Neha ran away from her home town Tanjavur to Chennai at the age of 18 to stand on her own two feet. Now she is a proud recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for transgender actors instituted for the first time last year.
Ms. Neha said that her family members did not want her to stay with them. “My father beat me up when I told him that I want to live as a woman. So I fled to Chennai with my Plus Two certificate They still now think that we are a disgrace to the family,” she said.
Ms. Neha was given the special award for her first movie Antharam, where she portrayed the tribulations of Anjali, who moves from a street to lead a family life. The awards were announced last Friday.
