A NEW play critiquing Harry Potter author JK Rowling's views on transgender issues premieres at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Thursday (1). The comedy, titled TERF, imagines the Harry Potter film actors staging an intervention with Rowling over her belief that biological sex is unchangeable.
In the play, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint confront Rowling in an attempt to persuade her to reconsider her stance on the transgender debate, explained Trelawny Kean, who portrays Emma Watson in the production.
Rowling's frequent posts on X on the subject have made her a hate figure among many transgender rights campaigners. They argue, for example, that she has repeatedly misgendered a British trans broadcaster.
That has led them to dismiss her as a terf, a term of abuse that unpacks as "trans-exclusionary radical feminist".
US writer and director Joshua Kaplan nevertheless argues that TERF is not a character assassination on Rowling, but about both trans rights and the loss of nuance on social media.
"It's about how social media has infected the way that we have conversations, the way that nuance has been lost in almost every conversation," he added.
Production fears backlash
The production has already changed the play's title, dropping one offensive word, and the venue due to fears of a backlash. The trans character in the play, X, will also remain anonymous in the programmes.
"We hope that our company are hardy enough to be able to cope with the nonsense around this," said Barry Church-Woods, co-founder of Civil Disobedience, the production company behind it.
Church-Woods is "genuinely concerned" about the "more violent rhetoric that we have around these issues".
Rowling lives near Edinburgh, where she penned many of the Harry Potter books which have sold more than 600 million copies worldwide and seen a successful film franchise and other spin-offs.
The Scottish capital hosts the world's biggest arts festival every August, during which thousands of budding artists bring new plays to the city for the Fringe festival's unprecedented exposure.
Kaplan said the play was being staged in Edinburgh for the Fringe, not because of the author's links to the city.
Trans rights have become a political issue in Scotland, where the devolved government in 2022 passed a bill making it easier for people to officially change their gender.
But in a rare use of its veto powers against the Scottish administration, that bill was blocked by the UK government in London.
The Harry Potter stars who portrayed Harry, Hermione and Ron in eight films released over a decade have spoken about their "tricky" relationship with Rowling, as described by Rupert Grint.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played the titular boy wizard, has said he no longer has any contact with the author and is "really sad" about their falling-out.
Harry Potter stars distance themselves from the author
Rowling caused a furore in December 2019 when she voiced support for a researcher sacked for tweeting that transgender people cannot change their biological sex.
Radcliffe and Watson distanced themselves from the author, even after she provided context to her argument in a lengthy essay about her past as a survivor of sexual assault and domestic violence.
She and her supporters denies she is transphobic. They argue that this is about protecting women's sex-based rights.
"This is about the right of women and girls to assert their boundaries," Rowling wrote in a recent essay for The Times newspaper.
But while her views have earned her the support of many feminists, she has become a hate figure for trans activists and even received death threats.
The play itself is "very funny" with a "family dynamic" between the three actors and the author, Kean said.
"It's interspersed with scenes from Jo's past that give us an indication of perhaps why she has the opinions that she has today," he added.
Like the actors' mixed feelings about Rowling, many Harry Potter fans have also struggled to reconcile their love for Rowling's fictional world and the author's opinions.
Kaplan wanted to address the "art versus the artist debate" head on in the play.
He was "trying to work through my feelings of how you can love the art, disagree with the artist". (AFP)
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire
Rahul Bhatt sparks controversy over 'insensitive' remarks about sisters Alia and Pooja Bhatt
Rahul Bhatt, fitness trainer and son of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, has found himself at the centre of a social media storm following controversial remarks about his half-sister, Alia Bhatt. In a recent interview, Rahul drew comparisons between Alia and their older sister Pooja Bhatt, calling the latter more talented, attractive, and principled.
The comments, which many have labelled inappropriate and insensitive, have sparked widespread criticism online. During the interview, Rahul stated, “In my opinion, she (Alia) is not even half of what my real sister Pooja is. Not in talent, not in looks, not in terms of being sexy. In front of my sister, she is ‘paani kam chai’ (watery tea). Amongst the siblings, the most talented and the most moralistic is Pooja.”
Social media users reacted strongly, questioning why Rahul would compare his sisters in such personal terms. Several users were particularly disturbed by his reference to their appearance and sex appeal, pointing out that such comparisons within a family cross boundaries of propriety. One comment read, “This is disturbing. Why talk about your sisters like that? It’s not just weird, it’s wrong.” Another post said, “There’s nothing respectful about comparing your siblings’ attractiveness in public.”
The backlash also reignited conversation around a decades-old controversy involving Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt. Rahul was asked about the infamous 1990s magazine cover where the father-daughter duo shared a kiss, which had stirred public outrage at the time. Dismissing the criticism, Rahul said, “It doesn’t make any difference. It’s like water off a duck’s back. We know the truth, and we’ve seen everything since childhood.”
Rahul’s casual dismissal of that controversy has added fuel to the fire, with critics saying it reflects a broader issue of the Bhatt family being insensitive to public perception and boundaries. Many users questioned the need for bringing up old incidents in a bid to defend new and equally questionable statements.
As of now, neither Alia Bhatt nor Pooja Bhatt has issued any public response to Rahul’s remarks. Both actors, known for their significant contributions to Indian cinema, have typically kept family matters private despite living in the public eye.
This episode has also sparked debate over the role of public figures in maintaining respect when discussing family matters in the media. Observers say such comments, especially when involving women’s appearance and personal qualities, reinforce problematic attitudes and fuel unnecessary controversies.
While Rahul Bhatt is not as prominent in the entertainment industry as his father or sisters, his comments have made headlines and placed the Bhatt family in the spotlight for reasons beyond their creative work. For many, this serves as a reminder that public platforms come with responsibility, and that family ties should not be trivialised or dissected for attention or comparison.
The backlash is unlikely to subside soon, especially as fans and followers of Alia and Pooja continue to express disappointment over the way the situation has unfolded. Whether or not Rahul chooses to clarify or apologise remains to be seen.