New documentary tells little-known story of transgender freedom fighters

Directed and produced by Shariful Islam Palash, a new documentary “Untold tales of the day of blazing glory” sheds light on the fate of transgender freedom fighters who valiantly participated in the 1971 Liberation War.

Master Roni, who appears as the main character in the documentary, has struggled for 50 years in post-independent Bangladesh to get his due recognition.

Regarded as a person of the third gender, his first identity is that he served as a guerrilla fighter in the 1971 war.

For the five decades since the Liberation War, he has been however ‘missing’ or ‘dead’ to his fellow fighters and family members.

Sponsored by Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS), the documentary follows Roni and others like him who have been banished from society for failing to conform to its orthodox gender norms. 

Master Roni directly participated in the Liberation War| YouTube

"The documentary 'Untold tales of the day of blazing glory' has collected such substantive and miserable stories of life. The very first life-oriented documentary on the contribution and valor of the third gender in our liberation war has been produced by Shariful Islam Palash,” reads the synopsis.

The first episode premiered on April 8, and the next episodes will tell the stories of “the underprivileged transgender communities – who have directly fought for the country, lost their dear ones, been tortured by the Pakistani forces, or have helped the freedom fighters will be brought forward sequentially till next December.”

The documentary has been entirely shot and edited by Wasim Sitar.