The main idea of the Tamil film 'Dorothy' by director Karthik Subbaraj is to bring comfort to those in distress and cause discomfort to those at the center of the social system.
This film, featuring brilliant performances by Rishikant and Sananth, is a bold attempt to create cinema that gives a sense of belonging to people who have long been on the fringes of society, while simultaneously causing discomfort to those segments of society that have always held central positions in the system.
Although Tamil cinema has previously shown stories of transgender characters, they often focused on grief and struggle. Transgender characters were depicted in states of rejection, discrimination, violence, and social isolation. 'Dorothy' overturns this tradition by giving the transgender woman a space she lacked on screen—the ability to desire, to love, and not limit her life solely to her suffering.
This is where 'Dorothy' becomes a provocative film. It challenges traditional notions of masculinity, desire, and who is considered attractive or worthy of love, which may cause discomfort to people comfortable within these established views. However, it offers representation and recognition to those who may never have seen themselves portrayed this way.
Before proceeding, a spoiler warning is necessary. If you have not seen 'Dorothy', it is best to stop here, as the film contains plot twists that will be revealed later.
At the beginning of 'Dorothy', it seems we are watching two different films. The first part resembles a horror movie. Subbu comes from a high-caste family, where his father, Visel Veriya, embodies racist patriarchy. He is played by Muthukumar. He uses the distribution of money to oppress women and humiliate men. Both his sons, including the younger Subbu, are raised in an atmosphere of violence.
In childhood, when Subbu brings home his friend Karthi, rescued from hooliganism, the father's first question concerns Karthi's caste. The children naturally grow close. Their friendship deepens against a backdrop of violence, but as they grow older, childhood innocence and warmth gradually fade. Nevertheless, beneath Subbu's harsh exterior lies a deep desire to embrace femininity. His caste and anti-feminist family does not allow him to understand or express this part of himself.
What about Karthi? As a child, Karthi cried freely, but Subbu teaches him that crying is for girls. Karthi also quickly begins to suppress his feelings and becomes a product of the very masculinity in which he grows up. When Subbu shows tenderness, Karthi rejects it.
Subbu has already lost his mother and sister to the violent male authority of his family. Later, before Dorothy, he speaks of these deaths with a strange indifference. Dorothy is played by Kirthi Suresh. Subbu's life also ends because of the men in his family. Living amidst constant death and oppression, Subbu's emotions seem numb. The pain of losing women in his family brings him closer to the identity he has always suppressed within himself.
Then comes the most horrifying and memorable moment of the film. Subbu transforms into a woman—a desire he has carried inside him since age 16. He emerges in a sari, ties his hair in a bun, applies kajal to his eyes, and adorns his forehead with a bindi. But as soon as Subbu becomes a woman, death pursues him again, just as it killed other women in his family. This time, the cause of death is his closest childhood friend—Karthi.
From this point on, 'Dorothy' turns into a love story. When Karthi sees his changed friend, his first reaction is disgust. He experiences a loss, a kind of bereavement for a friend who taught him to be strong since childhood. Karthi takes Subbu on a road trip with the intention of killing him, but during this journey, he finds time to understand this change. The friend he knew is no longer there; the years spent together have become the past. Before him now is Subbu—in the form he always wanted to see himself.
A few minutes before Karthi decides to kill Subbu, he asks him what he truly wants. Subbu speaks the truth from his heart: he is happy and wants to live the life he likes. It is at this moment that Karthi understands the person standing before him—a person who has lost so much for a small dream: the dream of becoming himself.
What follows is the part of 'Dorothy' that causes discomfort to many viewers. The friendship between Karthi and Subbu gradually evolves into love. The transition from friendship to love is not new in cinema. But what is new is who these two friends are.