When men wore courage: South Indian actors who gave voice and grace to the deserved characters

A look at South Indian actors who portrayed transgender and gender-fluid roles with dignity, breaking stereotypes and bringing empathy, strength, and truth to characters often misrepresented on screen.

Hyderabad: In a film industry where transgender characters are too often reduced to stereotypes or sidekicks, a few South Indian actors have chosen a different path; one marked by empathy, honesty, and boldness. They didn’t just play a role. They gave a voice to those whose stories are rarely told with respect. And in doing so, they helped the audience see beyond the performance.

When Vijay Sethupathi appeared as Shilpa in Super Deluxe, it wasn’t about shock value or drama. It was about truth. A truth that many in our society still find uncomfortable. Shilpa wasn’t loud, nor apologetic, she was real. A transgender woman returning home to her child, navigating stares, rejection, and moments of silent pain. Vijay didn’t imitate; he immersed. His body language softened, but his spirit remained strong. In every frame, there was a quiet storm, a person asking only for the right to live and be loved. For many, it was the first time a mainstream Tamil film treated a trans character with that much heart.

---

Years earlier, Sarath Kumar surprised the audience in Kanchana: a commercial horror entertainer that unexpectedly carried an emotional core. As Kanchana, a transgender woman haunted by injustice, Sarath didn’t treat the role as a gimmick. In the flashback, when Kanchana shares her story of rejection, humiliation, and broken dreams, Sarath’s eyes carry the weight of a thousand unheard voices. His rage wasn’t theatrical; it was personal. In those moments, he gave dignity to a character that could’ve easily been reduced to a trope. Instead, he gave her a spine, a soul, and a purpose.

And then there’s Sanchari Vijay, whose role in Naanu Avanalla…Avalu remains one of the most sincere portrayals ever seen on screen. Based on a real-life transgender woman, Vijay approached the role with nothing but respect. No flamboyance, no exaggeration, just quiet strength and aching vulnerability. He captured what it means to be constantly questioned, constantly judged, and yet, continue living with grace. His performance earned him a National Award, but more importantly, it gave visibility to a community that rarely finds such powerful representation.

Not all performances need a full-length film to speak volumes. Mohanlal, in a jewellery advertisement, did something that sparked national conversation without uttering a single word. He didn’t dress up as a woman. He simply wore jewellery: necklace, bangles, earrings and a ring, with such composure and stillness that it made viewers pause. There was no costume, no dialogue, no attempt to ‘act’. Just a man embracing adornment in a way that felt sacred, not showy. It challenged the idea that masculinity must always look a certain way. It was soft. And it was strong.

Real-life activist and artist Kalki Subramaniam has long blurred the lines between performance and personal truth. As a transgender woman playing transgender characters in Tamil indie films and shorts, her presence is powerful because it’s lived. Kalki doesn’t just act; she represents. Every expression, every pause in her voice feels like it comes from a place of real pain and even deeper pride. Her work may not have reached the mainstream masses yet, but her impact is undeniable.

Long before modern cinema explored gender with sensitivity, N T Rama Rao brought quiet strength to his role as Brihannala in Nartanasala (1963). Disguised as a dance teacher during exile, Arjuna’s character was never treated as comic relief. NTR played Brihannala with remarkable restraint and grace, avoiding exaggeration and instead leaning into the emotional weight of the disguise. At a time when such roles could easily be misunderstood, NTR’s portrayal stood out for its dignity. He didn’t mock femininity, he honoured it, reminding the audience that strength sometimes wears silence and softness.

These roles mattered not just because of who played them, but how they were played. With respect. With humanity. With an understanding that gender is not something to laugh at, but something to listen to.

In the end, it’s not just about representation. It’s about responsibility. And these actors, through courage and craft, made sure they didn’t just wear a character. They carried its weight, its wounds, and its worth.