Karthik Subbaraj’s new film, Dorothy, is earning rave reviews and praise from the audience. The crime drama has earned praise, but also ignited a lot of controversy over its depiction of same-sex romance and LGBTQ characters. However, filmmaker Karthik says he is choosing to focus only on the positive.
Karthik Subbaraj defends Dorothy
In an interview with Hyderabad Times, Karthik said he hoped Dorothy could be seen as something that could change people’s attitudes towards transgender people. “With Dorothy, I hope that change translates into a more positive attitude towards transgender people — treating them with dignity, accepting them and recognising them as an integral part of society. Their stories, struggles and realities deserve to be represented on screen. If the film can contribute even a little towards that change, that is a victory for me. For a long time, transgender representation in Indian cinema was largely reduced to comic or stereotypical characters, although that is slowly changing,” he said.
Dorothy is a crime drama that deals with a transgender woman coming to terms with her gender identity and how others treat her after she comes out. The film also saw considerable negative buzz online for a same-sex kiss scene that was leaked prior to release. For Karthik, these don’t matter. The filmmaker said, “The film has become a mirror to realities and harsh truths that we often fail to acknowledge. I have seen people get emotional after watching the film, with some men even expressing guilt over how they had treated transgender people in the past.”
All about Dorothy
Dorothy stars Keerthy Suresh in the titular role, alongside Sanath and Rishikianth in the lead. The film is produced by Guneet Monga Kapoor, Achin Jain and Jyoti Deshpande. The film is set in the 1980s and tells the story of two childhood friends who find themselves at an unexpected juncture when a woman enters their lives. The film’s team faced homophobia and transphobia since its release due to its queer themes.
Dorothy released in theatres in September after receiving a standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film was later released in Telugu on October 2, with Rana Daggubati announcing it to the press last week.
Rana said of the film’s title, “Dorothy means a gift from God. That’s a character’s name in the film. Once you watch the film, you will understand why the film needs to be named that. I don’t even know what else we could name it.”