Entertainment
Bollywood 101: not so heterogeneous Hindi cinema
For almost a century, Bollywood has produced films aimed at heterosexual audiences. There is virtually no queer representation in Hindi cinema, and frankly, that's not surprising. Straight people have always dominated the industry, both on screen and behind the camera. And often, when there has been queer representation, it has come at the expense of queer characters, who have been stereotyped and victimized in films.
But there is a silver lining. Some mainstream Bollywood films have explored queer characters, depicting them as dynamic and complex individuals who transcend their sexuality and homosexuality.
Here is a small list of recent mainstream Hindi films in which Bollywood has represented queers well. These stories treat queer characters with a kindness and empathy that is often lacking in real life.
“Margarita with a Straw” (2014)
Margarita with a Straw (2014)
Margarita with a Straw was the first Bollywood film I saw in which I saw disabled gay characters represented on screen.
Directed by Shonali Bhose, the film tells the story of Laila (Kalki Koechlin), a young Indian woman with cerebral palsy who moves to New York for a semester. There, she meets another South Asian student, Khanum (Sayani Gupta), and develops feelings for her.
Throughout the film, Laila explores her own bisexuality and navigates her relationship with her mother, who does not accept her sexuality. Watch this film for an inspiring story of self-exploration and self-love.
Where to watch: Year
“Aligarh” (2015)
Aligarh (2015)
In 2010, Professor Ramchandra Srinvas Siras was suspended from India's Aligarh University after an intimate video showing him with another man was published by a local television channel without his consent. The university cited his “serious misconduct” to justify the suspension.
Isn't that shocking to hear?
Hansal Mehta explains how the incident affected Siras. With “Aligarh,” Hansal Mehtabrings depicts a heartfelt fictional account of the story of Siras and the aftermath of what he experienced. There are a lot of emotions that you will feel in the film as we see Siras deal with the challenges he faces simply because he is gay. This is a powerful story that needs to be seen so we can all reflect on whether the world has become a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Where to watch: Rent on AppleTV, Google Play or YouTube.
Kapoor and Sons (2016)
Kapoor and Sons (2016)The story of a dysfunctional family on the verge of collapse. Directed by Shakun Batra, 'Kapoor and Sons' is not a typical film. No one in the film, the main or secondary characters, are good people. They are morally ambiguous and full of secrets. The only thing waiting for them is an incident that will blow them all up.
Within all this mess lies a meaningful representation of a queer character. I can't reveal who this person is because it would spoil the film, but the way the director, Shakun Batra, handles him is revolutionary. The film never isolates the character. His quirk is not his entire identity. It's a part, a fragment of him. He is much more than just a homosexual. And that's what we want the world to do. To treat us as a dynamic person who happens to be queer.
Where to watch: Netflix and Amazon Prime, or you can rent it on AppleTV, YouTube and Google Play.
Geely Pucchi (2021)
Geely Pucchi (2021)
Most South Asian communities generally have an institutionalized caste system. Deeply embedded in the social fabric, a person's caste determines their access to resources and how they are treated in society. At the lowest level of this system is the Dalit community, which is discriminated against by all other castes. And within the Dalit community are Dalit homosexuals who are marginalized by their group.
The short fiction film Geeli Puchi explores the struggles of queer Dalit women and how queerness and caste intersect. This is the second film in the anthology, Ajeeb Daastaans. Directed by Niraj Ghawyan, a Dalit filmmaker, this short film depicts the inherent prejudices in queer communities and how some of us are more equal than others. A powerful story not to be missed for understanding intersectionalities with the queer community.
Where to watch: Netflix
Badhaai Do (2022)
Badhaai Do (2022)
Led by exceptional actors Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, Badhaai Do addresses several pertinent issues that reflect Indian society and its deep commitment to patriarchy and heterosexuality.
Shardul, played by Rao, is a gay police officer. His family wants him to get married. So he comes up with a plan. He finds Sumi (played by Pednekar, a lesbian), and they marry with an arrangement that they can pursue their own interests privately.
But will this arrangement work? Will their parents one day discover that their children are really homosexual?
Check out this comedy of errors that features laugh-out-loud moments with emotional scenes that bring out the human in most of us.
Where to watch: Netflix
Khoufiya (2023)
Khoufiya (2023)
No one can deny that Tabu is one of the greatest living actors Bollywood has ever seen. Over a career spanning nearly three decades, she has played diverse on-screen roles: a conniving woman in “Haider,” an immigrant torn between the search for her own identity and her domestic duties in “Namesake” and a evil villain in Andhadhun.
But I think one of her most notable roles that will go down in history is the poignant way she played a spy in Vishal Bhadrawaj's Khufiya.
What makes her performance truly exceptional are the restrained emotions she portrays in the film while playing a spy who loses her lover because of her work.
There is this deep sadness in his eyes throughout the film that will resonate with a wider audience as we have gone through similar experiences losing our loved ones due to circumstances beyond our control. Desire thus becomes symbolic because it represents not only a physical loss but also a loss of self that many queer people experience.
Where to watch: Netflix
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