Leaving behind the hasty year behind, everyone is hoping for new beginnings and here is someone who has been climbing ladders, going places with her kitty full. Aishwarya Lekshmi was a new face and now we know her as the bubbly Rachel from her first movie to the brave Appu from Mayanadhi who stole our hearts. It’s been three years since she has set herself a place in the industry.

Three years back, she did her very first cover shoot with us and now from a versatile new comer she has established herself in the industry and is ready to make an impact in Mollywood as well as Tollywood after a short break. And here we are making our journey back along with hers.

2020 was a year of lots of hope and resolution but everything happened so sudden. It took time to accept & understand what was happening. Suddenly having to stop work and not meeting friends and have to sit at home took a toll on me but with time it became the new normal, she says.

Beginning the new year with an unplanned bash at Varkala with her friends, she doesn’t have any new year’s resolutions for this year other than planning to take care of her body and stay healthier.

Being clueless and getting guidance from the guru himself, she is in the dream project of Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan’, it was an easy breezy audition I had, she says. Set to have new releases awaiting in 2021 including two Malayalam movies and a Tamil movie, the busy bee is running around completing her schedules.

Even though she struggled during the shoot due to the cold weather, it was amusing to work with Dhanush and a technically perfect crew of Karthick Subbaraj’s ‘Jagame Thandhiram’, lots of learning had happened she says.

The romantic duo of Mayanadhi is back with ‘Kanekane’ this year and it won’t be nothing like the latter. It’s an intense family drama with a touch of romance.

Doing a female character centric movie doing the title role has hold her for more responsibilities. In ‘Archana 31 Not Out’ we can see her in the title role. There was no pressure but had fun on the set and it would be a fun drama genre movie, she says. The movie poster was even ranked by film companion.

Apart from the projects, she also had words for scenarios currently happening around including cyber bullying. She says that the problem comes into light only when a major episode occurs but that’s not the case usually. It happens whenever you upload a pic, there will always be people who are ready to comment such things and sadly it’s a daily occurrence. It has hurt me in the beginning but now I just don’t care.

Even she has had bad experiences, not in the recent past, but when she was a kid. There is always someone who thinks that they can touch somebody else’s body without their permission. We never forget what has happened. These incidents with details of what has happened, it gets imprinted in your memory. The thing is that we grow out of it as time goes, she says when asked about the recent issue happened to an actress at a popular mall.

We have been pushing ourselves a lot, to meet societies standards of what is actually called success. All of us should calm a bit down. It’s okay if things happen in our time and not societies time. Only things that matter are how happy you are when you go to bed and what you can do to change what is actually troubling you at that point of time. If we can sort that bit, everything else will fall into place, is her new year’s note as she signs off.

Photographed by: Jinson Abraham
Styled by: Sany Sabu
Words by: Abhirami Chandran

Hair & Makeup: Ralph Daniels 
Costumes: Dinu Elizabeth Roy

On Aishwarya:
White | Strapped box pleated Crop top
Pale green | High-waisted Parallel pants
Camel suede | Open-front Longline
From Aham Designer Boutique

White | Heeled Sandals with Slingback from Lee Cooper

White | Enamel Gold plated earrings
Rose Gold | Plated finger ring
from Planet Jewel

Car from Highlander Garage 
Image Retouch: Jemini Ghosh
Cover Layout: Umarul Adil K N
Location: Kochi Marina, Bolgatty Palace & Island Resorts 

The post A Big Screen Resurgence appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.

Words by: Rheanna Mathews    Photographs from: Jinson Abraham

Aishwarya Lekshmi is the newest face in the Malayalam film industry with her first movie yet to premiere, but with two other movies already in the pipeline.

A model since 2012, remarkably, she is also a doctor doing her house surgeoncy. And for an issue with ‘Wellness’ as the theme, someone who is a doctor, model, and actor seems tailor-made for the cover shoot.

She makes her first appearance in Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela, opposite Nivin Pauly, and directed by Althaf Salim. Her experience in modelling has stood her in good stead, however, giving her a base of technical knowledge that newcomers are usually unfamiliar with.

But when asked whether she prefers acting or modelling, she doesn’t mince words. “Modelling”, she says, “involves painting a pretty picture – being perfect at all times. Acting is a much happier space.”

