Experiencing Interruptions?

Haus of Maya

India’s most popular contemporary drag queen and a matriarch to a drag family recounts her journey of discovering her passion for drag, fighting her internal demons, surviving fallouts and establishing her drag family “Haus of Maya.”

  • Poorva Dinesh
    Director
  • Poorva Dinesh
    Writer
  • Poorva Dinesh
    Producer
  • Anish Alex Mathew
    Key Cast
    "Maya the drag queen"
  • Randy Scarhol
    Key Cast
    "Veronique"
  • Siddhant Kodlekere
    Key Cast
    "The Lady Bai"
  • Prateek Sachdeva
    Key Cast
    "BettaNaanStop"
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    53 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 10, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Poorva Dinesh

Poorva Dinesh makes her debut as a documentary filmmaker, writer, and producer with “Haus of Maya.” Poorva was very intrigued by the growing drag culture in Bangalore, India and soon her intrigue grew into a strong desire to tell the stories of drag queens in urban India. Poorva began her research in September 2017 closely following the lives of some of the Indian drag queens. The documentary “Haus of Maya” tells the story of Maya, India’s most popular contemporary drag queen and a matriarch to a drag family. Maya, the drag persona of 30-year-old queer Alex, recounts her journey of discovering her passion for drag, fighting her internal demons, surviving fallouts and establishing her drag family “Haus of Maya.”
Poorva is also the Founder of Interviewing India, a digital platform that specialises in interviewing people from all walks of life on offbeat topics.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When my crew and I started filming Maya, the drag persona of Bangalore-based queer Alex, it was meant to be only a documentary short. But as I got a deeper access to the drag world, the drama, the rawness of emotions, the joy of gaining acceptance and sometimes the sorrow of not having it enthralled me so much that I rewrote my script to tell a bigger story, which I wasn’t sure I would be able to do with a shorter format.
Haus of Maya has a lot of elements packed into it, much like the real drag world. Its educative and throws light on what drag is, but it also talks about themes such as insecurity, acceptance and love, which are universal themes and independent of one’s sexuality. It’s a documentary that will make you sit up, laugh and possibly even cry. I have put my heart and soul into making this film, and I hope you enjoy it.