, to keep going, before finding her footing in the hospitality industry.

“My family has been very supportive… my sisters are my best friends,” she says.

By the time she was in college, Siya grew her hair and started dressing up “in a more feminine way”. Thanks to her family’s support, she started making frequent trips to Delhi for hormone therapy and psychiatric help. By 2019, she saved up enough money for a sex reassignment surgery and her first portfolio shoot.

By 2019, she had saved up enough money for a sex reassignment surgery and her first portfolio shoot.
Towards the end of 2020, Siya moved to Mumbai. “I sent my portfolio to agencies and soon landed gigs in advertisements for e-commerce sites and catalogue shoots. I also did an audition for (reality TV show) MTV Supermodel of the Year and got selected. They were looking for people with strong stories to feature in their second season,” she says, adding, “The fashion industry doesn’t care who you are, as long as you are confident and can pull off a look. I did bikini shoots too.”

After the MTV show, Siya got selected for a part in the Netflix series Rana Naidu where she played a trans-make-up artist.

As she soaks in the attention that the Starbucks ad has given her, Siya says, “I don’t want any sympathy. The plan is to hone my craft and entertain people and create more visibility for the trans community.”