Cinema has become an important tool in the study of identities and sexuality today because of its pervasive presence as a popular medium and consequently, a powerful ideological apparatus negotiating with subjectivities and pleasures. Though queerness still remains merely a subplot, filmmakers have tried to balance mainstream concerns with subversive elements in the midst of quintessential genre choices and hegemonic structures in the Indian cinema. But the delineation means nothing more than mockery and comical reassurance. The representational absence of LGBTQ lives perpetuates the symbolic disrespect against them.
Over decades, Hijras remain the most obvious and common manifestation of sexual and gender transgression in Bollywood films. This depiction not only influences our reactions but also makes it difficult for them to survive in a censorious society. Change is not a one day thing, its a process. The validity of the LGBTQ community is at severe risk and the only proponents of change would be more relatable and uncensored characters in the visual space where they are shown as protagonists of their stories , and are not whimsical.
Departing from the traditions of commercial cinema, few filmmakers over the years have produced tangible content that stand out. The films of Shyam Benegal (Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008) - IMDb), Sanjoy Nag (Memories in March (2010) - News - IMDb ), Deepa Mehta (Fire (1996) - IMDb), Hansal Mehta (Aligarh (2015) - IMDb), Mahesh Bhatt (Tamanna (1998) - IMDb), Yogesh Bhardwaj (Shabnam Mausi (2005) - IMDb), Buddhadev dasgupta (Uttara (2000) - IMDb), Sridhar Rangayan (Gulabi Aaina (2003) - IMDb), Shonali Bose (Margarita with a Straw (2014) - IMDb), Onir (I Am (2010) - IMDb), Faraz arif ansari (Sisak (2017) - IMDb), Raj Amit Kumar (Unfreedom (2014) - IMDb ) for instance create narratives that introduce us to the lives of the gay community. Though they differ in terms of content, audience and form, what brings them together is their bold portrayal.
The munnibai character in Shyam Benegal’s Welcome to Sajjanpur, the head of the village eunuchs’ community who stands for elections against a powerful candidate-- is an epitome of the sensitive and conscious portrayal of transgenders. The song “Munni ki baari” which has beautiful lyrics like “mardo ne khoob kiya, aurat ne khoob kia, mandir ne khoob kiya masjid ne khoob kiya raaj, ki aayi ab munni ki baari”, vehemently dares to dismantle the orthodox social binary prevalent in our society, thereby celebrating non-conformity and gender transgression.
LIkewise Hansal Mehta in his film Aligarh talks about the societal concerns that revolves around one’s acceptance to his sexual preference keeping in mind how society thinks about it. His work evoked introspection into how we look at homesexuality.
Sridhar Rangayan’s film, Gulabi Aaina (The Pink mirror) which gained appreciation all around International film festivals still remains banned in India. The film focuses on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's attempts to seduce a man – Samir. The film is also used as part of University archives as a resource material in academic courses such as Gender, Nation and the World; Activist Voices in India; Gender and Film course.
Closely scrutinizing such an absence of opportunities to present creative ideas, Sridhar Rangayan in 2010 founded Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. It is India’s first LGBTQ film festival and was established to encourage greater visibility of Indian and International queer cinema among both queer and mainstream audiences as a means to cultivate and nurture better understanding of queer thoughts . ( http://mumbaiqueerfest.com/ )
If we shed light on mainstream bollywood directors viz Karan Johar , films like Kal Ho Na Ho and Dostana address queerness but the approach is problematic. The scene in Kal Ho Na Ho where Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan are sleeping intimately when a domestic help barges in finding them in an “inappropriate” position and starts vibrating as if given an electric shock (apparently the visual “disaster” of both of them together in front of her being the electric shock) ; or in Dostana, where the idea of two men pretending to be gay only in order to get a girl they both love.Both the attempts of addressing queerness end up making a mockery of it. They only provide a comic relief to the audience which adds to the films’ TRP . Thus, everything boils down to continuing the treatment of homosexuality as a taboo rather than dismissing the stigma attached with it.
Shakun Batra’s Kapoor and Sons was a game changer . The character played by fawad khan was a big leap from the stereotypical roles played by gay men in Bollywood films.
The character was progressive and brought with it a new beacon of change.
In this new wave, we saw Faraz Ansari’s “Sisak” India’s first silent LGBTQ film which went struggling to get funds from earning international acclaim at film festivals . It was also nominated for Satyajit Ray Award at the London Indian Film Festival. The film revolves around two men who fall in love in a Bombay local and find ways to express it to each other.
Similar to this was Unfreedom by Raj Amit Kumar , that talked about Lesbian romance and was banned by the censor board because ‘’It didn't fit the norms of our society“.
“As a movie fanatic who is also part of the spectrum, contemporary representation of queerness - or rather the lack of it- is saddening. The spectrum is much more than just forced effeminate hand gestures adopted by awkward cis- heterosexual men in Dostana and crass jokes in Prem Agan,” says Anindya Tripathi( A graduate from Gargi College who has been going the Pride Parade fro all the years it has happened in Delhi) .
In a society where our existence demands a constant fight for autonomy and art, a reflection of society needs to reflect everything that is being shattered in this process. Our fights need to be shown on the celuid space and films like Unfreedom, Kapoor and Sons are a good start.
It’s time for the conventional “Bobby darling” representation of the LGBTQ community to be considered obsolete, and more realistic and diverse non-heteronormative characters to take the lead in Indian cinema.