“Any film may well be deconstructed, or even destroyed with a critical approach. The idea, however, cannot be killed.”
The makers of Dvamdva, 2023 Kannada film that has been screened at various film festivals believe firmly that the ‘bridge film’ (a term that has been used by the team to refer to a film that is neither commercial nor art) has a loud message to give to the world. Sure, the message of dignity for transgender people has been given in the past by many films and the storyline of Dvamdva is hence not the biggest selling point of the film. But Kling Johnson (director) and Sitesh Govind (screenplay and dialogue writer) have firmly embraced the native ethos of Udupi to narrate the familiar story.
The LGBTQ+ concepts have so far been a distant, rather alien concepts in rural areas like the ones depicted in Dvamdva. The Tulu speaking coastal audience is yet to embrace important social topics like this one, especially in popular culture like cinema. Though Dvamdva is not a Tulu film, it is evidently the story of a Tulu community that has limited access to the outside world. Chukki, or Sukesh (played by Rajendra Nayak), who lives and thrives as a Yakshagana artist in this very community has a serious identity crisis because he/she is a woman trapped in a male body. His struggles with his identity, romantic affiliations and eventual freedom make the storyline of Dvamdva.
With stories like this that are arguably predictable, the narration technique is the biggest selling point of a film. Kling Johnson and his team has deployed elements like heavy depiction of native culture, employment of wide aesthetic shots with symbolism incorporated, additional characters that propel the story forward and so on to unfold the narrative. Native elements like Yakshagana and Sonada Jogi play an important role in the film. Yakshagana is Chukki’s passion and haven – he feels like himself dressed up as a female character that he is exceptional at embodying. Sonada Jogi, however, has a slightly ambiguous role as he only stands witness to Chukki’s journey at three occasions in the film – twice symbolizing darker times ahead and once symbolizing hopeful times – without saying a word or interfering with the story.
Other than the aesthetics, a notable point in the film is the natural acceptance granted to Chukki by his two close friends. They know all about his identity crisis and stand by him, even backing him through difficult times. In a small place like a remote village in Udupi, such acceptance can be scarce and Dvamdva normalizes a transgender identity in the eyes of youngsters through Chukki’s two close friends. There is also a character named Mandakini introduced later who becomes the bridge from suffocation to freedom for Chukki. He embraces his true self through gender reaffirmation surgery and walks gracefully towards life’s next possibilities. The juxtaposition of his Yakshagana identity and the novel female identity as Chukki makes a walk of confidence makes for a climatic finish for Dvamdva.
Kling Johnson and team have done their research in terms of catering to the requirements of the important message, perhaps with Vasudhendra’s backing for the book (Deepavirada Daariyalli, upon which the film is based) and the movie. The aspect of gender reaffirmation surgery is touched upon, albeit without the depiction of the full complexities of it. The message of transgender dignity has been delivered at the grassroot level in a way that can be understood and embraced by the local audience. For this alone, Dvamdva deserves all the credit. Though in terms of technical and creative execution the film could go a few steps ahead, Dvamdva and the character of Chukki linger on long after we finish the film because he/she could very well be the boy next door, and his story is the one that we’d never understand without judgement if we came across it in real life. Dvamdva slaps it on our faces that every single one of the transgender people deserve compassion. Purpose served.
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