No. He is not a transgender. Neither does he take to cross-dressing as a fetish. He is simply Vikram who became Lovely to support his large family of siblings. Something, like the Ayushman Khurana’s lead role from the film “Dream Girl.”
With Holi round the corner, word is already afoot among the Rajasthanis living in Surat. “For the last 18 years, the festival of colours has been a highlight because of Lovely’s presence. She dances and brings in such gaiety that without her it would have been dull. We have our traditional moves and folklores and Lovely brings it all alive,” shared a Holi bash organizer from the community.
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So, who is Lovely? In his or her own words: “I am a biological man. Fate and circumstances led me to pick up dancing as a source of extra income. I had a regular daytime job and then used to dance at stage events. Then, with money coming in easier, I switched to a full time dancer. Dressed as a woman but with the strength of a man.”
Vikram also narrates how love-struck people have often followed him. “They seem to be besotted by my looks,” he jokes, adding that Surat’s hospitality has won him over.
He also engages in stage shows round the year and sharing one such event, he recalls: “I had to leave the program with my group and run away. A bunch of boys created ruckus and followed us to the venue. They disrupted the show and we had to cancel the event.”
Vikram says it takes him an hour and a half to transform into Lovely. And after that, it indeed is magic all the wa
