Anjali Ameer

Some Lesser Known Facts About Anjali Ameer

• Anjali Ameer grew up in a conservative Muslim family in Kozhikode, Kerala.

• She was eight months old when she lost her mother in a car accident. Later, her father remarried, and her mother’s sister raised her.

• Anjali aspired to become a police officer when she was a child.

  

• From a young age, Anjali liked things like dressing up and wearing makeup, particularly eye shadow. Her family supported these interests but did not take them seriously.

• During her school days, Anjali, as a young boy, had long hair. She often wore kohl-lined eyes and sometimes even high heels in class. Her headmistress, however, did not pay much attention to her feminine nature, believing that kids often go through such phases.

• Anjali was interested in dance when she was a child. She actively participated in inter-school competitions and often performed Oppana, a folk dance, at events.

  

• Anjali was in 10th grade when she began to feel like a woman and was drawn to things that female teenagers liked. She then began reading about these feelings and realised she was a woman inside a male body. When she discussed this with her family, they did not support her.

• When Anjali was 15 and still living as a boy, she began dating a boy from the neighbour, which upset both families. Encouraged by him, she left home to escape the bullying she faced because of her feminine nature and decided to start a new life in Chennai.

• When Anjali arrived in Chennai, she was adopted by a trans family who taught her to make a living through begging and dancing in social events. Anjali, however, soon became unhappy with the lifestyle there and decided to return home.

• Another reason Ajanli returned home from Chennai was realising that her boyfriend only felt pity for her and never loved her. She was so heartbroken that she attempted suicide by jumping into the sea, but she was saved.

• Anjali later left home again and went to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, where she found support from a trans woman named Dr Lakshmimammi, who helped her through her transition. During this time, she worked at a call centre and a beauty parlour and even begged to save money for her surgery.

 

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• At 20, she underwent gender reassignment surgery. It took her nearly three years to recover.

  

• After gender transformation, she began participating in beauty pageants like Miss Kovai and entered modelling. Anjali was crowned Miss Coimbatore and Miss Splendid India in 2015.

• Anjali later began appearing on television shows. During the shoot of a Malayalam television series, the director found out she was trans. As a result, she lost the role. Though she had told the production controller about her gender identity, the director was not informed. Later, actor Mammootty saw her interview about the incident and offered her a part in the film ‘Peranbu.’

  

• Anjali debuted in the Tamil film industry with ‘Peranbu’ in 2018. She became the first trans woman to play a lead role in a film.

• In 2018, Anjali appeared as a wild card contestant in the reality show ‘Bigg Boss Malayalam,’ which aired on Asianet.

  

• She has appeared in many other films including ‘Ammu’ (2022) (Telugu) and ‘The Spoils’ (2024) (Malayalam).

  

• In 2024, Anjali revealed that during the making of the film ‘Peranbu,’ actor Suraj Venjaramoodu asked her an inappropriate question regarding transgender individual’s sexual experiences. Suraj later apologised after Anjali reported the incident to Mammootty and the film’s director.

• Anjali is an avid animal lover and often posts pictures with them on social media.

  

• She received the UAE Golden Visa from the Dubai government in 2022.

  

• Anjali is a fitness enthusiast and frequently hits the gym. She also often meditates.

  

• She consumes alcohol occasionally.

  

• Anjali loves travelling and often shares her travel experiences on social media.

  

• She enjoys cooking and frequently posts her recipes on social media.

  

• Anjali also has a keen interest in photography.

  

• She often smokes hookah.