Pride month seems different this year. Where, for the last decade, corporations have been changing their logos to rainbows and launching elaborate campaigns to display their support for the LGBTQ+ community, this year there is a conspicuous silence. Whether it’s the ongoing war or the fear of being boycotted or targeted by the right wing, many brands around the world have scaled back public support for the queer community. The transgender community is especially at risk. In just 2025, legislations in both the USA and the UK have targeted trans people, rolling back gender-affirmative care, halting the issuance of gender-corrected passports, and declaring that womanhood is based on biological sex.
In this period of political tumult, In Transit—a four-part docu series now out on Prime Video—captures the lives and unique experiences of nine transgender people in India. Directed by Ayesha Sood and produced by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti under the Tiger Baby banner, the series spotlights trans folx hailing from diverse socioeconomic, regional, and religious backgrounds. Some of them have undergone gender reassignment surgery, and the series doesn’t gloss over the difficulties of transitioning, but all of them agree on one thing: that gender is assigned rather than biologically determined.
There is Aryan, a Mumbai-based psychologist who expertly describes the gender dysphoria that comes with adolescence. There is Rumi, a musician who shares that wearing saris felt like “cockroaches running all over my body”. And Teena, who comes from the nomadic Van Gujjar community that is perhaps more understanding of her transness than those in urban spaces.
“The vast range of stories and people was fascinating,” shares filmmaker Ayesha Sood, who reveals that the research and development for the series took nearly two years. “But what was most surprising was how deep the Indian connection to transness is. Just the fact that we have a third gender on the Indian passport is proof that we look at and express transness differently from the rest of the world. There is a mythology that comes with it and traditions around it. The main struggle we have is that we need to be less silo-ing of trans identity, but at least on paper and in policy we’re getting better.”
What was most surprising was how deep the Indian connection to transness is. Just the fact that we have a third gender on the Indian passport is proof that we look at and express transness differently from the rest of the world. There is a mythology that comes with it and traditions around it.”
For Sood, Kagti, and Akhtar, the research for In Transit, facilitated by a team of journalists, academics as well as people from the queer community, was a learning module and an opportunity to educate themselves about queer issues and history. “The idea for the series came after Made in Heaven because the kind of feedback we received for the show and for Trinetra’s character, Meher, was overwhelming,” confesses Akhtar over Zoom. Seated next to her, Kagti nods in agreement. “There were a lot of questions about queer and trans representation, so we started from there. We realised that we ourselves didn’t know much,” Akhtar continues. “When we built Meher, we did a lot of interviews with trans people [to know] how they navigated their identities, but we were focusing on one specific strata of society that the character came from. With In Transit, we wanted to delve into it more, learn more, and show more.”
A documentary was indisputably the most meaningful way to fulfil this purpose, allowing the subjects agency over their own narrative. With In Transit, the creators understand the magnitude of the responsibility they have undertaken: there is gentleness to Sood’s careful and attentive direction. The conversations naturally meander from a subject’s childhoods to Indian mythology, from the etymology of the term ‘hijra’ to what gender dysphoria feels like, from tears to euphoria. It is obvious there are no restraints and no information being wheedled out of anyone. “In fiction, you’re telling someone’s story. You’re the puppeteer,” Akhtar reflects, “Whereas, in a documentary format, the people tell their own stories and speak about their lived experiences. They’re more in control. To add to that, when you have a filmmaker like Ayesha, who isn’t manipulative or trying to sensationalise things to shock viewers, the subjects are more protected. The intent is simply to move the viewer.”
In a period when trans people are ostracised and villainised for simply remaining true to their identity, such sensitive representation is more important than ever. In fact, these depictions of the queer community that allow viewers to understand and empathise with them are more powerful than any tokenistic rainbow logos flaunted by a corporation that withdraws its support at the first sign of turmoil.
“Up until very recently, the mainstream media was ridiculing anything that was different,” points Kagti, “Let’s just take Hindi movies. Gay or trans characters were constantly made fun of. And that is finally changing. People are starting to see that it’s not enough anymore. In fact, it makes you feel lesser as a person.” Respectful representation, she notes, is needed for both sides: “For the queer community and for people outside the community to be able to see that ultimately, we’re all the same and want the same things. You want love, you want respect, you want dignity, you want representation.”
In the first episode of In Transit, Aryan fondly remembers the only representation he had as a closeted trans person in the ’90s was on a mainstream TV show. He almost tears up as he talks about Kajal bhai from the Hindi sitcom Hum Paanch (1995). “I don’t know who thought about that character and who made it, but I’m so grateful because otherwise I would never have the confidence. I just looked at the TV and thought, this is possible,” he says, crediting the show for his coming out.
Exactly 30 years later, this is exactly what Akhtar hopes In Transit will offer. “Consistent representation normalises things. You start seeing something as part of the fabric of society,” she reasons. “It gives courage to kids—and adults—who feel different to be able to express themselves, because they see it in popular culture. They see these characters being treated well. Hopefully, that gives them the courage to come out.”
Ayesha Sood’s four-part docu series, In Transit, is currently streaming on Prime Video
