Chandigarh-Kare-Aashiqui-trailer-1.jpg

Canceled: Presentation: Ajay Gehlawat discusses Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui

Bollywood and the Portrayal of Transgender Characters
Tuesday, 2/21/2023
1:00 - 3:00
Koret Auditorium
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400

A discussion on Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (Chandigarh does romance, 2021), a recent Bollywood film starring Ayushmann Khurrana, who begins a sexual relationship with a woman unaware that she is transgender. The film has generated controversy for its casting of a cis-gender actress (Vaani Kapoor) to play the role of the trans character. This discussion explores how such a casting choice paradoxically allows for a critique of transphobia to emerge, allowing audiences to question their prior assumptions regarding gender and gender identity. These are themes that are seldom explored in mainstream Bollywood, making this film’s engagement with the topic all the more salient today.

Film & Video

Watch party and film discussions. 

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

For questions about the program or help registering, contact sfplcpp@sfpl.org. All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL or language interpretation), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.