Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” The same resonance carried in this statement permeates the frames of director Samundra Bhatta’s harrowing yet hopeful quest for self-acceptance, Gunyo Cholo: The Dress. This opulent odyssey, written by Bhatta and Najir Husen, transports us into the life of Dev (Najir Husen). As the first son of a retired military man, this father’s pride and joy is prepared to follow in his footsteps and join the army. But Dev is different. He struggles to march when he wants to dance, and this internal conflict shall be that which tips the scales of his fate.
As Dev matures, he scuffles with not just what he is, but who he is. The weight of parental expectation and cultural traditions forbids that a man not be a man, and a woman not be a woman, and each serve in their purpose and place. After being beaten by his father to remind him of the gender divide, Dev vows to conform to expectations. But after being caught dancing in public, Dev is sent away to school to continue physical training for the army. Again, he does his best to be who the world wants him to be. He conforms to fit in, studies hard, and even gets a girlfriend. Still, physical encounters and forbidden thoughts fill his head. His mind is a realm of chaos as conflicting emotions battle for supremacy.
In the aftermath of being brutally violated by a group of men, Dev returns home. His mother eventually learns the secret burden her son has been carrying and the internal and physical torment he has endured to live the way he thinks they want him to. Confessing that Dev feels trapped in the wrong gender, the price of the freedom he seeks is exile from his home and family. So, Dev sets out on a new path, and it is here, pathetic and penniless, until he finds peace. In the wilds of the bustling city of Kathmandu, he struggles to find help before, by chance, he happens across the path of a transgender prostitute who helps him finally complete his transformation from Dev to Gulabi. Finally, seeing a face she can embrace in the mirror, Gulabi learns that there are no fairytale endings on the cards for members of her community in society.
Gulabi embraces her identity in the bustling streets of Kathmandu in Gunyo Cholo: The Dress.
“…Dev feels trapped in the wrong gender [and] the price of the freedom he seeks is exile…”
Gunyo Cholo: The Dress is as topical and timely as it is luscious and lavish. Bhatta guides Husen to an evocatively engrossing central performance. The actor sells every moment of self-hatred and earns audience sympathy right away. He’s surrounded by an amazing supporting cast. The cast sells every message of this strong, sumptuous, and soulful story, which never comes across as too heavy thanks to the delicate nature of the writing and acting.
Aalok Shukla’s picturesque cinematography captures the beauty of self-discovery while highlighting the brutality of hatred for no apparent reason. Marcello De Francisci’s haunting score is the perfect accompaniment to the visuals, being intensely evocative and stirring. When awards season arrives, this is a strong contender.
A triumph of the heart over obtuseness and oppression, Gunyo Cholo: The Dress is a story for everyone. It will especially resonate with those who have lived who they are in secret, yet harbor the desire to shake loose the shackles. To thine own self be true.
"…a triumph of the heart..."
