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Eagle Mount Productions and Director Parthiban
Shanmugam present a
documentary on the Eunuchs of India called ‘The Celestial Brides’. The lone entry
into the Tribeca Underground International Film Festival http://www.befilm.net/.
The Celestial brides will premier on May 5, 2006.
The film takes the viewer to the village of Koovagam in the Southern India state,
Tamil Nadu where thousands of Eunuchs gather every year to worship and marry
the warrior deity, Aravan. The eunuch brides of Aravan - the
Aravanis, rejoice in
the Koovagam festival and indulge in open sexual relations with other men.
Considering the Eunuchs to be the incarnations of Mohini, the feminine form of
God Krishna, the Aravani festival recognizes the homosexual identity of this third
gender. It helps the Eunuchs to assert themselves in a society, which shuns them
and deprives them of dignity and a rightful status.
During the making of his previous film ‘Mathamma’, (www.mathamma.com) Director
Parthiban Shanmugham learnt about the controversial Aravani festival from Dr.
Kasthuri Kantharaj M.D., a pioneer in the field of AIDS research, treatment and
prevention in India. “The concerns of the Aravanis need to be addressed. Due to
the unprotected homosexual practice amongst Eunuchs, the health of all the
involved people is at great risk - We need to strive to create an awareness about
AIDS”, said Parthiban, explaining the major motivations behind making of this
documentary.
Parthiban added that the unique and unfamiliar Aravani festival from the Hindu
tradition openly sanctions the union of homosexuals, proving that Hindu mythology
did recognize and assign members of the transgender community a distinct status
of their own. In spite of the mythological reference, the Eunuchs have always been
tormented, neglected and constantly devalued by their family and society. Even
the legal system makes no accommodation for the eunuchs because as per Section
377 of IPC, homosexuals can be prosecuted.
But not all is lost, adds Parthiban. Although the federal government does not
provide any kind of welfare schemes or assistance to eunuchs, the Tamil Nadu
state government headed Dr. Jayalalitha Jayaram, has now adopted a policy to
help the eunuchs in Tamil Nadu by providing them with employment opportunities in
government-run establishments.
The Documentary film exposes the hypocrisy surrounding this ancient practice and
boldly conveys the need of the Aravanis for recognition, de-alienation and respect
in the human society.
Currently Parthiban shooting his film based on on real life tale of homeless people
in Atlanta where he is living with them on the street for 30 days.
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