“What stood out for me in Amma’s Pride was that Srija’s mother Valli was there through thick and thin for her daughter.” This remark by an audience member after the screening of documentary film Amma’s Pride summed up the dominant sentiment at an event titled ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’ held at Raya Debnath Memorial Hall (above Rammohan Library) in Kolkata on May 4, 2025.
The event explored and instigated conversations surrounding transgender and queer rights and the power of family acceptance. The four-hour registration-based event was divided into two parts. The morning session included a closed community screening of Amma’s Pride and a guided listening circle facilitated by G-STOP, Kolkata. This was meant to be a session where a small group of transgender and queer individuals could share personal reflections without inhibitions in a space more intimate compared to a larger public screening. The session brought together community members to reflect, share, and bond around the theme of social support for transgender persons as portrayed in the film.
A participant at work during the morning session of the event ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’. Photo credit: Nilanjan Majumdar
The conversation moved beyond the normative idea that support can come solely from one’s natal family or partner, as a critical reflection on the film itself. The participants responded thoughtfully, many already engaging with broader understandings of support in their own lives. This created a strong sense of resonance, as they explored how care and solidarity can emerge from various sources and in various forms. Art-based activities enabled them to express these reflections creatively, opening new ways of thinking about connection and belonging. One participant observed that it was remarkable that Srija’s mother supported her unconditionally in all aspects – her education (she pursued BA in English), her work with the Students’ Federation of India, her relationship with Arunkumar, and her overall wellbeing. Such holistic support is often not forthcoming in natal families.
The second session saw another screening of Amma’s Pride for an audience of about 80 people, which was followed by a reflective workshop on allyship, microaggressions, and everyday acts of inclusion, also facilitated by G-Stop. The event concluded with an interactive session with Srija, the main protagonist of the film, her brother Chinna, and Shiva Krish, the film director. It turned out to be a powerful afternoon of storytelling, learning, and solidarity. The conversations covered issues well beyond acceptance, marriage, and equality. There took place a critical rethinking of the film with conversations surrounding microaggressions (are they micro indeed?), transgender visibility, and access to healthcare. Ways of strategizing around these issues was part of the conversations.
After the audience interaction with Srija, Shiva and other speakers, everyone was invited to an innovative art-based activity which encouraged people to express their versions of worldmaking in a cis-heteronormative world. Many individuals, age no bar, took gleefully to the crayons, sketch pens, and polymer clay made available by the event organizers to create their expressions of queer positivity.
The event ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’ was part of a nationwide impact tour that began in Chennai, and after Kolkata, will travel to Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, the US, and end with a grassroots village tour across Tamil Nadu, Srija’s home state. The Kolkata event was co-organized by Sappho for Equality (the main organizational partner), G-STOP, The Rainbow Room, Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, and Varta Trust.
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Amma’s Pride is a poignant, 20-minute documentary that showcases the resilience with which a young transgender woman negotiates the challenges in her life. It reflects upon the intricacies that surround her (Srija’s) marital life and the life of her mother (Valli), a single, working woman who wholly supports her daughter in all pursuits in life. The story also covers the much-discussed Madras High Court judgment of 2019 that upheld Srija’s right to marry as a transgender person. This judgment was the first since the Supreme Court’s 2014 National Legal Services Authority Vs. Union of India & Others (NALSA) verdict, to clarify transgender persons’ right to marry. The verdict stated that considering NALSA, marriage between a transgender woman and cisgender man is legally valid (this has been further clarified by the Supreme Court in the marriage equality verdict of 2023).
Screening of ‘Amma’s Pride’ during the post-lunch session of the event ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’. Photo credit: Nilanjan Majumdar
Multiple news stories and videos were published surrounding Srija’s marriage with her lover Arunkumar, the first ever legally recorded marriage of a transgender person in Tamil Nadu. It should be noted that even in the past, long before 2019, transgender persons in different parts of India may have married and lived together with cisgender individuals, some of them after undergoing gender affirmative surgery (sex change as it was known in earlier times). However, the legality of their marriages was possibly in a grey area.
The film portrays not only the influence of broader social norms on Arunkumar and Srija’s marriage but also Arunkumar’s personal struggles – his relationship with his mother, alcoholism, unemployment, and the resulting frustration. In a telling scene, Arunkumar’s mother voices her shame over his marriage to Srija, suggesting that marrying a Scheduled Caste woman would have been more acceptable.
Such moments should compel us to think about our social prejudices around gender, gender diversity, caste, and more. At the same time, Valli’s pride in her daughter transcends her gender identity. She celebrates Srija’s education, career, and marriage despite societal negativity. In that sense, Amma’s Pride invites viewers to reflect on queer-trans joy shaped by unconditional love and belief.
At ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’ – from left to right – Aritra Chatterjee, Clinical Psychologist and Co-creator, G-STOP; Megha Sharda, Neuroscientist and Co-creator, G-STOP; Srija; Shiva Krish, Director, ‘Amma’s Pride’; and Ahaanaa Malhotra, Impact Producer, ‘Amma’s Pride’. Photo credit: Nilanjan Majumdar
In a phone conversation, Shiva shared that his own position as the film director changed over time. As the film developed and evolved over four years, getting to know Srija’s family helped shape the narrative further. What began as a project to tell Srija’s story grew into a deeper, more intimate portrayal, guided by the trust and kin-like connection between the filmmaker and the lives he documented.
A unique and positive aspect of ‘Amma’s Pride: Path to Pride’ was Srija’s presence in the post-screening panel, where she responded to audience questions. She reflected on her journey ahead and emphasized her firm belief that the future need not be bleak, especially if the parents of transgender children offer unconditional love and support to them.
About the main photo: Srija and her mother Valli in a still from the film Amma’s Pride. Courtesy Shiva Krish
