Sanchita
It’s June, International Pride Month 2020! We’re here, we’re queer! Where’s our LGBTQIA squad at?
We know, we know. Stuck in lockdown! So what if you can’t go out and be at your flamboyant best in Pride Celebrations this year? In these troubled times, we all need some rainbow sparkling on us.
Let’s sit safely at home, celebrate ourselves and watch some of these movies to admire the progression of LGBTQIA in Bollywood recently!
Little history lesson:- June is celebrated as the Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, a milestone in LGBTQ history which occurred at the end of June 1969.
From Dostana to Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan…..From being the butt of everyone’s jokes to being relatable characters, Bollywood has come a long way in its representation of the LGBTQIA community!
Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhaan
This movie was a hoot! It gave the issue all the emotional and serious treatment it deserved but without having a sombre air around it! Instead it had all the quintessential Bollywood Entertainment Masala while being unapologetically gay and fun! We also have to give Bonus Points for showing Ayushmann Khurrana and Jitendra Kumar’s liplock!
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga
A much more softer and subtler take on sexuality, nevertheless this movie is a significant contribution towards making LGBTQIA mainstream in Bollywood! With an A-lister like Sonam Kapoor having played a lesbian onscreen, we hope the topic of LGBTQIA is more normalised in commercial cinema also. Also, those who were rooting for Rajkummar and Sonam in the movie – what a Plot Twist, nai?
Kapoor and Sons
Firstly, *drool* because Fawad Khan!!! We admire that Fawad Khan’s portrayal of a gay character wasn’t based on the stereotypical effeminate gay man with exaggerated mannerisms. He was as real and relatable as it gets!
Margarita with a Straw
Margarita with a Straw holds a soft spot in our heart. What a wonderful, liberating movie which sensibly explores disability, sexuality and self-discovery! Be it masturbation or showing her bisexuality, (omg Peter from Narnia vs Sayani Gupta?! The struggle is real!) Kalki Koechlin was absolutely flawless as Laila!
Aligarh
This movie is simply heart-wrenching! It’s based on the true story of Professor Ramchandra Siras of Aligarh Muslim University, who was suspended after being caught having consensual sex with a rickshaw puller. Starring Manoj Bajpayee, this film takes a cold, hard look at the ostracization the LGBTQIA community faces.
Ajeeb Dastan Hai Yeh from Bombay Talkies
This is Karan Johar’s segment from the anthology Bombay Talkies. Starring Rani Mukherjee, Randeep Hooda and Saqib Saleem, it tackles closeted homosexuality while following the lives of a married couple. Randeep-Saqib’s kiss had caused quite the controversy back in the day!
Looking forward to more LGBQTIA Bollywood films? There’s some Sheer Qorma for you! Starring Swara Bhaskar, Divya Dutta and Shabana Azmi, Sheer Qorma is an upcoming movie on same-sex romance written and directed by Faraz Arif Ansari.
