The first look teaser for actor Jayasurya’s upcoming film, Njan Marykutty was released on March 10.
The actor, honing his versatility, will be seen playing a trans woman in the film. Jayasurya’s transformation seems to be the talk of the town.
The star has pierced his earlobes for the role. Director Ranjith Shankar, who had teamed up with Jayasurya in Punyalan Private limited, will be directing Njan Marykutty as well.
On piercing his ears, Jayasurya has been quoted by Sify.com as saying, “I can use removable earrings during shooting but it won’t look original and so I have decided to pierce my ears. There is a little pain for sure but what Marykutty has gone through is much more.”
Like the duo's earlier collaborations, Njan Marykutty too will be produced by their banner Dreams and Beyond. The movie will be released by Punyalan Cinemas Release.
While speculations are rife that Njan Marykutty will address the issues faced by transgender persons, having a cis man play the role of a trans woman on screen only reinforces the misconceptions that trans women are just “men in makeup and wigs”.
Although this role is a chance to exhibit acting skills, it does nothing to dispel long-standing misconceptions on the community. We’ll have to wait and see how the film addresses the problems faced by the transgender community while allowing a male actor lead its cause.
Director Ranjith Shankar made his debut with the Malayalam movie Passenger, which had Dileep, Sreenivasan, Mamta Mohandas in the lead roles. He then went on to wield the megaphone for films such as Arjunan Sakshi, Molly Aunty Rocks, Punyalan Agarbattis and Punyalan Private Limited.
He has teamed up with Jayasurya in four films - Punyalan Agarbattis, Su… Su... Sudhi Vathmeekam, Pretham, and Punyalan Private Limited – so far and Njan Marykutty will be their fifth venture together.
He has won several awards in his career including the Kerala State Film Awards for Best Screenplay (Television) for the 2003 serial American Dreams and Dubai AMMA Awards for Best Socially Committed movie Director - Passenger and Best Debut director - Passenger.
(Content provided by Digital Native)