Project Indian Bride
| Project Indian Bride | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mujeer Pasha |
| Produced by | JustLikeThat Films |
| Starring | Vinita Kumar Duniphin, Nazim Pasha |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | English / Kannada / Hindi / Urdu |
Search Project Indian Bride on Amazon.
Project Indian Bride is a 2015 Indian short film directed by Mujeer Pasha and produced by JustLikeThat Films. The film tells the story of Rekha, a transgender woman cast as a bride in a photo shoot, and the resistance she faces from those around her. It was screened at major LGBTQ festivals in India, including the Bangalore Queer Film Festival, the Out & Loud LGBTQ Film Festival in Pune, and the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, where it won the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker. The film has also been screened internationally in North America, and has been cited in academic and activist contexts as part of the growing representation of queer narratives in South Asian cinema.[1][2][3][4]
Plot
The narrative follows a photographer who decides to cast a transgender woman as a bride for a photo shoot. His pregnant wife and the male model strongly oppose the idea, exposing prejudices and societal constraints. The film highlights the struggles for acceptance and identity in the face of heteronormative norms.[5]
Cast
- Vinita Kumar Duniphin as Rekha, the transgender woman at the center of the story.[6]
- Nazim Pasha as the photographer
Screenings
The film was officially selected and screened at the following festivals:
| Year | Festival | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Bangalore Queer Film Festival | Bangalore, India | Festival screening[7] |
| 2016 | KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival | Mumbai, India | Won the Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker[8] |
| 2016 | Female Film Festival Kerala | Kerala, India | Featured in “Transitions of Life” lineup[9] |
| 2017 | Out & Loud – Pune International Queer Film Festival | Pune, India | Featured in "Watch Without Prejudice" program[10] |
| 2021 | NYC Web Fest | New York, United States | International screening[11] |
| 2021 | TO WebFest | Toronto, Canada | International screening[12] |
| 2021 | Vancouver Web Fest | Vancouver, Canada | International screening[13] |
| 2021 | Tasveer South Asian Film Festival | Seattle, United States | International screening[14] |
Reception
Project Indian Bride has received coverage in the Indian press and in academic and activist contexts.
Writing in the Deccan Herald, critic Arpita Bose described the film as part of a group of "touching frames" that used the short-film format to explore social issues, highlighting its focus on the prejudices faced by transgender women in India.[15]
The Deccan Chronicle included the film in its feature on the Kerala Female Film Festival, noting its contribution to conversations on "transitions of life" and its role in bringing transgender narratives into Malayalam cultural spaces.[16]
The Pune Mirror discussed the film in its preview of the Out & Loud LGBTQ Film Festival, presenting it as part of a lineup intended to promote viewing "without prejudice" and to highlight diverse voices in Indian cinema.[17]
The film has also been cited in academic and activist initiatives, including Ashoka University’s Mapping Sexuality in India project, which catalogued it as an example of LGBTQ representation in contemporary Indian media.[18]
Awards
- Riyad Wadia Award for Best Emerging Indian Filmmaker, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, 2016.[19]
Legacy and impact
Project Indian Bride has been noted as part of a wider movement of Indian short films that foreground LGBTQ themes. The film was associated with the social campaign #IAmAnIndianBride, which highlighted the aspirations and challenges of transgender women seeking acceptance in Indian society.[20]
Academically, it has been catalogued in the Ashoka University project Mapping Sexuality in India as an example of queer representation in contemporary South Asian media.[21]
The film’s screenings at festivals in India and abroad, along with its recognition at the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, have been described in media coverage as contributing to the visibility of transgender narratives in Indian cinema.[22][23]
See also
- List of LGBT-related films
- Transgender people in India
- LGBT culture in India
- KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival
- Bangalore Queer Film Festival
References
- ↑ "8 Indian Queer Films You Must Watch". Gaysi Family. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Today, more people use visual media to address LGBT issue". Times of India. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Watch Without Prejudice". Pune Mirror. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Touching frames". Deccan Herald. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Can A Transgender Woman Live Her Dream Of Being A Model In India?". Youth Ki Awaaz. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Transgender Perspectives in India" (PDF). Community Business. 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Today, more people use visual media to address LGBT issue". Times of India. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "8 Indian Queer Films You Must Watch". Gaysi Family. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Transitions of Life". Deccan Chronicle. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Watch Without Prejudice". Pune Mirror. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "JLT Films enthrals international audiences with Kannada film; continues to champion regional and queer narratives". Business Standard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "JLT Films enthrals international audiences with Kannada film; continues to champion regional and queer narratives". Business Standard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "JLT Films enthrals international audiences with Kannada film; continues to champion regional and queer narratives". Business Standard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "JLT Films enthrals international audiences with Kannada film; continues to champion regional and queer narratives". Business Standard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Bose, Arpita (6 November 2017). "Touching frames". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Transitions of Life". Deccan Chronicle. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Watch Without Prejudice". Pune Mirror. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Mapping Sexuality in India – Publications". Ashoka University. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "8 Indian Queer Films You Must Watch". Gaysi Family. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Can A Transgender Woman Live Her Dream Of Being A Model In India?". Youth Ki Awaaz. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Mapping Sexuality in India – Publications". Ashoka University. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Touching frames". Deccan Herald. 6 November 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Transitions of Life". Deccan Chronicle. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
External links
This article "Project Indian Bride" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Project Indian Bride. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
