Shortly after hitting back at filmmaker Mohan G for his transphobic comments regarding his recent release Dorothy, writer-director Karthik Subbaraj has taken another step to curb discrimination against and hatred of transgenders. On Friday, the filmmaker took to social media and revealed that he has met minister Vanni Arasu and made a special request regarding transphobia to him. It is worth noting that Vanni Arasu serves as the Minister for Social Justice in the Government of Tamil Nadu, in addition to managing the Adi Dravidar Welfare and Hill Tribes department.
Sharing a photograph featuring his film's team with the minister, Karthik Subbaraj wrote, "Honourable Minister Mr.Vanni Arasu sir felicitated team Dorothy at Tamilnadu Government Secretariat and appreciated our film as an important Cinema that has started a healthy conversation and change in the Society." The filmmaker added, "He also took my request to implement strict rules and actions to curb Transphobia in any form and also to have a dedicated Helpline for Transgender community."
Karthik Subbaraj also expressed his gratitude to Vanni Arasu for the "words of praise and endorsement" of the film. "It means a lot to us," Karthik said regarding the minister's appreciation of Dorothy.
For the unversed, the film tells the story of a youngster (Sananth) who comes out as a transgender person after living most of his life in a world full of caste hatred, patriarchy and violence. The decision upsets his close family, forcing them to use his longtime friend (Rishikanth) to track him down.
The film's exploration of queer relationships has been met with a mixed response from the audience. While many have appreciated Karthik for tackling a less-discussed subject in cinema with a great deal of sensitivity, it has also faced what he and his team described as 'targeted hatred'.
