I’m fortunate that in 2023, there is more dignity to trans characters and actors: Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju

Prior to Trinetra’s screen debut, different aspects of her life criss-crossed for a while. “I extended my internship by one year. I went back to work at the hospital and then returned to MIH sets. There was a lot of overlap between medicine and acting. The shoot of both my shows overlapped too. That was a scary day. I had to stand there and pose with the actors like Kalki Koechlin, Mona Singh and others whom I have admired,” she recounts. Those photographs went up on billboards and posters all across Mumbai. Calling this “monumental”, Trinetra says, “I grew up seeing people like me on the streets. So, this was unbelievable.”

Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju

Before Trinetra made her screen debut, she caught public attention as she documented the journey of her medical, legal and social transition on social media and YouTube. Vocal about her experiences, Trinetra, who went through her gender affirmation surgery at 21, emerged as an activist who embraced her transgender identity openly. It’s her digital content that caught the attention of MIH casting directors, who were looking for a transgender actor. After being part of the MIH cast, she realised that as an actor her stories can find a wider audience. She continues to speak about her past experiences on social media. Occasionally, she calls out trolls. The trolling, she says, has reduced after she got her MBBS degree and MIH released.

Rishta gives a peek into the real Trinetra — showing her experience of going on dates; her life on the campus and her relationship with her family — apart from sharing the stories of five others who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. Some bits of the documentary are shot at her Bengaluru home, where her mother Haimabati Haldar, an architect, and her father Suresh Ramdas, an engineer, now reside. Her father talks about trying to toughen her up when she was young and her mother about realising that Trinetra might be a trans person after seeing a Facebook post in which she was wearing a dress. Though her parents are fully supportive of her choices today, it took them a while to accept it. While her character Meher, a competent wedding planner looking for love in MIH, is fictional, Trinetra feels as if the character was written for her.

Even though Trinetra was aware that she was acting in a major series, that didn’t stop her from taking her medical internship “seriously”. She says, “I had the feeling that this might be the last time I was getting a chance to be a doctor. I knew I might not go back to the world of medicine soon.” Even though she has the potential to be a fine surgeon, Trinetra was aware that the life of a doctor was going to be too hectic, especially in the initial years, and that might affect her pursuit of creative activities.

When in school, being good at studies became her answer to bullying and discrimination that she faced while growing up in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. “It became my armour. I realised students and teachers may make fun of you, but they can’t get you in trouble if your scores are high,” says Trinetra. While that worked in school, she struggled to stay focused in college. “It was difficult for me to live in a boy’s hostel. My coming out led to rejection, discrimination by professors and being chucked out of class for having a piercing,” says Trinetra.

Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju

At the moment, she is focussing on building her career in the entertainment industry. She doesn’t agree that playing a transgender character qualifies as typecasting. “No one would say Ranveer Singh is being typecast because he plays only male roles. People need to realise that a character is a lot more than their gender identity. I would be happy to play trans characters if they are diverse and have interesting stories. Earlier, hum mazak ban ke rah jaate the (we were treated as jokes). The entertainment industry owes a huge apology to many actors who could have done so much better. I am fortunate that in 2023 there is more dignity to trans characters and actors,” she says, adding, “However, if one argues that it’s all about acting, then cast me as a pregnant woman. If my voice is a giveaway, that can be dubbed.”

Even as she works on finding her foothold in the industry, she is also aware of its “erratic” ways. She says: “One or two shows don’t guarantee you a future. That apart, I am vocal about my beliefs and politics. These things are determinants when people cast you in major parts. But, if I don’t get roles, I will go back with a lot of dignity and I will become a surgeon. I was good at that.” She recently wrapped up the shoot of another web-series.

In Rishta, as Trinetra is getting ready for a date, she states that she “loves to make an entrance”. When asked about it, she can’t suppress her signature joyous laughter. Then, she offers an insight into it. “When I was transitioning, doctors and nurses at the hospital had the same expression as people have for hijras even though I wore a white coat and carried a stethoscope. I decided to change that — whether I am wearing makeup or not. When I enter a room, the way I conduct myself should stick (in people’s mind) rather than how trans I look or sound.”