Kaizad Gustad’s feature “Lala & Poppy” will premiere on Sunday at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, screening in the New Horizons lineup. The Hindi-language drama, produced by Bobby Bedi, centers on two partners from a traditional fishing neighborhood in Mumbai who realize they are both transitioning in opposite directions. Lala, who was assigned male at birth, is coming to live as a woman; Poppy, assigned female at birth, is coming to live as a man. Their bond is tested as each tries to reconcile personal change with the expectations of family, community, and the relationship itself.
The leads are played by trans actors Suruj Rajkhowa and Veer Singh, a choice the filmmakers say was central to keeping the characters rooted in daily experience rather than stereotype. Bedi has described his response to the script as direct, saying he viewed it first as a romance between two people and hopes viewers outside queer circles will connect with the couple’s fears and desires. Gustad, returning to feature directing after more than a decade, has talked about letting the film hold joy, uncertainty, and attraction in the same frame, without turning either character into a lesson or symbol.
The project was introduced to international buyers at the Cannes Film Market in May and is being positioned for a festival run that could lead to a selective theatrical release and later streaming talks. Its IFFI launch comes during uneven change for trans visibility on Indian screens. Independent and regional films have moved faster with textured trans characters, while big-budget Hindi cinema has often relied on cis casting or comic framing. People working with trans performers say roles for trans men and trans women remain scarce, and that wider industry support, from writing through casting, will shape how far films like “Lala & Poppy” can travel beyond festival spaces. Variety first reported the film’s IFFI premiere and sales strategy.
