Dorothy: A Story of Love, Identity, Caste and the Right to Be Yourself

Dorothy: The Right to Love, the Freedom to Be Ourselves, and the Cruelty of Society

Some films entertain us, while others make us question the society we live in. Dorothy is one such film. Through the story of Subbu and Karthik, the film explores love, gender identity, caste discrimination, patriarchy, and the cruelty people face for being different. It also makes us think about how society treats women, how men are expected to hide their emotions, and how families sometimes become places of control rather than comfort.

After watching this film, one question stayed with me: Don't people deserve the freedom to live their lives in their own way?

The Fear of Being Yourself

Subbu was assigned male at birth but realised at the age of 16 that she was a woman. However, she could not tell her friend Karthik about her identity because she feared that he might hate her. Imagine being unable to share your true self with someone you trust because you are afraid of losing them. Imagine hiding a part of yourself every day, not because you have done anything wrong, but because society may refuse to accept you.

This is the reality many LGBTQ+ people face. They often have to choose between expressing who they are and protecting their relationships with the people they love. Something as natural as being themselves becomes a source of fear.

Nobody should have to live like that.

The film also shows how caste discrimination can destroy relationships and lives. In our society, people are still judged by their caste rather than their character. Love becomes a problem when it crosses the boundaries created by society. Some powerful people believe they have the right to decide whom others should love, marry, or even befriend.

What gives anyone the right to decide that another person's life is less valuable because of their caste or the person they love?

Caste discrimination and patriarchy often work together. People who believe they have power over others may try to control relationships that challenge social expectations. In the worst cases, people face threats, violence, and even death because they refuse to follow society's rules.

Love should not be a crime. Being different should not be a reason for violence. Yet, some people value their ideas of honour and tradition more than human lives.

We need to ask ourselves whether these social boundaries are more important than the people who suffer because of them.

Is LGBTQ+ Identity Really Western Propaganda?

Whenever LGBTQ+ people speak about their rights, some people call it Western propaganda. They believe that accepting LGBTQ+ people means abandoning Indian culture and following foreign ideas.

But why should a person's identity become a matter of national pride or cultural conflict?

LGBTQ+ people did not suddenly appear because movies and social media started talking about them. They have always been part of human society, even when many were forced to hide their identities. What has changed is that more people now have opportunities to speak openly about their experiences.

A person's dignity should not depend on whether society considers their identity traditional or modern.

If two consenting adults want to build a life together, why should strangers have the right to interfere? People may have different beliefs about relationships, but those differences should not become an excuse for hatred or harassment.

You do not have to understand every aspect of another person's life to respect their right to live it.

Marriage Is More Than Having Children

One common argument against LGBTQ+ relationships is that marriage exists to produce children. People ask how same-sex couples can create a family if they marry someone of the same sex.

I genuinely wonder how many people we will make suffer by reducing marriage to reproduction.

If marriage is only about having children, what about heterosexual couples who cannot have children? What about couples who choose not to become parents? Does their marriage suddenly become meaningless?

Of course not.

Marriage can be about love, companionship, trust, understanding, and the happiness of sharing a life with another person. It is about having someone who stands beside you, respects you, and supports you through difficult times. Children may be part of some marriages, but they are not the only reason people marry.

We often describe bringing a child into this world as creating a beautiful life. But what happens after that child is born? Are we equally concerned about the life that child will have?

If we bring children into this world only to teach them hatred, force them to follow rigid expectations, and make them feel ashamed of who they are, what kind of beautiful life are we creating?

Marriage and parenthood should be personal choices. Nobody should be forced into a particular relationship or family structure simply because society expects it.

Respect Does Not Mean You Must Agree With Everyone

There is another important point we need to understand. We cannot force everyone to like us, and nobody should be forced to feel a particular way about another person.

If someone does not personally like LGBTQ+ relationships or does not agree with them, but still treats LGBTQ+ people with respect, does not insult them, and does not discriminate against them, why should that person automatically be labelled homophobic?

Not everyone understands everything, and not everyone will share the same opinions. There is a difference between someone who struggles to understand an identity and someone who deliberately spreads hatred against people because of that identity.

