IFFA 2019-Abu & Nagarkirtan- LGBTQ Film Series

LGBTQ Documentary Abu alongside Bengali movie Nagarkirtan is playing at the Metro theatre as part of the India Film Festival of Alberta 2019 (IFFA 2019).

‘Abu’ is directed by Arshad Khan who always knew he was different. Soon after emigrating from Pakistan to Canada with his parents and sister, Arshad realized he was gay. Merging clips from Bollywood films, animation, and home movies that capture awkward teen phases as well as significant life revelations, Arshad narrates his own cathartic journey, alongside his entire family’s. With charming lyricism and a dash of good humour, director Arshad Khan shares a deeply personal story of self-discovery and familial reconciliation, as he explores the challenges that can threaten the bonds between children and their parents.

Nagarkirtan is a Bengali language film that has won multiple National Awards. Unable to cope with the trauma of being ‘betrayed’ by her teacher Subhash-da (Indrasish Roy), Porimal, a trans woman, runs away from home and joins a ghetto of eunuchs as Puti and sings at traffic signals to earn money. There she falls in love with Madhu (Ritwick Chakraborty), a delivery boy with a Chinese restaurant who moonlights as a flautist in kirtans. Their love blossoms while they dream of raising money required for the sex reassigned surgery after meeting the first transgender person in India who has completed Doctor of Philosophy, Manabi Bandyopadhyay. But transphobic society does not support their dreams. Puti is arrested and commits suicide by hanging herself with her towel inside the lock up at a police station. Eventually, Madhu joins the same ghetto of eunuchs.