Rahul Chauhan is the famous makeup artist, who was also on the panel of “Ye Rista Kya Kehlata Hai”. Currently, he is the creative head of the Cleopatra Chandigarh. We caught him for a quick chit chat to understand the community and there needs.
1)Rahul, thanks for getting ready to be interviewed by GOE, tell us something about your journey?
Ans: I was born in a normal family since childhood I was effeminate. I loved dressing up, playing with dolls, and dancing with dupatta. Actually, my mom never wanted a second child. She already had a son, my brother is six years elder to me. Another child might be a daughter, which is a huge responsibility, that was the key reason behind my mother’s reluctance in carrying the second child. She tried to get me aborted, somehow I survived. And, by the time she realized the fetus survived, six months had already passed.
My brother was excessively violent towards me, he used to thrash me badly. It pained my heart, my mother used to see everything happening but she never stopped my brother. With time, his beating increased, when I reached 8th standard I realized, he beats me up whenever I acted like a girl. I was so scared of him, I curbed my natural instinct and it pushed me into depression. One of my cousins somehow sensed my sexuality and he offered me false sympathy and love. I was extremely lonely by now, I immediately got sold on his talks. And we had physical relations for 9 years. He got married and I realized, I had to gather the courage and move out of my hometown. I went to Mumbai, I learned makeup, and soon my hard work started showing results. I was selected on the panel of “Ye Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai”, doing the makeup of the artists. I think that was the beginning of there, I never looked back. Soon Punjabi film and music industry called me and by god’s grace my career took off.
2) Have you ever been bullied due to your orientation?
Ans: Yes, in the beginning, a lot. Due to my looks, my relatives used to talk behind me back. Even when I was in front of them, they will address me as a girl or point out the way I talk and walk. Now when I look back, I can understand they were not aware and equally puzzled as to what was happening with me? Being from a Rajput family, they cannot understand my identity. So, I would say I never faced physical bullying but yes, a lot of mental bullying was definitely present.
3)What according to you are the key problems faced within the community?
Ans: I can see a lot of insecurity within the community members. The members rarely promote each other or help each other in growth. They will bitch about you, the crab mentality is widely prevalent. As they are shunned from the family and the society, this makes them lonely, insecure and they often face mental issues. Depression, jealousy, ghosting, backstabbing are a few of the common problems. Look, there are 2 kinds of people, the first one rarely bothers whereas the second ones are sensitive kinds. In most cases, the first kind of person exploits the second category of people, be it physically, emotionally, monetary, or in any other way possible.
4)Do you think the community is getting support from the established and successful members from the community?
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Ans: No, I don’t think so. This is also one of the major problems, with no support from the established members of the community.
5) You have worked with Saksham at ground level, what according to you are the key concerns faced by the community at ground level?
Ans: There are not a few problems which I can point out. But definitely lack of education or low education is one of the key problems. If you are not educated, you will be unable to do anything more in life and your view towards life would be myopic. I know many of the community members who are talented, but without any platform, they get lost and at times end up selling their body in order to survive. Seeing no other option, they land up into individual deras where the exploitation happens at another level. Only a few of the deras have motivated the members to take education. The deras are majorly concerned for sending the members to collect the badhais. In the morning and evening, they need to go and collect badhai, I wonder when will they get time to study? Therefore, at ground level it is utter chaos.
6)LGBTQIA+ community get some form of recognition in the western world? In India, they are still struggling for acceptance, what according to you are the key causes? Do you think Bollywood can help the community?
Ans: Definitely, if you see in the west, Hollywood movies played an important role in opening up the culture. The movies like Carol lifted so many awards, Elena Undone, Brokeback Mountain, Pride all created the right kind of noise. Many of the Hollywood big names came in the forefront and accepted their sexuality openly like Angelina Jolies, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Schilling. In India we need movies like these, thankfully in recent years, we witnessed a few such kinds of movies. But, when the government has repelled Section 377, then why not Bollywood celebs are coming forward and accepting their sexuality openly?
7) What will be your parting words?
Ans: I just have 2 requests please make the LGBTQ shelters, so that people have a roof on their head, in case of emergency and secondly make laws to protect the interest of the members. Even within the community, people cheat or rob each other of money. The sad part is we have nowhere to go and cannot seek legal support. When in a heterosexual relationship if people are in live-in and any of the partners cheat, then the other party can opt for a legal way. Why is no such law present in our case?”
