She first thought of highlighting the injustices faced by transsexuals, because
"in the Asian region, our country is the worst for transsexuals to live in,"
but that angle did not feel right nor new to Indrani.
Then, she got to know Sarika Samalakrishnan, 23, a university graduate who
works in a human resource department of a company.
After hearing numerous tales of how transsexuals were turned away by their
families, she was astounded to find out that Sarika's family accepted her for
who she was.
"Her mum went to the extend of buying her clothes and cosmetics! I was amazed,
and thought, 'Wow, that's a cool mother!' And I thought, why not document it?"
said Indrani.
Indrani knew that she had found the perfect angle for her documentary.
And when the FreedomFilmFest judges received her documentary proposal, they
thought the same and Indrani became one of three winners who were awarded a
RM5,000 grant.
Her documentary is called She's My Son. It wasn't easy to juggle her busy work
as a video journalist and find time to film and direct her project as well.
But nothing prepared her for the crisis that hit the production. Three weeks
after pre-production in April, one of Sarika's sisters feared that the
documentary would make Sarika's "issue" public and thus harm the chances of
their younger sister getting married.
Sarika had to withdraw from the documentary.
A transsexual walks into a non-profit organisation's office for transsexuals in
Kuala Lumpur August 4, 2007. Transsexuals say they are slowly gaining
acceptance although physical abuse and verbal harassment by the public, police
and religious authorities are still routine.
"It was a moment of complete panic for me," said Indrani, shuddering at the
memory.
For two weeks, Indrani frantically searched for a new talent. Then Sarika
introduced her to Suganya, 30.
"I wasn't so sure about her at first. Then, at a party held by transsexuals,
Suganya came to me and said, 'Don't worry, you will love my mother.' And when I
met Suganya's mother Samsed, I realised that she was godsend. Everything I had
in my mind, she just laid it out. She was expressive, confident, and
cooperative," said Indrani.
The relationship between Suganya and Samsed, 49, was just beautiful, she added.
When Suganya went through a sex change operation recently, the whole family
celebrated it.
"It was a huge ceremony for them and they invited their relatives to the
party," said Indrani.
One thing you will not find in her documentary is religious debate because
Indrani feels that the focus should be on families instead.
"The root of the problem is the family. If the family respects a transgendered
child, then they will educate society (into accepting transsexuals). Why do you
want to blame the authorities when you can educate the family? And who can
educate the family? The media."
The real star of the documentary, she said, is Samsed.
"I want people to know that there are mothers who accept their transsexual
children," she explained. "When I was young, I didn't give them any attention.
I thought they were normal, but I wasn't aware of what was happening to them in
society."
Society needs to realise that transsexuals have the right to live, to have
shelter, to earn money and have an education, she added.
"Even if only one person changes after the documentary, I think I've completed
my objective," she said.
