Queer and Proud

Varsha Panikar (left) at a panel discussion organized by The Queer Muslim Project and the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai. (Photograph courtesy Soho House Mumbai)

Varsha Panikar (they/he) wears many hats. He is a transgender nonbinary filmmaker, writer, poet and interdisciplinary artist. Panikar is also the co-founder and artistic director at Star Hopper, a trans-led film production company that highlights South Asian queer, trans and women-led creative narratives.

Panikar was a guest at a panel discussion titled “Beyond Pride: Queer Storytellers at the Forefront of Change,” organized by The Queer Muslim Project and the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai in June 2023. The event was the culmination of a creative writing program, The Queer Writers’ Room, and featured the launch of an ezine titled “Tributaries,” showcasing works by young writers from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Panikar has been working in the film and arts industry for about 15 years, recently making the shift from advertising. “I think it was during the COVID-19 lockdown, after we had just finished filming a project, when my partner and I decided to start our own production company,” he recalls. “We were tired of working in the traditional space and realized it was really important to have a parallel space for stories with more authorship from the LGBTQIA+ community.”

For Panikar, wielding authorship over the narrative is very important as a filmmaker empowering him to challenge the status quo. “It is crucial to bring those narratives and those voices into a room to be able to tell certain stories, especially when they’re underrepresented,” he says. Panikar’s body of work also represents a collection of collaborative efforts from across genres, platforms and art forms.

Making queer art

Panikar is one of the creators of Ara Chronicles, a children’s graphic novel drawing inspiration from Indian folklore, mythology and oral traditions. Ara is a mythical creature that “transcends the boundaries of gender and form, shapeshifting to resonate with each child.” Panikar explains that he chose to work in the realm of fantasy for this project because “realism can be boring.” While growing up, says Panikar, there was little representation in books and art that queer children like him could relate to. “I think fantasy is one place that can set you free,” he explains. “In fantasy, one can really explore. And I think it is a great place of learning for all, like children and their parents. Plus, I felt like it was important to showcase characters like Ara, who is a gender fluid being.”

Panikar says the graphic novel and the character draw from stories across countries, from India to Syria to Afghanistan. “The character is like a protector of children,” he explains. “It’s a character that travels through dreams. Ara is essentially a queer character without us claiming that it’s a queer character. We want to showcase that kind of gender fluidity, without really saying it because we don’t know if all parents are equipped to deal with something like that.”

Panikar and the team behind Ara’s Chronicles have also turned the characters of the graphic novel into NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which can be traded online, or collected, like WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) cards. “You can collect different cards—it’s like collecting a shape-shifting being. But at the root of it, we’re just trying to provide children a fun way to learn how to be a little more comfortable in their own skin,” he says.

Another project that is close to Panikar’s heart is the short film Barson Baad (After So Long). The film follows a nonbinary artist from the United States, Simha Garimella, tracing their roots as a second generation Indian American. “Simha worked with their parents to create that piece,” explains Panikar. “It is about a second-generation family living in the United States trying to find their roots, and I think all of us—in some way or another—have been trying to find who we were before colonization.”

Representation matters

The creation of art is like a “catharsis,” says Panikar. “I feel like there’s a profound sense of healing that can occur when you’re creating any form of artwork, especially work that is personal to somebody else.” And collaboration across lines is key to that process.

This collaborative effort and appropriate representation of queerness are missing from mainstream media, he says. “We are also a huge part of an audience, and we need to create a space where queers and gays can foster, beyond the heteronormative and binary framework,” explains Panikar. “You don’t do that by just including queer people in front of the camera; it’s about bringing more people behind the camera and addressing the discrimination that happens within the [film and arts] industry.”

Greater equity in the arts for the LGBTQIA+ community and diversity in the workforce are some ways to address the gap, suggests Panikar. “We don’t mind being a token in the room as long as there is equity involved, and we are given an opportunity to come in and create a space where our work can be told and shown to people.” Panikar explains that while tokenism is inherently negative, in certain instances it could help the community access necessary platforms “to push for deeper, systemic change and true inclusivity.”

The onus of creating that space lies on people in positions of power in the artistic space, who can diversify the workforce, he adds. “I think collaboration and partnerships go a really long way to bring more people from the grassroots, those who are doing the work within this space, to partner with organizations, networks and initiatives. Holding mentorship programs is also crucial. There are specific efforts one can make if they really want to be good allies.”

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