Gowri Savithri
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
Gowri Savithri (born 11 April 1985) is an Indian model, actress, writer and producer from Kerala. She has worked in Malayalam-language modelling, film and media projects and has been featured in Indian media coverage concerning transgender representation in modelling and the arts.[1]
Early life
[edit]Gowri Savithri was born on 11 April 1985 in Cherthala, Alappuzha district, Kerala, to Rajan and Kumari. She was their only child. She grew up between her father's home in Cherthala and her mother's ancestral home in Vaikom, Kottayam district.[2]
Savithri has spoken publicly about the importance of her family, particularly her grandmother, during her childhood. In a 2019 interview with Manorama Online, she said that her family accepted her identity and that her grandmother played an important role in giving her confidence while growing up.[2]
She adopted the name Gowri Savithri in honour of her grandmothers. According to her 2019 interview, the name Gowri was taken from her father's grandmother, while Savithri was the name of her father's mother.[2]
Savithri has described her childhood as being strongly influenced by the support she received from her family. She has said that she did not experience the same degree of family rejection that is often described in accounts of transgender people's lives.[2]
Career
[edit]Modelling
[edit]Gowri Savithri began her public career as a model. In 2016, she and transgender model Maya Menon appeared in a saree campaign for Kerala-based designer Sharmila Nair's Red Lotus label. The collection, named Mazhavil (Malayalam for "rainbow"), was dedicated to the transgender community.[3][4][5]
The campaign attracted national and international attention. Contemporary reports described the use of transgender models in the campaign as an example of increasing representation in Indian fashion and advertising.[1][3][4]
The campaign was conceived by designer Sharmila Nair, who said that she wanted to provide transgender people with a platform in the fashion industry.[5]
Nair was introduced to Savithri and Maya Menon through Queerala, an organisation working with sexual minorities in Kerala.[6]
Savithri subsequently worked as a model for Karalkada, a traditional textile brand in Kerala.[2]
In 2018, Savithri appeared with actor-model Mathai Bibin in a Karalkada advertising campaign displayed on a large hoarding at Swaraj Round, Thrissur. The campaign carried the tagline "Gender has many colours, but Kasavu has one." It was conceptualised by DocArt Productions.[7][8][9]
The campaign attracted attention because Karalkada was a traditional textile brand and Savithri was presented as a transgender model without making transgender identity the sole subject of the advertisement.[7][8]
In an interview with The Asian Age, Savithri said that she had expected more modelling opportunities after the publicity generated by the Red Lotus campaign but had waited around one and a half years for another major opportunity.[8]
Acting
[edit]Savithri has also worked as an actress in Malayalam-language film and short-film projects.
She appeared in the short film Karuna, in which she played the title character. The film dealt with questions surrounding the social acceptance of transgender people.[10]
Savithri later appeared in the Malayalam film Pixelia, directed by Ratheesh Ravindran. The film follows a graphic novelist whose life changes after he encounters a transgender woman named Mandakini, played by Savithri.[11]
Pixelia was selected for screening at the Kolkata International Film Festival.[12]
Public representation
[edit]Savithri has been featured in Indian media coverage concerning the representation of transgender people in modelling, advertising and the arts.
Her 2016 Red Lotus campaign with Maya Menon was among the early high-profile fashion campaigns in Kerala to feature transgender models. The campaign attracted considerable attention after photographs of the models wearing sarees were circulated online.[3][4]
The campaign was also discussed in articles concerning fashion designers and brands addressing social issues in India.[5]
In 2018, Savithri's Karalkada campaign received further media attention after its large hoarding was installed at Thrissur Swaraj Round. Contemporary reports described the campaign as an example of increasing inclusion of transgender people in Indian modelling and advertising.[7][8][9]
Savithri has spoken about the need for transgender people to have opportunities in ordinary employment and not only in projects specifically centred on transgender issues.[2]
Writing
[edit]Savithri has also pursued writing alongside modelling and acting. In a 2019 interview, she said that she wanted to publish a book based on childhood memories and journeys and discussed the influence of reading and her grandmother on her interest in writing.[2]
In 2024, she published Gowreepadham, described as a work based on memories of her childhood.[13]
In 2026, her book The Last Piece of Banana Chips was published by DC Books.[14] In a September 2026 interview with Kerala Kaumudi, Savithri discussed the book and her development as a writer.[15]
Works
[edit]Film
[edit]Modelling campaigns
[edit]Books
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "India's transgender sari models winning hearts". BBC News. 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Interview with Gowri Savithri". Manorama Online (in Malayalam). 17 October 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "These Pics of Transgender Models in Saris Are Now Viral". NDTV. 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "This designer's transgender models are winning hearts". The Times of India. 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Fashion, designers, brands and social issues". The Week. 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "Kerala designer unties convention with two transgender models". The News Minute. 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Varier, Megha (25 April 2018). "#GoodNews: Kerala Brand Features Trans Model in Sari Ad". The Quint. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Sreekumar, Priya (30 April 2018). "Gender, no bar in modeling". The Asian Age. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 "It's a model worth emulating". The Times of India. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Karuna". Manorama Online (in Malayalam). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Queer drama Pixelia lands on Neestream". The New Indian Express. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ "All you need to know about the 3 Malayalam films selected in Kolkata International Film Festival". The Times of India. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 "Gowreepadham". NYNA Books. 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- 1 2 "The Last Piece of Banana Chips". DC Books. 2026. Retrieved 3 October 2026.
- ↑ Ananthapuri, Faizal (25 September 2026). "'കഥകൾ മെനയാനുള്ള ഭാവന എനിക്കില്ല, ഞാൻ എന്തായിരുന്നോ ആ എന്നിൽ അന്നും ഇന്നും ഞാൻ തൃപ്തയായിരുന്നു'". Kerala Kaumudi Online (in Malayalam). Retrieved 3 October 2026.
External links
[edit]- Gowri Savithri — M3DB
- Snehapoorvam Gowri Savithri — YouTube
- Gowri Savithri says she does not hate her male body — YouTube