Njan Marykutty, directed by Ranjith Sankar, and starring Aju Varghese, Jayasurya, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Innocent, is a powerful and potent story of a transgender woman and her will to exist alongside people of the society without feeling any shame for who she is. The movie takes a potentially shocking and controversial subject matter, but it treats it with dignity and grace. The character of Mathukutty is not made to look like shameful or docile, but she is the woman of the present, who knows what she wants. She is able to fend for herself, and takes no one’s insult. She is always quick to add, that, the people who think she is an anamoly, have a problem, and not her existence.
The movie is powerful because, even as it takes the route of the strong female protagonist, the writers and the actor never make her feel one dimensional and mouth piece for an entire community. She is an individual who is trying to survive in a hostile environment, and her reactions are always extreme because the people’s actions around her are either vile or dismissive of her existence. The movie is able to demonstrate you can make a sensitive drama about such topics and not lose any bite and entertainment value.
Jayasurya, who plays Mathukutty, is just unafraid, and beautiful in his portrayal of a woman who is going to take her rights, and what belong to her, without feeling any sort of shame in herself. Yes, it would’ve been better if the role was performed by someone who really is transgender, but Jayasurya’s performance is so nuanced, and without the hint of stereotypical tics, that it is really .convincing on the screen. And it should be said that he also is an ally for the LGBTQ community, which makes the movie even more worthy and impactful.
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