Ardhanaari

Ardhanaari is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language film about the life of transgender people in Kerala. The film is directed by Santhosh Souparnika and produced by M. G. Sreekumar under his production house MG Sound & Frames.

Manjula (Manoj K. Jayan), is a transgender hijra; her male physique and female behavioural traits lead to ridicule and snide remarks from her brother and others. The film concerns the rituals, customs, angst and preferences of hijra. The title of the film alludes to the half-male and half-female Hindu god Ardhanarishvara. Also starring in the film are Mahalakshmi, Maniyanpilla Raju, Thilakan, Sukumari and Sai Kumar. It was one of the last films featuring Thilakan, who died from a heart attack weeks before the release of the film.

Ardhanaari garnered mixed critical reviews, as did Jayan's performance.

Plot
'Ardhanaari' is a very different film in that it has as its protagonist a man who is torn to shreds because of an inherent chaos that leaves him with the body of a man and the mind of a woman. However, it succeeds only partially as a film, since it succumbs before the pressures put on by a shaky script.

It isn't clear if Manjula (Manoj K Jayan) is indeed a transvestite, and there are no suggestions if the baby was indeed born a different kind. He does come across a boy, who attends school but who falls totally in love with a male classmate of his. The feminine charms and effeminate ways of the boy are ridiculed by many barring this one person, who promises to marry him once they are grown up and ready to face the world.

Years later, their romance is on in full swing, until Manjula and his quaint ways bring disgrace to his family. Thrown out of his home, he seeks refuge with a group of transvestites who welcome him into their clan with open arms. To make matters worse, he is spurned in love as well.

Cinematically, 'Ardhanaari' leaves a lot to be desired, in that the script borders on the theatrical more than often. One could perhaps associate this melodrama with the distinctly high emotional upheavals that transvestites are often presumed to go through, given their exceedingly stressful lives.

The trials and tribulations that a transvestite finds himself face to face stems from a predicament related to his very identity that is no easy crisis to deal with. The realization that their distinctiveness renders them the cynosure of public attention is something that they eventually learn to live with, but the scars that are meted out to them in the process remain unhealed for life.

From the few films that have earlier had effeminate men playing the lead roles, 'Ardhanaari' is singular in that it doesn't make its hero fall in love with a girl. Issues of sexuality are more out in the open here, and Manjula assumes the role of a wife to a man who proclaims to be in love with him.

His remaining a bisexual not withstanding, Manjula chooses a man to live with, though she also confesses that she could fall in love with a woman. The confusion that rules over the very lives of these individuals is laid out in the open.

The cliches that are bound to creep in into any film that discusses issues on sexuality enter 'Ardhanaari' too without fail. An older hijda (Maniyanpillai Raju) falls sick and as she is carried over to her pyre, lessons on the dangers of unsafe sex are put forward on a platter. No thought on sexuality seems complete without HIV barging in to make a statement.

Manoj K Jayan comes up with an impressive performance in the title role, and is amply supported by veteran actors like Thilakan. Shorn of its over the top dramatics, 'Ardhanaari' could have made a touching film, but as of now, it is a shrill and screechy film that puts us off with its loudness.

Cast

 * Manoj K. Jayan as Manjula / Vinayan
 * Mahalakshmi as Kokila
 * Thilakan as Nayak
 * Maniyanpilla Raju as Jameela
 * Sukumari as the priest
 * Sai Kumar as Vinayan's Father
 * Thesni Khan as Vinayan's sister
 * Kochu Preman as the school teacher
 * Irshad
 * Jayakrishnan as Balu Menon
 * Asha Sarath as Balu Menon's wife

Awards

 * Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam - Manoj K. Jayan
 * Nominated—SIIMA Award for Best Actor - Manoj K. Jayan