In keeping with her first vocation, however, she has developed a number of ways to balance her work and other aspects of her life. Between projects, she signed up for a month-long acting workshop to keep herself busy.

And when it comes to her acting projects and her house surgeoncy, there is no multitasking involved. It’s either the one or the other at a time, drawing her full focus. And when things get a little too hectic, a relaxing ayurvedic massage in Kochi or a quiet weekend getaway at Bangalore are what get her rested and back on track.

Through it all, Aishwarya supposes it’s her attitude that carries her forward. Exposed to the Art of Living at a young age, she practises it in life ensuring that she meets each new dawn with a smile. This, she says, is the reason for what her friends call, her “unreasonable” happiness. A quick jaunt to the mall, endless conversations at friends’ homes and quiet moments of meditation are all that is needed to keep her happy, she says. And when these don’t do the trick, there’s always her fail-safe, Nutella.

Digital Version: https://goo.gl/uLcXW6

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Words and Photographs by Reshma Teelar

Chemical imbalance,” the doctor said pensively. He looked at Einar Wegener with glacial eyes, and scribbled on his notepad – “schizophrenic.” Scrutinised unjustly, artist Einar escaped from the institution before he was declared mental. Against all odds, he attempted the first-ever male-tofemale sex reassignment surgery. Set in 1920s Copenhagen, “The Danish Girl” movie portrays the story of Einar, a pioneer in transgenderism. He became Lili Elbe and could no longer identify herself as a man. As she eloquently said, “ This is not my body. I have to let it go.”

A Look at It

Transgenderism isn’t a concept that isn’t so alien. But at the same time, it’s a confused one, whether it’s someone who’s homosexual or even a cross-dresser. Worldwide or in this hometown, artists have taken a moment to express how the ‘third gender’ feels. There’s still a sense of ostracism that comes with being a transgender. In a generation where we strive for the liberty of thoughts, gender still remains under the shadows of doubt. Because many a times, when one sees a transgender on a train one cannot deny that they sometimes recoil. A few questions lurk in the mind, is he a she? Like these thoughts are kept in the dark is also how many transgenders cloak their stories and voice.

Hearing the Hidden Voices

While Reshma Valentina was covering the story, she said the darkest nights was when she found them. Most of them were hesitant to talk and also scared to open up. What seemed odd, was that in a generation that celebrates open-mindedness, there’s still that discomfort of acceptance. Inspired by how a problem that was once considered unfathomable, has now become a condition easily curable with the power of medicine, we decided to look at how anguished minds dealt with the dosages. Here are five narrations by five individuals who fought against several odds in defence of their body and self-esteem – Sharon, Sweetie, Sheetal Pooja and Aami.

SHARON

“I was very young when I started realising it myself. I was not me, I was another me. I was confused, but I had a strong urge to be the real one. I convinced myself, my family and others to believe in the real one. So here I am, a strong, independent, fearless ‘woman’, ready to take all the consequences of choosing my own gender. I am Sharon. People who have not yet accepted me, know me as Larwin, a 25-yearold mentally-confused person from Fort Kochi. I was given my new name by those who really ‘know’ me. All I wanted in my life was to be accepted by people. But I was abused, by all means, discouraged by everyone and crushed to the ground, left for dead.

A winner, however, doesn’t know when to stop. I worked hard with all my might and will. I have worked as a receptionist, accountant, sales girl and a waitress; starting from being a housekeeping boy. In the meanwhile I began modelling as a part time career, which eventually resulted in me being an actress now. In the fashion industry, I was asked several times to ‘compromise’, every time I was offered an opportunity. Due to this, I have faced quite a lot of problems in my career because my mind or body never surrendered for anything or anyone other than me.My first love tried to cage me and take away my dreams, the society tried to degrade me, my family tried to change me, so I left all that behind. When I was diagnosed with jaundice, I remember shaving my beautiful hair, as my family refused to take me to a hospital, for looking feminine. At times, I had no choice other than to literally act in my real life to survive. I give and take respect. I admire people who treat others for who they really are. I request everyone, not just the ‘third gender’, to be brave and stand up for yourself.

