Taali Review: Sushmita is a Force to Reckon With as Trans Activist Gauri Sawant

For decades, trans people have been ostracised from society, denied access to public spaces and amenities (including proper healthcare) on the basis of their identity. On the big screen, they’ve been either demonised as villains, used for shock or comic effect, or made to go through brutal violence on screen with no other possible ending in sight. 

Then comes Taali, a show inspired by the life of trans activist Shreegauri Sawant, with Sushmita Sen in the lead.

While the show follows one trans woman’s journey, it also explores the lived experiences of trans people – the hardships, the stereotypes, and even queer and trans joy. 

And that is one of the strengths of Taali – trans joy, like when Gauri meets more transwomen and becomes a part of their community or when she is welcomed into one post-op, is vividly shot and represented on screen. Further, violence against the trans character is never graphically shown or exploited for shock value and almost always implied instead. 

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For complete transparency, the show mentions in the disclaimer that some events have been dramatised for the sake of the show. I would, thus, suggest that you don’t view this show as a complete biography. 

Gauri Sawant’s character proclaims that her fight is for ‘identity, survival, and equality’ – the three cornerstones to a life with dignity. With no recognition for trans people in the country (the film is set in the months before the NALSA judgment), these three rights remained elusive. 

Taali also explores the dynamics within trans communities, delving into how it can sometimes be difficult to carve your own niche within the community itself. But here too, it has found a balance – as much as we see people trying to pull Gauri down, we watch as a supportive community slowly builds around her as well. 

The biggest problem with Taali is that its reliance on melodrama and the omnipresent slow motion shots makes it a tedious watch in places. This choice affects the show’s pacing, making it seem almost still in places.

Sawant’s story of fighting for adoptive rights for trans people, being one of petitioners in the NALSA (National Legal Services Authority of India) case, advocating to improve conversations around HIV-AIDS, and more is a story that begets telling. 

And if the makers had trusted their source material more, there would be no need for the hammy background score or the exposition to drive home a point. The story, and Sushmita Sen’s exemplary skill, would be enough. 

Sen’s casting in the film is rare in a space that constantly casts cis men to play trans women.

Keeping aside the need to cast trans people in trans roles, casting men to play trans women gives into harmful stereotypes about the community and also supports a reductionist gender binary. Sen, instead, never exaggerates, never gives into plucking the low hanging fruit.

Instead, her portrayal of Sawant is gritty, nuanced, sensitive and authentic to the character. She plays Gauri Sawant with an infectious conviction that almost overshadows the flaws in the show. When a young girl she shelters places a crown on Sawant’s head, she remarks, ‘Ab tere liye Miss Universe bann jau kya?’ (Should I become Miss Universe for you now?) It is in these little moments where Sen and Sawant’s roles almost blur, creating an impressive mix. 

Gauri’s younger self is played by a self-assured Krutika Deo. We see how the young kid has an inkling of their identity but struggles to truly explore it because of the constraints society puts on them. As a result, queer and trans kids often have to face abuse from family and go through futile (and often dangerous) practices like conversion therapy. The innocence and charm that Deo imbibes into the character makes your heart wrench. 

Despite its pacing, the show is structured well. Sawant’s story plays out through flashbacks and sermons but the way time is designed for the show makes it easy to keep track of these changes. 

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Taali’s language is by no means perfect or inclusive of the entire trans community. It is, by its own admission, one woman’s story and that brings its own restraints. The trans identity goes much beyond a ‘third gender’ tag and the story could’ve used some of the side characters to add these nuances, but it rarely does. You’ll notice that despite all their efforts, the end credits uses the word ‘transgender’ as a noun instead of an adjective, something several trans people have advocated against.

And language goes a long way in messaging.  

It also soon morphs into a hagiography, something that is common with the sister genres of biography and the genre itself.

Sawant inspires complete adulation and seems to be without any flaws. This takes a little from the authenticity of the character, as is the case with most characters that exist on one side of the black and white character spectrum. 

It’s also important to remember that while the show follows the historic NALSA judgment, we don’t see much with respect to the ground reality since the judgment passed (this is not on the show itself but something to remember as a viewer). 

On the other hand, the show does explore the sinister effects of considering some citizens more equal than others – by exploring the prevalence of abuse against trans people and how that, coupled with police apathy and violence, only makes their lives harder. The show also ably challenges the notion that people must first change themselves to fit oppressors’ sensibilities to be taken seriously even after the right to exist in civil society with no danger is made a privilege. 

Taali is buoyed above its own material because of the effective Sushmita Sen. Perhaps with another actor, the story would’ve lost a lot of its charm. It’s in the rage in her eyes when she’s fighting for her rights or the affection in her gaze when she’s with her found family that you see what makes Sen a great actor. 

At the end of the day, Taali is brought down by its own creative decision of dramatisation but stays afloat because of its kind intentions. With a more crisp storyline, the show wouldn’t just have been more gripping, it would’ve had space to say more. 

Taali still stands out as a story of trans joy, resilience, and found family, in a world that would have you believe these rarely exist.