Trans-becoming: decoding interactionist trans identity in Nagarkirtan (2019) and Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish (2012)

The paper situates Indian trans-identity within a distinct sociocultural context, noting how state policies, public discourse, and media representations shape trans experiences. Despite progressive legal milestones, contradictory policy stances and delayed implementation sustain transphobia and constrain equal participation in social spaces. Media play a pivotal role in constructing societal perceptions: Hindi cinema has historically caricatured or demonised transgender characters, while recent regional and some Hindi films attempt more nuanced portrayals, though often with issues such as casting cis actors in trans roles. The study focuses on two Bengali films—Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish (2012) and Nagarkirtan (2019)—to explore “trans-becoming” through Symbolic Interactionism, the Looking-Glass Self, and Sexual Scripting. Research aims: to analyse how social interactions and cultural discourses in these films shape trans identity formation; to compare and contrast the narratives to understand interactionist dynamics within India’s complex social context; and to assess how class, culture, and social position mediate trans identity development.

Prior scholarship largely examines trans representation in Indian cinema, often centred on Hindi films. Das and Sreena (2023) trace changing portrayals of love and affection in trans films; Chatterjee (2021) surveys regional cinemas; Hussain (2021) discusses adoption and motherhood among hijras; Banu and Yasmin (2020) outline historical heteronormative prejudice; Yasin et al. (2020) document stereotypy and its effects. On the focal films, Ruchi and Jha (2023) analyse body, desire, and sexual identity in Nagarkirtan; Bag (2021) compares gender performativity in Dance Like a Man and Chitrangada; Gogoi (2020) argues for more positive recent depictions; Ghosh (2020) tracks trans character evolution from the Mahabharata to Chitrangada and highlights regional under-exploration. Overall, studies emphasise the need to move beyond binary frameworks and to examine regional cinemas’ nuanced trans narratives—gaps this paper addresses through an interactionist lens.

A qualitative film-analysis approach was employed. The two Bengali films serve as primary texts for close, descriptive reading of scenes and dialogues to trace how social interactions shape the protagonists’ trans-becoming. Analytical framing draws on Symbolic Interactionism (Mead/Blumer), Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self, and Sexual Scripting theory to interpret meaning-making, mirroring, and performative gender practices within Indian cultural contexts.

• Trans identity formation emerges through ongoing social interactions. Conflicts arise between the generalised self (“me”) shaped by societal expectations and the instinctual self (“I”), especially around sexual and gender nonconformity.
• Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self illuminates how protagonists seek validation by “passing” and mirroring their gendered selves through significant others. Failure of mirroring produces shame, despair, or identity crisis (e.g., Puti’s devastation when Madhu rejects parts of her embodied transition; Rudra’s heartbreak when Partho refuses her feminised body and calls it “synthetic”).
• Sexual scripting and “doing gender” are contingent on class, culture, economic position, caste, and profession. These factors shape whether individuals can resist or must conform to dominant binary scripts.
• Case contrasts: Rudra, from an upper-middle-class artistic milieu, publicly performs effeminacy and initially pursues surgery to fit heteronormative family ideals but ultimately halts her transition, embracing a non-binary, self-defined identity. Puti, embedded in hijra culture and economic precarity, seeks surgery and passing within a strict binary, yet faces stigma, violence, and ultimately suicide.
• Media’s symbolic cues (dress, gestures like clapping, naming, pronouns) function as powerful social signals that either enable acceptance or trigger stigma and a “spoiled identity.”
• Overall, the interactionist framework explains how meanings of gender are negotiated, revised, and often constrained by heteronormativity, with sexual scripting frequently failing to overcome binary expectations.

Applying Symbolic Interactionism, the study shows trans-becoming as a dynamic negotiation between the internal ‘I’ and the socially conditioned ‘me’. Interactions with family, partners, and broader society generate meanings that guide performances of gender. Cooley’s mirroring clarifies the centrality of external validation and passing in stabilising identity; when significant others reject the presented gender, individuals experience mortification and identity strain. Goffmanian “doing gender” and sexual scripting reveal that public displays, gestures, and embodiment cue gender recognition, but also expose trans individuals to stigma when scripts deviate from binary norms. Comparing Rudra and Puti demonstrates how classed and culturally situated interactions differently enable or restrict agency: Rudra’s social capital permits resisting surgical completion and rejecting binary scripts; Puti’s marginalisation and desire for normative acceptance intensify vulnerability to stigma and violence. Thus, the findings address the research question by showing that Indian cultural discourses and interactional contexts profoundly shape trans identity trajectories, determining whether the ‘I’ can recalibrate the ‘me’ or is subsumed by it.

Social interactions are foundational to constructing gendered selves. The films illustrate how tensions between the generalised self and the instinctual self structure trans-becoming in India. Rudra’s path underscores that transition need not culminate in surgery or binary passing; meaningful self-definition can arise from internal dialogue rather than social mirroring. Puti’s trajectory exposes the lethal consequences of persistent stigma and failed mirroring in a rigidly binary environment. The paper contributes an interactionist account of Indian trans identity formation, foregrounding how class, culture, and social position modulate sexual scripting and passing. It suggests broader, nuanced representations are essential to reshape public discourse and reduce transphobia. Future work should expand to other regional cinemas and compare Indian and international trans portrayals to map sociocultural determinants and diversities of trans-becoming.

The study analyses only two Bengali films, reflecting a specific regional and cultural context within India. Findings may not generalise across India’s diverse sociocultural landscapes. The qualitative, interpretive design precludes statistical generalisation. Broader comparative analyses across regions and cross-national contexts are needed to capture varied trans experiences and interactional dynamics.