Ek Aasha Jeeni Ki, a moving feature film which spotlights the transgender hijra community of India, is now accessible worldwide for free through Shemaroo’s YouTube channel. Director Mayur Kataria tells the story of a transgender woman’s ambition to become a school teacher, giving voice to members of the hijra community who don’t have access to education or a fulfilling career because of stigma and exclusion.
Transgender actor Disha Yadav stars as the protagonist of the film, with ten other transgender actors supporting her; it is one of the few feature films in which transgender actors play all the transgender characters. The film has featured at multiple film festivals, winning awards at the New Hope Film Festival, Pennsylvania, the India International Film Festival, Pune, and the Big Syn International Film Festival in London among others.
You can watch the full film here.