Published in: India/South Asian Independent Film Reviews

NYC SAFF 2019 Film Review “Khejdi”

Author OneFilmFan

Published on: November 24, 2019

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

First, the Recap:

Why does it stand that what we don’t understand, we lash out at? Rather than taking time to ascertain the meaning of something that is outside our normal sense OF “normal”, we choose to treat it with disrespect, abject fear, or open hostility. Will we find that this should absolve us of our own prejudices, or that we desperate need the conviction to change. In Rajasthan, an Ayurvedic doctor (Yashraj M. Jadhav) sees the arrival of his first child, Khejdi, unexpectedly born transgender. Almost making a fatal decision, the doctor opts instead to hide the child away, as revealing this would doom her to potentially dangerous scrutiny and hostile intent. As time passes and Khejdi (Ashish Sharma) grows up, she longs to know about the world outside her father’s home. Soon, when inquisitiveness gives way to action, Khejdi’s journey becomes one of self-discovery and a miraculous transformation in life. But, will it last, or will the harsh cruelty of an intolerant, uneasy, spiteful society win out?

Next, my Mind:

Rounding out the “LGBTQIA Programming” and making its New York Premier at the inaugural 2019 New York City South Asian Film Festival sponsored by Toyota USA, the feature film from director Rohit Dwivedi, screenplay writer/producer Archana Taide Sharma, dialogue writer Raghuvir Shekhawat, screenplay writer/producer/actor Ashish Sharma, and creative producer Kunal M. Shah made its second appearance before the captivated eyes of this critic after catching the effort’s North American Premier back in May at the Dallas Fort Worth South Asian Film Festival. It would be a massive understatement on my part to say that the film had the exact same affecting impact on me as it did then. If anything, the narrative’s crushingly potent dramatic and thematic odysseys sunk in even more, much less in hindsight making it no surprise whatsoever that lead Sharma took home the Best Actor award at the first NYC SAFF.

To say this film was emotionally charged, beautiful but brutal, stirring yet disquieting, inspired yet haunting, and filled with truths both noteworthy and bluntly candid would likewise unequivocally feel like another understatement thanks to the project’s exceptionally executed storyline that wastes no time from start to finish in delivering a keenly formidable picture of exactly what power fear, undue judgement, discrimination, and unacceptance hold over the human mind when confronted with any idea that doesn’t fit “the mold” of normalcy and societal convention. To watch in equal amounts of almost euphoric wonder and unyielding unease as an innocent child comes into this kind of circumstance already pulls at the heartstrings, much less as we then witness her become an adult and face realities that are both magically sublime then wincingly unforgiving, all culminating in the film’s flat-out disturbing finale that puts a harrowing cap on the film’s themes and jolting message of injustice towards the transgenders in India.

To emphasize said objectives, the film is visually graphic in a multitude of ways, including brief nudity and overt violence, but it genuinely befits the narrative’s cause, and does so with an unapologetic lens so as to very much drive home the arguments and actualities being presented. Moments are included that are completely uncomfortable to view, yet it is this sense of undeniable, purposeful consternation that make it so effective and inherently consuming that by the film’s end, you literally feel out of breath. It’s deliberate, and it does work! Upon this second viewing, I have zero doubts that Sharma has turned in the performance of a lifetime to date through his role as Khejdi, an intersex child who grows up in the isolated solitude of her father’s home with no chances to interact with the outside world. Through personal introspection and clever means to catch glimpses of what lies beyond the walls of her father’s home, new opportunities eventually arise that prove her value to the community and what impact for good she can have.

Yet, one occurrence threatens to upend it all, replaced with scathingly biting ridicule, unrestrained anger, and severe savagery. Despite this, Khejdi stands firm in her convictions, even if it might mean further harm towards everything she cherishes. Throughout the film, the sheer level in varying degrees of arresting intensity the character must exhibit, subtle or profound, is constant and Sharma embodies every moment with an soul-shaking, vehement performance that you will feel through every fiber of your being. The primary supporting turns offered here are via Jadhav as Khejdi’s Ayurvedic father and protector who only does what he believes is best to keep Khejdi away from prying eyes and tainted hearts until circumstances no longer allow for it, and Akash Pratap Singh as Mangal, a village resident who has a tragic incident that likewise makes him an “oddity” and unwanted, ultimately bringing him into Khejdi’s world to find understanding and wholehearted sympathy.

In total, there is simply no getting past the fact that “Khejdi” is one fantastically created piece of film art that most definitively showcases the unfettered nature of the independent filmmaking community and the willingness to pull no punches in conveying the greater truths that if we don’t at least discover and pursue ways to suppress the malignant trend of hate in this world, finding better, more productive ways even to disagree, then occurrences like depicted here will actually continue to go on off screen instead of just on it. May that be a trend we as human beings choose to change.

As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!