SHEETHAL

My passion was to become a dancer and a fashion designer, which my family never accepted. I wanted to lead a life I dreamed of, but society didn’t accept that. So I didn’t accept their ways of thinking. Most of us are abused right at home, where we are supposed to be safe. A whole community suffers because the society is not pleased with what they ‘see’. I believe we are being tortured because we have accepted ourselves as women. About sex workers, they work with the last thing that’s left with them.They are scarifying their life, love and body to survive and they take it as their job for living knowing that it wouldn’t last for long. And strangely, we face sarcasm for this from a society who thanks us for reducing sexual harassment! Why sacrifice one gender for keeping another gender safe? If we were treated as normal beings, we wouldn’t have wasted so many lives.”

SWEETIE

I do not want to reveal my old name because when I say that, a lot of memories flash through my mind – none any good. I had a lot of dreams, but it never happened. I think it has become an obvious thing for a transgender to never get what they dreamed of. We have the strength of a man and mind of a woman. We have the best of both genders. If given an opportunity we can be anything, but unfortunately we don’t get any. One of my friends had to turn down a beauty contest for women because a person knew that she was a transgender. The society should understand, not every transgender in town is a sex worker.

Akai Pathmashali, Sheethal, Surya, they all fight for us. The police do not do anything to them because they are famous. They should understand that we have a lot of problems to handle in our own lives. Men cheat us with love because we are vulnerable towards it. There are also men who would be genuinely sweet to us, but police have to ruin that too. They come to us, make an issue and establish that these men came to us for sex. So, they leave. The struggles that we went through to get a policy in Kerala, was immense and we were relieved till we understood nothing has changed. This society which calls us sluts and prostitutes doesn’t realise that they made us this way. If they had accepted us, we would have been also in a good position. We do not have to be married or bear a child to be a woman, it’s the determination to be something which makes everyone what they are.

AAMI

My life is just how the usual cliché goes. I was kicked out from my family when I tried to explain myself. They sent me for counselling, made me take medicines, took me to a mental hospital but nothing worked, because this is not a disease, it a realisation. I asked for a surgery. I could have used the partitioned amount from my family to do the surgery. They understood that it was a genuine request and they have to give it, so the other family members convinced my mother and made me leave the home so that they could take my partition amount. My mother always supported me, but I lost her as well. Everybody wants to know how I have sex, whether I have a vagina, how many men I take a day. It’s very hard to do even the basic things in this society like, buying things from a shop, having food from restaurants, going to a hospital, hanging out with friends etc. When we are seen in public, police ask us for ID cards.

We went through innumerable occasions of abuses, assaults and harassments each and every day. The only time I enjoy in my life is when we conduct ‘Road Shows’. It’s the only time we can be ourselves in the society and where the police doesn’t lock us up. Once somebody stole my phone, so I went to the police station to file a complaint, but all they wanted to know was the number of men I slept with that night, I was not a sex worker then. I was devastated by this. I had to call everyone I knew to get me out of there. The media came to us for an article, they seemed like sweet people, so we disclosed everything about us, and the next day, news papers called us ‘sluts who enjoy their job’. I don’t know what is all the hype about being a man, I choose to be a woman. I had a lot of dreams when I started fighting for my rights, but now I just need few basic things, a job, a home, and a public toilet.

POOJA

I studied in a co-ed school, which was the most hellish years of my life. My classmates were insensitive and would often abuse me physically and emotionally.I wanted to study like everyone else, get a job, lead a normal life; but everything changed when I realised that I was in the wrong body, that lead me to do big mistakes … things I thought I’d never do for a living. I ran away from my family who only believed in the two conventional genders. They may admire a transgender actor or comedian or starlet on television, but would never accept someone like that in their own family. Every night, our body and our being are used. Strangely something happens during daylight, because when it breaks, we become untouchables to them. Once, a man kicked me out of the car when he got to know that I was not a ‘girl’.

My friends and I were once thrown into a waste-dumping yard by the police in Kalamassery because we apparently belonged there and that if we found a way to get out, it would be too late to **** someone. These were their own words. Married men come to us. They say their wives do not turn them on. Once, there was a man who came to me because he wanted sperms to surgically inject to his wife as he could never get turned on and having a child was a problem. I helped him anyway, although I was still labelled a “slut”. They say that we will get jobs at Kochi Metro, but for that we require a minimum qualification. Now I don’t need everyone to support us. I just need people to leave us alone.

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