Amyable? Not really!
Trinetra Haldar Gummaraju wears many hats. A doctor by training, she loves to sing, paint, travel, write and, of course, act! The actress, who found fame with OTT shows such as Made In Heaven and Rainbow Rishta, will soon be seen in another ambitious series, Kankhajura. A psychological thriller, it has Trinetra slipping comfortably into the shoes of Amy, a multi-layered character. The show is based on the Israeli series, Magpie. Trinetra watched the original show as part of her preparation for the role. “I found the script very interesting, all the characters layered. It was suspenseful, keeping one on the edge of their seat.”
She watched the original not to replicate the character, but to understand the dynamics between Amy and the main protagonist, Ashu. “Our Amy looks nothing like her international counterpart. The team has done a great job at adapting the show to Goa.”
Amy in the show is a firecracker of a human being, but has her vulnerabilities. “Unfortunately, the kankhajura (informant), the protagonist of the show, takes advantage of it and that’s the arc people will enjoy watching,” Trinetra hopes.
Apart from the telling script, starring opposite Roshan Mathew was another reason for Trinetra to come on board. “I am a fan of his works. When I watched him in the Malayalam film Moothon, I was floored. To be cast opposite him felt like a dream,” shares Trinetra, who says that the first two days of the shoot were a full of anxiety. “To meet a co-actor is one thing, and to work with someone whom you adore is another. It took a day or two to adjust, but we did fall into a beautiful rhythm eventually.” Trinetra also found a wonderful co-star in Mohit Raina, even if their scenes together were few. To add to the fun on sets was Sarah Jane Dias. Sarah and Trinetra go back in time to the Made In Heaven days. Chandan Arora on the director’s seat was another ride to savour. An experienced editor, Kankhajura is his fourth directorial venture.
“We had our chaotic days in Goa, managing a whole lot of logistics. One could tell he was figuring it out as he was going,” shares Trinetra. But she gives him credit for first adapting the show beautifully and for creating a safe space to act. “A character like Amy goes through trauma. Our director and DOP Rajeev Ravi, whose work I have long admired, made me feel safe through it all.”
Before earning a name in the entertainment world, Trinetra went through her share of struggles. Born a male, she came out as a trans woman in her college days after a sex reassignment surgery. Her mother has been her support system through it all. “We have our highs and lows and fights. There are times when we don’t understand each other, but one person who has stood by me in my worst days is my mom. An architect by profession, she is a very unconventional mother,” shares Trinetra.
Times for the trans community are unsure at the moment, but Trinetra says, “It’s better to be a trans person in India than in America right now.” America’s anti-trans stance is sure to have a trickledown effect here. “India will suffer due to international policy changes as Meta is pulling out its diversity programme and many other companies with bases in India are taking off their DNI initiatives. Also, for people like us, brand endorsements will take a hit.”
While in India the trans community is seeing more acceptance, one area that Trinetra wants to draw attention to is the lack of medical care. “There is so much left to be done. Trans people bank heavily on medical infrastructure. Right from psychiatrists for counselling to endocrinologists and surgeons for sex reassignment surgery, we depend on doctors. The quality of medical care is very poor, leading to disproportionate mortality rates and high incidents of AIDS. I would keep calling it out till our community gets the medical care it deserves.”
Kankhajura releases on May 30 on Sonyliv.
Ludhiana