Bollywood film hailed for centring on lesbian romance
MUMBAI, (AFP) - A Bollywood movie about a family accepting their daughter is a lesbian was hailed on Friday for pushing the boundaries of cinema in socially conservative India.
It comes after the country's Supreme Court scrapped a colonial-era ban on homosexuality in September, sparking wild celebrations amongst India's LGBT community.
“Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga” (How I Felt When I Saw A Girl) is being lauded as the first mainstream Indian film to show parents dealing with their daughter being in a samesex relationship.
The Hindi-language drama, which was released nationwide on Friday, sees veteran actor Anil Kapoor star alongside his daughter Sonam Kapoor.
Kapoor, 62, plays the role of a father in a family that is eagerly trying to get his daughter Sweety -- played by Sonam Kapoor -- married.
She is in love with a woman though and the movie centres on her grappling with how to tell her family while fearing they won't accept the relationship.
Mumbai-based Bollywood doesn't have a good track record when it comes to portraying homosexuality.
Many movies over the years have even mocked gay characters, some- times making them the target of jokes.
But several films have dealt with the subject sensitively, such as “Kapoor and Sons” and “Aligarh”.
“Fire” was widely considered to be the first mainstream Hindi movie to feature a gay relationship.
The promoters of “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga” kept the nature of the movie's romance under wraps for fear of putting off some audiences, but did release a few hints including