MUMBAI: Transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, who has watched the upcoming horror comedy Laxmii starring Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar, says the film represents the transgender community very respectfully, adding that people spreading negative vibes over the issue should watch the film before passing a judgment.

"Any transgender is equal to any man or woman, which is what comes out from the film in a strong way. I believe the film is wonderful, and instead of criticism, we should appreciate Akshay ji for being such a strong man and doing such a strong film. There are many films I have acted in, nobody bought these, it's a business. These articles are being written about 'Laxmii' without seeing the film, on the eve of its release. I am shocked," said Laxmi.

Kamal Guru, a 60-year-old transgender, also appreciated Akshay's performance and treatment in the film, saying: "Itni pyaari lagi film, aaj tak koi film aisi nahi lagi (the film is lovely, never felt this way about any film till date). I have been in the hijra community for years. I cried two to three times while the film was playing. I pray to God this film gets a lot of praise."

Raghava Lawrence's horror comedy co-stars Kiara Advani, and is a remake of the director's 2011 Tamil hit, "Muni 2: Kanchana". The film is slated for releases on Monday on the OTT platform Disney+ Hotstar VIP.