This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
Ms. Treut, a chirpy, sympathetic presence whose curiosity is always balanced by tact, introduces us to a few residents. Texas Tomboy, is biologically a woman, a former Penthouse model who sees herself as Tomboy's surrogate mother. But Tomboy sports blond stubble on her chin and prefers to be called he. A blue-eyed, crew-cut, six-foot photographer named Stafford, on the other hand, doesn't care what pronoun people use so long as they use it respectfully. And Hida Viloria, a voluble hermaphrodite with exquisite cheekbones, can pass effortlessly from ravishing femininity to sullen machismo. Having lived credibly as a woman and as a man, Hida, like Stafford, now seems happiest occupying 'the middle ground'' between them. We also meet Max Valerio, a female-to-male transsexual, and Annie Sprinkle, who calls herself 'a sex artist'. All these times, Ms Treut, talk to the audience in a very odd manner telling us her views in sleep inducing moments.
To be honest, I was disappointed by the documentary. Maybe it did make a lot of sense 19 years ago, but in today's time, it feels shallow. Although the purpose of the documentary was clear, choice of content was not always effectively used. Transitions between scenes were at times abrupt and not very logical. Interviews with a minimal amount of activity in the background were easier to follow whereas busy scenes with a lot of sounds took the focus away from the interviewee. It also would have been nice to see non-transgender point of view as well.
Overall, the documentary was more informal, informational but not professional or something that could hold your attention. (4/10)
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