My body contains the soul of a girl, will Lucknow ever accept me? Asks Jatin!

We belong to an identity which defines us in ways that are complex in nature. We are born to evolve and therefore keep acquiring traits as we age. The phenomena termed under the umbrella ‘Queer’ trying to make its place since a long time while getting choked and fed at the behest of monstrous and sick mindsets has finally made its voice heard even in a culturally tied up city like Lucknow.

Jatin, a Lucknow lad’s story beautifully capture his coming out for his mother. On a fine summer morning Jatin pens down his heart in a letter and silently slips it into his mother’s purse. Its been a long time since Jatin has concealed his identity and lived like a boy. With every breath his heart churned him out to scream and let go the insecurities and the fear of being judged by the misconstrued societal hurdles.

According to Jatin, his body contains the soul of a girl and he is proud of it.

It took a hell lot of time for self acceptance as this is a thing which is unacceptable and unlawful in our society. Apart from this, the family pressure peaks out and has hopes of a boy is born in their family, Jatin said.

Sometimes there are so many things hidden in the depth of our hearts that we ourselves start considering it as a fantasy. We try to crush it into pieces and ask for bereavement. We want a recluse from everything as we know that acceptability is not our fate. Imagine a 14-year-old boy trying to find his sexual orientation is stuck to live up to the expectations of society and save his family from the stain of degenerate remarks.

A screenshot from the film!

Jatin was bullied and harassed in school which could have easily pushed him into oblivion. The world talks of mental health and how to control it and fight depression. The time when Jatin was pushed in the biggest fight all alone was a nuanced one. The voices were left unheard and patriarchy was in all its glory. But society was the second step. The first step and the most important one was the acceptance of his family where he was graciously welcomed and accepted.

The story of Jatin has been beautifully captured in a series title Caged_Uncaged. The series is a set of 12 short films narrating the stories of 12 individuals who braved the journey of coming out in front of their families and friends.

The films are supported by Pahal foundation whose Chairperson Darvesh Singh Yadavendra has curated these stories and also worked on their screenplay.

We have tried to cover some success stories that are really positive in this series so that the gay men, transgender and sexual minority people get motivated and be comfortable about their sexuality, the man behind the concept told Knocksense.

All the films are shot, edited and directed by Soban Ahmad Khan. He has earlier made short films and a music video.

Watch this short film here-

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