If a person is not harming or disrespecting anyone, what is the point of bullying them simply because they do not share the same views?

We cannot demand acceptance by using the same hatred and disrespect that we claim to oppose. The goal should be to help people understand one another, not to bully them into agreeing with us.

However, we must also understand that personal disagreement is not a free pass to discriminate against others. Someone may claim to respect LGBTQ+ people while supporting actions that deny them equal treatment or dignity. We should look at how people behave, not just what labels they use for themselves.

There is a difference between not understanding someone and deliberately hurting them. There is also a difference between expressing a personal belief and using that belief to justify discrimination.

Respect cannot be forced, but it can be practised by everyone.

Nobody has to become everyone's friend. We simply need to recognise that other people deserve the same basic dignity and safety that we expect for ourselves.

When Emotions Are Used to Insult Men

One of the most disturbing things about our society is how emotions are treated as a weakness, especially when they are associated with women.

In Dorothy, the expression “crying like a woman” is used as an insult. But why should crying be something to be ashamed of? Since when did expressing pain become a sign of weakness?

Men are human beings too. They feel sadness, fear, heartbreak, and helplessness. They have every right to cry, just as women do. Yet, society teaches boys from a young age that they must always be strong, hide their emotions, and never behave like women.

In doing so, society not only restricts men but also insults women.

Think about how deeply misogyny has entered our minds when comparing a man to a woman is considered an insult. It suggests that being a woman is something shameful and that expressing emotions makes a man less masculine.

But women are not weak because they express their emotions. Men are not weak because they cry. Both are human beings, and neither should have to prove their strength by suppressing their feelings.

The problem is not that men cry. The problem is that society has taught us to associate femininity with weakness.

When Family Becomes a Place of Fear

The film also makes us think about the misogyny that exists within some families. A family is supposed to be a place where people find love, safety, and acceptance. But what happens when it becomes a place of control, humiliation, and fear?

Patriarchy does not always appear as open violence. Sometimes, it exists in everyday comments, restrictions, expectations, and decisions that deny women control over their own lives.

It appears when men believe their opinions matter more than women's feelings, when women are expected to remain silent, and when their worth is measured by how well they satisfy society's expectations.

These attitudes are harmful because they make inequality appear normal. People may grow up watching men make every important decision while women are expected to obey. Eventually, they may begin to believe that this is simply how families should function.

But tradition cannot make injustice acceptable.

A woman should not have to sacrifice her happiness, freedom, or identity just to keep her family satisfied. Love should never mean control, and protection should never become an excuse to take away someone's freedom.

A Woman's Worth Is Not Determined by the Child She Gives Birth To

Another painful reality in patriarchal families is the pressure placed on women to give birth to a male child. Some families treat the birth of a girl as a disappointment and continue pressuring women to have more children until a boy is born.

Imagine going through pregnancy and childbirth, only to be told that the child you have given birth to is not enough because the baby is a girl. Imagine being expected to go through pregnancy again and again, not because you want another child, but because your family wants a son.

The cruelty lies in making a woman feel that she has failed simply because she gave birth to a daughter.

She has not failed.

A child is a human being, not a prize that proves a family's worth. Yet, patriarchal thinking often places a higher value on sons because they are expected to carry the family name, inherit property, or fulfil traditional responsibilities. Daughters, meanwhile, may be treated as burdens or as children whose arrival brings disappointment.

But why should a girl's existence be treated as less valuable than a boy's?

A mother's worth should never depend on the sex of her child. Neither should she be blamed for it or pressured to become pregnant again against her wishes.

The pressure to keep giving birth until a boy arrives ignores a woman's health, her feelings, and her right to make decisions about her own body. Her body is not a tool for fulfilling the expectations of her husband or his family.

A family that celebrates the birth of a boy while treating the birth of a girl as a disappointment must ask itself an uncomfortable question: if both children deserve love and care, why is one welcomed more warmly than the other?

A daughter's life should not begin with the feeling that she was unwanted. And a mother should never have to prove her worth by giving birth to a son.

