Finally, homosexual portrayals get real on reel
The stories depicted in films/shows today are realistic. They’ve paved the way for a sensible inclusion of the marginalised community in cinema. Earlier, the portrayals were restricted to characters used as ‘comic relief’
Sonam Kapoor isn’t the first Indian actor to play a homosexual character on screen. Hers is not the first mainstream film on the subject of homosexuality either. Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das did it in 1996 in Deepa Mehta’s Fire, at a time when LGBTQIA+ representation on screen was a big taboo. Onir did it with My Brother… Nikhil, in 2005, when people thought gays were a laughing stock.
Over the years, while cinema opened up to more roles on the homosexual section of the society, the portrayals were restricted to caricatures and the characters were often mocked, used as ‘comic relief ’, reduced to their sexual orientation, treated totally wrong. Director and producer Karan Johar, an openly gay man, himself did not do justice to the community in films like Dostana or Kal Ho Na Ho, treating the ‘gay’ tracks in the film as laughable and cringeworthy. Remember Kanta Ben?
SENSIBLE, REALISTIC TREATMENT
We have, thankfully moved on from Maa da ladla bigargaya representation to a more sensible treatment.
To give credit where it’s due, Sonam’s portrayal of a lesbian in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga did actually pave the way for a sensible inclusion of the marginalised community in cinema.
Sonam, as a mainstream actress, playing a lesbian in a mainstream film, urged an openness towards the LGBTQIA+. And that’s a win.
The stories depicted in films and shows today are realistic. Ajeeb Dastaans — that presents four very different stories to the audiences — has a very realistic unfolding of the episode that ‘silently’ (pun intended) shows the dilemma, the despair and the deep emotional stress that one of its characters, Babloo, who is gay, goes through, albeit in silence. The fact that one realises Babloo is gay only towards the end, after he discloses his truth, says a lot about how homosexuals live in closets all their life, and that being forced into marriage is one of their biggest nightmares — and a reality. A short film directed by Karan Johar in Bombay Talkies, 2013, had Randeep Honda playing a married man, and a gay person who hadn’t come out.
TIME TO UNDO DAMAGE
The welcome change of having gay characters in stories and focusing on issues relating to, surrounding or affecting them is like understanding that there are people beyond the heteronormative bracket; that there is love beyond opposite genders; that there is a section of society who have long been shunned, shamed and stigmatised, and it’s time to undo the shame. The screen representation comes after a long struggle with the law that witnessed a repetitive cycle of criminalisation and decriminalisation of homosexuality in India, over the years.
When we tried to reach out to Onir for his views on the change in the manner stories about gay relationships are told today, he replied, saying, “Sorry, am just too exhausted repeating myself…” His reply didn’t offend us. It rather made us rethink how long and exhaustive the struggle has been and how overdue real representation has been.
TRUE PICTURES
Ekta Kapoor’s The Married Woman has its protagonist Astha, a wife and a mother, who falls for another woman while on a journey of self-discovery and love; Nagesh Kukunoor’s City of Dreams hints at its main character not being heterosexual. Ajeeb Dastaans has Konkona Sen Sharma playing a Dalit woman, Bharti Mandal, who fights a lonely battle against discrimination, and for love and recognition. It’s one thing to be gay; it’s another to belong to a minority community or one that is discriminated against, and be gay.
That the story shows Bharti’s existence being taken for granted and used personally and professionally, is laudable — it does not shy away from depicting their life as it is.
REPRESENTATION AND MISREPRESENTATION
However, like the trend has always been to ‘catch up on what’s in’, many filmmakers have jumped into making films on the subject of homosexuality, while more and more actors show a willingness to play gay characters on screen, often boastfully claiming ‘a first in career’. Some got it right; others absolutely didn’t. Ayushmann Khurrana in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, a story about two gay guys and their struggle, growing up in a conservative family, hit the right chord while Adah Sharma’s portrayal of a transgender woman in Pati Patni Aur Panga faced a lot of flak for its ‘problematic perspective of trans lives and experiences and for presenting them for comic relief ’. The film’s trailer showed Adah standing and peeing, something she boasted about, saying: “I don’t think any actress has peed standing on screen” — a post she later edited after facing flak. In her response to the trailer, Trinetra Halder Gummaraju, a 23-year-old doctor, trans woman and activist for LGBTQIA+ rights, had said: “Fun fact: we don’t pee standing up after we’ve had surgery, which you’d know if you’d spoken to ONE transgender person before acting in this blasphemous, caricaturish, stereotypical, defamatory role. We need representation, not clowns in moustaches peeing standing up. Do better, or don’t even try.”
‘WE SENT OUT THE WRONG MESSAGE’
Zareen Khan, who plays a lesbian in Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele says she wants to apologise to the community for the treatment and misrepresentation meted out to LGBTQAI+ on screen thus far, and hopes that her film will do justice to the community. “I remember as a kid, or even till sometime back, our films had homosexual characters made out to be jokes. It’s really sad. It wasn’t right to portray them like that because they aren’t a laughing stock. I would like to apologise on behalf of the film fraternity for portraying homosexuals in a very caricaturish manner for so many years, because we sent out a wrong message to our audiences, due to which people created that kind of perspective about homosexuals and the community at large. I am really glad that things are changing now and they are portrayed the way they actually are — as much humans with emotions as any other straight (heterosexual) person is.” Zareen says she agreed to play a lesbian on screen because of the story about two individuals struggling with their identities owing to society and family pressures. “I think it’s great that more and more actors are now comfortable playing a homosexual on screen because awareness needs to be created about the community, to not treat them differently or look down upon. As public figures, we should do our bit to give out this message to the audiences.”
I remember as a kid, or even till sometime back, our films had homosexual characters made out to be jokes. It’s really sad. It wasn’t right to portray them like that because they aren’t a laughing stock. I would like to apologise on behalf of the film fraternity for portraying homosexuals in a very caricaturish manner for so many years
— Zareen Khan, plays a lesbian in
Hum Bhi Akele Tum Bhi Akele
The welcome change of having gay characters in stories and focusing on issues relating to, surrounding or affecting them is like understanding that there
are people beyond the heteronormative bracket; that there is love beyond opposite
genders.