Screened at the Kashish Pride Film Festival 2025, P Abhijith’s 'I am Revathi' is an inspiring story of the struggles and success of Revathi, a trans activist from Tamil Nadu.
Having watched a good number of films and documentaries on the LGBTQIA+ community since my days as a cinema student, I subconsciously psyche myself to be prepared for heartbreaking stories of struggle, trials, and triumphs the community faces but P Abhijith’s I am Revathi felt uniquely inspiring. This documentary traces the journey of A. Revathi, a trans activist and performer right from leaving her home to finding the purpose of her life through heartfelt reflections shared by Revathi and her peers that offer an intimate portrait of resilience and the broader realities of trans lives in India.
As grown-ups navigating the challenges of the modern world, most of us often give up on things that genuinely make us happy or make our life purposeful - a childhood hobby, a passion project or a cause we feel deeply about, thinking one life is not enough but Revathi’s life conveys the exact opposite. She is a celebrated writer, speaker, actor, and trans rights activist all this while starting from a place of great disadvantage where her own family viewed her gender change as shameful and was subjected to discrimination, ostracism, and violence.
The 115-minute documentary centers around the life of Revathi but is more or less the story of most of the transgenders in the country with the mere difference being the fact that only a handful are able to power through these societal barriers and become successful enough to be immortalized in a film. Director Abhijith and editor Amaljith do a sincere job capturing and executing the highs and lows of Revathi’s life that leave the intended impact on the audience without being sensational or exploitative. The documentary aims to strike a conversation about transgender rights and sensitize the audience about the discrimination they face while also shining light on the heights the individuals from the community can scale to if they are given equal rights and opportunities, and it does so skillfully.
The biggest strength of the film lies in its engaging storytelling and the parts that leave a solid impression on the audience are the ones featuring snippets of Revathi’s stage performance where she narrates the life-altering events of her journey through powerful monologues. Her life, as documented on-screen is marked by plenty of such events but the two that spoke volumes of her courage and resilience were the ones where she was subjected to indescribable police brutality and the other where she got her name etched on the walls of the prestigious Columbia University in 2019 as an author. The two events stood as an unsettling reflection of what we give this community as a society and what the community is capable of giving back to us, despite the hostility, obstacles, and ridicule we subject them to.
Not only this, the tender portrayal of Revathi's quest for finding community, navigating family relationships, finding love, and discovering her passion of writing and performing convey the depth and gravitas the personalities of people from the community can carry and makes you confront the biases you must have sub-consciously held owing to popular beliefs and the erroneous impressions surrounding the rainbow community. To sum it up, I am Revathi remains an inspiring and wholesome watch about the activist that will make you weep and smile throughout the film and a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are under attack and attempts are being made to invalidate their identities by those in power around the world, this documentary gives hope, courage, and solid representation to a community wanting to be heard and accepted.
I am Revathi had its Indian premiere at Kashish Film Festival 2025!
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