Ivanka Das

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ivanka Das

• Ivanka Das is an Indian actor, model, fashion creative director, dancer, choreographer, and former drag queen. She is known for her unique and bold style, especially her bald look, which has attracted a lot of attention. She has made a name for herself in Hindi-language films and web series. Her work in films like ‘Ghoomer’ (2023) and ‘Haddi’ (2023) has brought her widespread recognition.

• She hails from an extended and conservative Bengali family.

• Ivanka is a transwoman. According to her, she used to have a girl-like behaviour when she was a child and everyone used to make fun of her. According to her, when she was 17 years old, she lied to people that she was bisexual.

• In an interview, she talked about her journey of understanding her gender identity, which became clearer to her at the age of 22. She shared that she experienced gender and body dysphoria once she understood her identity.

• After coming out as a trans officially, she underwent gender confirmation surgery in Delhi and changed her name from ‘Amandeep Das’ to ‘Ivanka Das.’

  

• Before her marriage in 2010, Ivanka, who was then identified as a man, had a long-term relationship with the woman she married. According to Ivanka, she married due to the family’s pressure.

• When she revealed her true identity to her wife, they reached an understanding and decided to remain friends. The couple got separated after about one year of marriage following which Ivanka moved to Delhi from Kolkata; she then lived for nine years at her aunt’s place in Delhi.

• In an interview, Ivanka once talked about her past relationships, including one with a man in Delhi that lasted three years. At the time, she was still identified as a man. It was during this relationship that she realized she was meant to be a woman. After the breakup, Ivanka experienced mental distress and anxiety. To cope with these feelings, she turned to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

• She continued to visit ISKCON for two years, which not only helped her recover from this challenging phase in her life but also provided her with a clearer understanding of her gender identity.

• Ivanka once shared a video on Instagram where she talked about the challenging times in her life. She mentioned that due to financial difficulties, she had to take on various jobs such as a massage boy, security guard, table boy in a local hotel, and even as a gipsy. ^[6]Ivanka Das – Instagram

• Ivanka Das began her career as a dancer in Kolkata, where she also participated in numerous dance competitions. She later started working as a choreographer and fashion creative director for individuals and events. According to her, she soon started gaining recognition and became the youngest choreographer in Kolkata. She also started posting her dance videos on TikTok, which often received a significant number of views.

  

• According to Ivanka, one of her friends once asked her for help with a photoshoot after which she decided to give modelling a shot.

• Ivanka was once diagnosed with alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss. As she began losing her hair, a photographer advised her to adopt a bald look, suggesting it would enhance her bold facial features. Following this advice, Ivanka shaved her head and embraced the bald look, thereby becoming the world’s first bald trans model. ^[7]Josh Talks

  

• According to her, she is the first bald transwoman with multiple skills to enter Bollywood. ^[8]Josh Talks

• Ivanka later worked as a drag queen at Keshav Suri’s club, ‘Kitty Su,’ located at The LaLiT in Chandigarh. In an interview, she shared an incident from her early days at the club.

• When Ivanka first arrived at Kitty Su for work, she was initially asked to leave; however, she didn’t give up and reached out to Keshav Suri, the activist and entrepreneur, who signed her on as the drag queen after being impressed by her.

  

• Ivanka has been featured on the cover page of various magazines including Vogue India (2019) and Harper’s Bazaar (2023).

  

• She has worked in some web series including Netflix’s ‘Bombay Begums’ (2021) in which she appeared as ‘Beauty’ and ZEE5’s ‘Sunflower’ (2021).

  

• Ivanka has appeared in some television serials as well. She played the role of ‘Shanmukhi’ in Colors TV’s television series ‘Chand Jalne Laga’ in 2023; the serial streamed on Jio Cinema.

  

• In 2023, Ivanka appeared in a crime drama film titled ‘Haddi.’ She played the role of ‘Surri’ in the film. Ivanka played the role of ‘Rasika’ in a sports drama film ‘Ghoomer’ in the same year.

  

• In an interview about her experience of working in the film ‘Haddi,’ she discussed the presence of transgenders on the set who had an issue with her receiving ‘special treatment.’ She, however, explained them that the facilities she received were because she was an artist and a member of the cast. ^[9]Hindustan Times

• Ivanka was removed from the 2023 biographical drama TV series ‘Taali’ after three days of shooting. She had been given a significant role in the project; however, the filmmakers removed her, citing scheduling conflicts as the reason. Ivanka, however, in an interview, refuted these claims.

• In an interview, Ivanka Das alleged that Ram Gopal Varma, a film director and screenwriter, blocked her when she asked him to text her project details, which he had offered to discuss at his place in the evening. She added that he had earlier asked her for her pictures in lingerie as part of a casting process for the same project. ^[10]Subhojit Ghosh – YouTube

• Ivanka Das is well-versed in English, Hindi, and Bengali languages.

• Ivanka, who has a profound love for cooking, often posts about it on social media. She believes it to be a source of meditation. In 2020, she took to social media to reveal that she used to be jealous of girls who could cook and knit when she was a child.

  

• Ivanka consumes alcohol on various occasions. ^[11]Subhojit Ghosh – YouTube

• She smokes cigarettes occasionally. According to her, she started smoking just to fit into the image of being a man. Ivanka talked about this, in an interview, and said,
  

  I even started smoking, all the while knowing deep inside that I was doing these things solely for my image and I wasn’t truly content. I realised that my authentic self was not that of a man.”

  

• Ivanka actively works as a social worker. She has worked in collaboration with non-governmental organizations like the Society for Human Alliance Need.