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Patruni Sastry, popularly known as Patruni Chidananda Sastry or Sas Who Maa, previously known as Suffocated Art Specimen, is an Expressionist dancer, performance artist, visual artist, model, human rights activist, and Tranimal drag queen. Patruni is known for their role as a part of a documentary series directed by Ayesha Sood and Produced by Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti production company tiger baby series "In Transit" on Prime Video. Patruni is also the first Telugu Drag queen to enter Bigg Boss Agnipariksha.
In 2024, Patruni Chidananda Sastry was featured in the Absolut Ally campaign, a national initiative by Absolut Vodka India spotlighting LGBTQIA+ voices and their contributions to visibility, inclusion, and advocacy. Sastry's presence in the campaign, alongside other queer changemakers, brought attention to their work at the intersections of drag, parenthood, and activism.
On the show, Sastry used drag performance as a medium to create awareness about gender, sexuality, and LGBTQIA+ issues. They performed a self-written folk song on gender and sexual diversity, which they had previously employed as part of SOGIE (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression) training sessions. Unlike many portrayals of drag on Telugu television—often reduced to comic relief—Sastry's appearance emphasized dignity, education, and visibility for queer identities.
Although eliminated early in the competition, Sastry stated that their intention was not to compete for victory but to use the platform to reach mass audiences.
Patruni's style of drag is an Indian-inspired variant of Tranimal. Patruni explains the unique features of this style of drag: "But, unlike traditional drag, in which performers are praised for their elegance and beauty, I was attracted to tranimal style–also called 'drag terrorism'. Tranimal drag is the drag of poor, available drag queens. It does not throw money on clothes and cosmetics, and works on only one belief: 'this will do'. Tranimal drag performers make outfits themselves with available trash. They look vigorous, and they momentarily erase beauty and gender norms. When I perform tranimal I am liberated, I become the drag queen who doesn't wear heels, but performs bare-footed for the less privileged community that I try to remind myself of."
Patruni has voiced out for Indian bisexual and pansexual rights in multiple occasions. In 2021, Patruni welcomed the DC's Bisexual Superman initiatives with open heart by saying "The whole Superman thing made me feel empowered after a long time. He came out as a bisexual which is not so usual. People usually come out as gay or a trans person. When a protagonist like Superman reveals his sexual identity, it triggers a conversation about gender diversity and inclusion". In the same year Patruni has condemned a cover photo of Ayushmann Khurrana on GQ (Indian edition) which called itself to be representing the gender fluidity. calling the act a huge problem Patruni said "People need to understand that gender fluidity is not about costume play. Wearing a ghaghra or putting a nail paint from a cis-het privilege doesn't make someone gender fluid. Such things are quite insulting and disqualifying to the actual lives of people who are gender fluid. It leads to a lot of trauma and disqualification of a person's existence." Patruni also worked created multiple telugu language folk songs to educate people on LGBTQIA+ issues.
In the Same year Patruni Organized Hyderabad's first ever BI/PAN fest celebrating the most under-represented identities of the queer community.
In 2022, Patruni spoke about Ram Gopal Verma's Lesbian-based movie "Dangerous", he said “Even if it is released in PVR and multiplexes, who is benefiting-RGV or the community? Is it message-oriented like Badhai Do or Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui? In a media interaction, he wanted to discuss only lesbian and not gay-related issues. If he donates half of his earnings to the community, then yes we can support him". Patruni has also revolted for Gangubai Kathiawadi, speaking about the representation on Trans character by Vijay Raaz, In a Twitter post, Patruni said "Yet another shameless robbery of trans role. The only roles trans people get is to play are like this one and when some cis person plays a trans role, they take away the only opportunity"
Patruni hosted a podcast named Rangula Rattnam () in 2022 that features members of the queer community discussing their lives and journeys in Telugu, making it possibly the first Telugu podcast to be hosted by a queer person.
In 2022, Patruni performed in drag in a public metro station in Hyderabad where a child joined them in dancing to Patruni's Song. A social media post shared by Yes we Exists gained more than a lakh views. As a part of the post, Patruni said "They ban kids from drag shows and say we are scary. But then, kids just shower love on drag queens,". In 2023. Patruni had been doing public drag performances for HIV Awareness for Telangana aids control department.
Patruni also introduced Drag tales a program similar to Drag Queen Story Hour in India where Patruni would read stories for kids in drag and break stereotypes of society. Patruni quoted 'So I take that opportunity to incorporate fun and humour in my shows, to talk about gender equality, inclusion and diversity.' when asked about the impact he is creating as a part of the story hour.
In 2024, Patruni became the first Indian drag queen to represent India in a US State sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program where Patruni traveled across 4 different states of America learning and performing drag for advocacy and context drag bans in the cities. Speaking about the experience Patruni said "Looking to the future, I see a bright and promising path for drag culture in India. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness and acceptance of drag, with more platforms and opportunities emerging for drag artists. I believe that drag has the potential to become a mainstream cultural phenomenon in India, much like it has in other parts of the world. As a pioneer in the Indian drag scene, I hope to play a significant role in its development and global recognition. By continuing to perform, mentor emerging artists, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, I aim to contribute to the growth and evolution of drag culture in India. My goal is to see Indian drag artists gain international recognition and to foster a vibrant, inclusive, and supportive drag community both within India and globally". Patruni also created a photo work as a part of blending drag with the city culture of Hyderabad by doing a walk at the Gudimalhapur flower market in full drag. In the same year Patruni spoke at the Rainbow Lit Festival in Delhi in a panel on titled "Queer Parents -Yes they exists" and did a performance titled 'Ghar' to agitate and question the closing down of Garima Ghar's by government of India in 2024.
