Paper short abstract:

This study will focus on the film & life of Rituparno Ghosh (1963-2013), an icon of the LGBT community of India, in general and his film Chitrangada (2012) in particular.

Paper long abstract:

Chitrangada is a character of the epic Mahabharata that was interpreted by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) in a dance-drama Chitra (1913) and recently reinterpreted by Rituparno Ghosh (1963-2013) not only in his film Chitrangada (2012) but also to some extent in his life too. In Mahabharata Chitrangada is a Manipuri princess who falls in love with Arjun and subsequently gets married and a son from him but Tagore made her an Amazon worrier who is in a quest to discover her gender identity.

Rituparno Ghosh, who is considered to be an icon of the LGBT community of India, taking clues from his own life experiences delves further in reinterpreting Chitrangada in a LGBT context. As a director of the film and as an actor of the lead role as Chitrangada he authentically builds up the issue: "Can you choose your Gender? This study will try to understand what happens when body, sexuality and Gender do not correspond and facilitate each other to form a 'normal' identity. It will also examine the truth what mother of the protagonist proclaims in one place in the film: "Nature dictates what is natural. It has its own desire"? This study will also try to address the epistemological question on the nature and formation of body and desire.