In a society like ours, the life of people from the LGBTQIA+ community is no easy feat. And let’s be honest, their stories need to be told and Sushmita Send brings to us the story of a transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant who was a petitioner in the NALSA case in which the Supreme Court recognised transgender as the third gender in India. Taali starring Sushmita Sen as Gauri Sawant is a biographical drama series that is streaming on the OTT platform JioCinema. Created by Arjun Singgh Baran and Kartk D Nishandar and directed by Ravi Jadhav also stars Ankur Bhatia, Aishwarya Narkar, Hemangi Kavi, Krutika Deo and Survat Joshi among others. Read my review of Taali.
The Plot Of Taali
Starring Sushmita Sen as Shreegauri Sawant, Taali revolves around the battles that the transgender activist had to fight to carve a place for herself and those like her in society along with her battle for the legal rights of transgenders. The series opens with Sushmita Sen’s Gauri Sawant introducing herself. Over the span of six episodes of roughly 30 mins each, Sushmita’s Gauri tells the story of her fight for her identity, respect and legal standing in society as a citizen of the country. It’s a revolutionary tale of Gauri Sawant’s remarkable fight which led to the recognition of transgender as the third gender in India.
Also Read: Meet Gauri Sawant, The Transgender Activist Who Sushmita Sen Will Portray In The Upcoming Web Series, ‘Taali’
Performances
Sushmita Sen as Shreegauri Sawant: As a senior actor who has been in the film industry for a very long time, we all know that Sushmita Sen has made it a habit to deliver excellent performances but this time, the actress has outdone herself as she portrays Shreegauri Sawant. Sushmita is nothing short of perfect as she takes one through Gauri’s journey and struggles. It’s an absolute treat to watch the actress embody the trans activist.
Krutika Deo as Ganesh/Young Gauri Sawant: Krutika Deo plays a young Ganesh/Gauri. Krutika shines as she plays Ganesh who is on a journey to find herself and own it. She eases into the role and delivers an impressive performance. She doesn’t just grab eyeballs but also holds the attention of the viewers every single time she’s on the screen. The actress is the surprise package in the show with her memorable portrayal of Ganesh/Gauri.
The supporting cast of Ankur Bhatia, Aishwarya Narkar, Survat Joshi, Hemangi Kavi, and more aid Sushmita and bring amazing performances to Ravi Jadhav’s storytelling.
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Verdict: Outstanding Performances Make Taali Worth A Watch!
Shreegauri Sawant’s journey is not a secret. But the way Sushmita Sen embodies the transgender activist paired with Ravi Jadhav’s storytelling makes this series special. It starts with Sushmita’s Gauri telling her story to a journalist as she waits for the landmark Supreme Court judgement that recognises transgender as the third gender in our country. From her makeup showcasing a little bit of stubble to her voice to the way she emotes every single emotion. The series covers the key moments in Gauri Sawant’s life that made her who she is today. It starts with her battle to discover her gender identity and the battle with her family to gain acceptance. And the biggest of them all is her battle to be recognised as a living citizen of the country and fulfil her dream of becoming a mother by adopting kids.
With Sushmita Sen to anchor the show and a storyteller like Ravi Jadhav, the show had a lot of scope. It starts off nice and sets the background of Gauri Sawant’s inner struggle and holds the narrative till the 4th episode. But after that, it all goes downhill and misses the mark. The unsatisfying end was what make it tough to live with. While most episodes are short and crisp, the last two episodes falter as the show does not follow through with the promise of showcasing her third and most important battle which was the one Shreegauri Sawant fought in the Supreme Court. The show barely scratches the surface of her most important battle that did not just bring a big change in India as we know it but also gave transgender people legal status in the country. However, it did not sit well with me that the case was not shown at all. The last 2 episodes lose sight of the Supreme Court case and fail to steer the story in the direction.
The biographical drama starring Sushmita Sen was limited to weaving the narrative around Shreegauri Sawant’s personal struggles with owning her identity as a transgender while battling the social stigma. The series is a social commentary that gives viewers a deep insight into the struggles faced by Gauri Sawant and many other transgender people like her. While it may seem like it barely scratches the surface at certain points, Sushmita Sen and Krutika Deo’s performance keep one engaged and invested in her story. It makes one want to know more and learn more about her. By the end of the show, I was left with so many more questions and the need to know more about her personal battles. The way Gauri’s pain and turmoil are portrayed makes one feel for her which makes the show impactful enough to kickstart conversations around the social issue. Surprisingly, it’s not as emotionally heavy as one would expect due to the short and crisp episodes but it does give one food for thought.
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It left me honestly wishing there was more to watch. But the fierceness with Sushmita portrays Gauri makes the rather unsatisfying end (which lacks a climax BTW) bearable. In between all of this, I had to repeatedly remind myself that this is not just a series showcasing dramatised version of Gauri Sawant’s life but rather a walk down her memory lane to see the moments that left a mark on her and shaped her life.
FYI, Taali is currently streaming on JioCinema and you don’t want to miss out on the series.