As I walked into the studio, it struck me how the vast white spaces and exposed beams and wires of the parts of the building under construction seemed to echo the nature of the shoot that was underway &ndash; an exploration of the fluidity and flexibility of gender, an examination of this social construct, a deconstruction of the norms and roles associated with it. The team had readied the sets. The designer, known for his collections that question and subvert established notions of gender and beauty, was also waiting, composed and still. A moment of quiet, before the flurry of a full-blown fashion shoot began again. Although at times the models switched terms with utter disregard for academic precision, from dressing room conversations, it was obvious they all thought the time ripe for&nbsp;dialogue&nbsp;on gender. We have been constrained by its apparent binary nature and shackled too long by roles that suffocated. This global innovation in thought caught the imagination of the fashion world which depicted it through design. &ldquo;Will we manage to portray this fluidity though?&rdquo;, I ask. To which Alan Alexander&nbsp;Kaleekal&nbsp;replied, &ldquo;We can only try and do our best. Perhaps initiating the&nbsp;dialogue, drawing the discussion from the fringes into the spotlight, is all we need to do.&rdquo;<img src="http://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/1101/216164/58de30ad6fd53/1490956149837.jpg"" owidth=1066 oheight=1365" style="height:896px; width:700px" />KETAKI NARAYAN:&ldquo;My father&rsquo;s a poet&rdquo;, she proudly says. &ldquo;My entire family is very artistic and they&rsquo;re happy to let me explore an artistic career.&rdquo; When she isn&rsquo;t resting with the stillness of a lake, Ketaki Narayan, in a red, cotton frock and bare feet, flits through the sets like a wood sprite, with the bubbling energy of a teenager. Before the camera though, she turns into a siren, simultaneously channeling both energy and stillness until she becomes the photographer&rsquo;s muse. As someone who&rsquo;s been featured in Vogue Italia, and other fashion magazines, fashion shoots are a walk in the park for Ketaki. Known to Malayali audiences for her role in the music video, Thirayai, Ketaki becomes effervescent when speaking of how dance and music move her.<img src="http://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/1101/216164/58de30ad6fd53/1490956162551.jpg"" owidth=813 oheight=1179" style="height:1015px; width:700px" />ANJALI AMEER:Hesitant at first, Anjali Ameer warms up to everyone within minutes of meeting them, and her melancholic expression transfigures into something that is reminiscent of unadulterated joy. One cannot help but smile at her laughter.Anjali speaks about her experience working with Mammootty as if it were a dream, one that came true for someone who had always wanted to be an actress. Finding it difficult to single out an experience or person that inspired her, she says there have been many, and that she is thankful to them all.Anjali doesn&rsquo;t beat about the bush either as she states that Kerala can&rsquo;t truly be called progressive. &ldquo;This acceptance of the transgender community is rather recent. We&rsquo;ve been around far longer than that, living elsewhere.&rdquo;<img src="http://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/1101/216164/58de30ad6fd53/1490956232559.jpg"" owidth=813 oheight=1179" style="height:1015px; width:700px" />SIDDHARTH MENON:&nbsp;Vibrant and jovial from the get-go, Siddharth Menon embraces his work with gusto. This is a characteristic trait, he states, with a combination of embarrassed reluctance and unconscious confidence that throws you. &ldquo;I lose myself in my work, be it music, acting, or in this case, a fashion shoot.&rdquo;He speaks on end about his band, his band-mates and about the break he&rsquo;s taken. The shyness creeps back in when asked about his countless fans, most of them young women, but disappears soon. As he speaks, a boyish charm comes to the fore. He quotes Bob Marley, extolls the virtues of women, and says that if granted a wish, he&rsquo;d ask for invisibility, the chance to travel and to live a good life.

A Fluid Spectrum

English

Spanish(español)

Bengali(বাঙালি)

Gujarati(ગુજરાતી)

Hindi(हिन्दी)

Malayalam(മലയാളം)

Tamil(தமிழ்)

Telugu(తెలుగు)

fwd life

and she was

FWD Life

Rima Sings The Blues

Harmony in Words

Triumphing Over The Odds 

Untouched Kumbalangi

Exploring The Secrets Of North East India

Going Offbeat In Goa 

Pushkar: A Kaleidoscope Of Emotions 

Solo Tripping In Kerala 

Destiny's Child

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