In 2025, Patruni was a part of Interfaith Youth leadership program by Rubarro, where they created a social action plan on integrating faith and queerness together. Patruni created a podcast title "Drag me to Heaven" a series of conversation about faith and drag and documented 45+ drag artists from multiple faiths and regions of the world. this has been one of the only such documentations of faith and drag related conversation. Patruni also visited UK and connected with many faith leaders to foster interfaith dialogue to dismantle prejudice on faith and queerness. In the same year Patruni also presented a work titled "Come Sit with Me", a performance art piece as a part of Hyderabad Literary festival, as a retaliation to global politics surging trans inclusion and DE&I backtrolling by Donald Trump. This performance was a three hour long bringing more than 200+ people participate in this interactive performance. In the same year Patruni curated Interfaith Pride Fest, a first-of-its-kind event in Hyderabad aimed at exploring the intersection of queerness and faith. Held at Bagh Bean Café and organized in collaboration with Rubaroo, Mobbera Foundation, and Humans of Nirvana, the fest brought together over 200 participants, including queer individuals from various religious backgrounds. The event featured interfaith panels, poetry readings, drag performances, and open discussions focused on reclaiming spiritual spaces for LGBTQIA+ communities. Sastry envisioned the festival as a response to the often exclusionary narratives within organized religion, offering a space for dialogue, acceptance, and visibility where faith and queer identity could co-exist.
Sastry has been invited to conduct corporate sensitisation sessions where drag performance and discussion are used as part of DEI training. In 2021, they were invited by a multinational corporation to deliver an LGBTQIA+ sensitisation session for employees in a corporate office environment, during which they used personal narratives and performance to introduce queer and transgender lived experiences to staff. In a follow-up session the following year, changes in office infrastructure such as the introduction of gender-neutral washrooms were noted as outcomes of sensitisation workshops conducted by Sastry and colleagues.https://www.queerbeat.org/stories/checked-out-bosses-and-check-box-approaches-why-lgbtqia-sensitisation-workshops-fall-short/
In the same context, Sastry has been described as using drag performance as a tool for corporate training on queer and transgender lives, including participation in sensitisation sessions organised by technology companies such as Microsoft's Hyderabad office, where workshops addressed workplace bullying and inclusion through facilitated discussion following performance elements.https://www.queerbeat.org/stories/checked-out-bosses-and-check-box-approaches-why-lgbtqia-sensitisation-workshops-fall-short/
In academic environments, Sastry has combined performance demonstrations with informational content. At Ashoka University, they were featured in Drag Raga: Perform To Inform, an event during Pride Month that included drag performance alongside educational discussion about the art form.https://www.ashoka.edu.in/event/saturday-fun-night-drag-raga-perform-to-inform/ Such events have been framed as informative sessions where the performers engage audiences with both artistic demonstration and contextual explanation.
Sastry's participation in TEDx platforms, including TEDx CMRIT Hyderabad, involved delivering a talk in a university setting that merged narrative performance and discussion of personal identity and expression, making use of lecture-oriented formats common to TEDx programmes.https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/62036
Beyond these documented instances, initiatives such as DragVanti, an online platform founded by Sastry, describe the offering of educational workshops on drag culture, performance techniques, and inclusivity training for schools and corporates. These workshop offerings are intended to integrate aspects of LGBTQ+ history and drag performance into educational and workplace contexts, although specific independent coverage of individual sessions in schools or colleges is limited in available sources.https://www.dragvanti.com/
In 2022, Humans of Bombay, a social media platform covered a feature of Patruni and Rajeswari together which went viral on social media. In which Patruni said "My wife encourages me to be myself!". The video went viral with more than 2.5 million people viewership. In the same year, talking in an interview Patruni said "When I was looking to get married, there were so many people who said that I'd have to put aside my sexual identity. Others said it would mean I was cheating on my partner and many such ignorant things. Some even thought marriage would mean the end of my drag career. But, I'm grateful to have a wife like Rajeswari. She never questions anything I do. She gives me the warmth and love which I never got for ages".
In 2023, Patruni Sastry and their partner Rajeswari devi were part of an allyship campaign by Absolut India, where they both burst the myths of Bisexuality. Speaking about the experience for an interview Patruni said "Brands are usually picking up stories about trans people or people who are homosexual. Stories of other identities like non-binary people and bisexual people are not picked up. Time and again we see the same people and individuals involved in these brands. Sexuality or gender is all about perspective. I see transness in a far more different way than other people"
In 2023, Patruni and Rajeswari made officially announced that they are welcoming a baby into their life which would make Patruni 'India's first ever drag queen to have a biological kid'. In June 2023, Patruni announced that they had a baby, without revealing their gender, speaking in an interview Patruni said "I don't want some random parent to see my drag videos, show it to their kids and then that kid teases my child the next day, because of my profession. I have experienced trauma and I don't want it to pass on to my child. However, my wife reassured me that times have changed. Unlike when we were growing up, schools now engage in open seminars and conversations about these topics. It is up to us, as parents, to actively shape the progressive narrative." Patruni has also written an autobiography 'Life is drag, sas it up' making them the first ever Indian drag artist to write an autobiography.
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