The Haunting Silence of Keerthy Suresh's Character

Some film deaths stay with us long after the screen goes dark. Keerthy Suresh's character in Dorothy is one such presence. What makes her death so haunting is not only what we see, but also what the film leaves unsaid.

The director leaves the story open-ended instead of explaining everything directly. That silence makes us think about the circumstances surrounding her character and the suffering she may have experienced. We are left trying to understand what could have happened to her.

Sometimes, a filmmaker does not need to show every detail to make an audience understand the horror of a situation. The absence of a complete explanation can be even more disturbing because it forces us to imagine the possibilities ourselves.

Her death stays in our minds because it makes us think about women whose pain goes unnoticed, whose voices are ignored, and whose lives are shaped by the decisions and expectations of others.

The open ending leaves us with questions that have no easy answers. Could things have been different if the people around her had understood her suffering? Could someone have helped her? What does her fate tell us about a society in which women can become trapped by circumstances they did not choose?

We may not know exactly what the director intended us to conclude. But the uncertainty itself makes the ending powerful. Her death leaves us unsettled and encourages us to look beyond the screen.

That is what makes her character so haunting. Her story does not simply end when the film ends. It follows us because the questions it raises continue to exist in the world around us.

LGBTQ+ People Are Not a Threat to Society

Another disturbing argument against LGBTQ+ people is the comparison between their identities and serious crimes such as rape or paedophilia.

These comparisons are misleading. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not crimes. Consensual relationships between adults are fundamentally different from sexual abuse, rape, or the exploitation of children. Those crimes involve violations of consent, safety, and another person's rights.

Being LGBTQ+ does not make someone an abuser. A person's identity should not be treated as equivalent to harmful behaviour.

We must learn to distinguish between who someone is and what someone does. Comparing LGBTQ+ people with criminals simply because they are different creates unnecessary fear and encourages discrimination against an entire community.

People deserve to be judged by their actions, not by assumptions about their identity.

Nobody Becomes LGBTQ+ Just by Watching a Movie

Some people fear that films about LGBTQ+ relationships will influence children to become LGBTQ+ themselves.

But watching a movie does not determine a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Films can introduce people to experiences they have never encountered before. They can help someone recognise their own feelings, understand another person's struggles, or question assumptions they previously held.

There is a difference between learning that LGBTQ+ people exist and being turned into an LGBTQ+ person.

Human sexuality and gender identity are complex. They cannot simply be switched on or off because someone watches a film. For some people, seeing a character like Subbu may help them realise that they are not alone. For others, it may help them understand a community they have never known personally.

That is representation, not a reason to spread fear.

If a movie can make us feel the pain of someone who is different from us, perhaps we should use that opportunity to become more understanding instead of becoming defensive.

Let People Live as Themselves

Ultimately, Dorothy asks us to examine the beliefs we have normalised.

Why are emotions used to humiliate men? Why are women expected to endure suffering in silence? Why are daughters sometimes treated as disappointments? Why should someone fear losing a friendship because of their gender identity? And why do people believe they have the right to control another person's love?

These are not separate problems. They are connected by a mindset that assigns people different levels of worth based on their gender, caste, identity, and ability to satisfy society's expectations.

We cannot demand that everyone love us or agree with us. But we should be able to expect that our lives will not be threatened simply because of who we are.

If you do not understand someone's experiences, you can choose to listen. If you disagree with their beliefs, you can express your views respectfully. And if you cannot do either, you can at least choose not to hurt them.

The world does not become a better place when everyone is forced to live in the same way. It becomes better when people with different identities, beliefs, and experiences can live together without fear.

Caste should not decide whom we love. Gender should not determine whether we deserve respect. Sexual orientation should not become an excuse to deny someone happiness. Marriage should not be reduced to reproduction, and motherhood should not be measured by the birth of a son.

The question is not whether you would choose to live the way Subbu does. The question is whether you believe Subbu deserves the freedom to live as herself.

Because at the end of the day, this world belongs to all of us. Nobody should have to hide who they are, beg for acceptance, or fear for their life just to experience something as ordinary and beautiful as love.

Let people love. Let people live. Let people be themselves.

That should never be too much to ask.