Will Bollywood climb Brokeback Mountain?

Pressurised by the times we live in, Bollywood is slowly changing its attitudes to gay themes

Pressurised by the times we live in, Bollywood is slowly changing its attitudes to gay themes

The winds of change, they are blowing through the country. The Indian government is reportedly contemplating a repeal of the law that criminalises homosexuality (section 377 of the IPC). And the Delhi High Court has historically declared gay sex among consenting adults to be legal. The attitude towards homosexuality has become the latest cause celebre! Reflecting the times, Bollywood too is gingerly realigning the way it looks at gay-related themes.

Hunky star, Arjun Rampal, says: "If it's a well-written role I have no problem playing a gay. Abhishek and John did a great job in Dostana. Sean Penn was incredible in Milk and so was Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain."

Further, a spate of recent Hindi films have brought homosexuality out of the closet Fashion, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, Dostana have all slashed through au00a0 thicket of taboos and unblinkingly addressed the issue.

At the same time, the question begs to be asked what took them so long?u00a0

The world of arts and cinema is characteristically more liberal than the rest of the country...but the Hindi film world has been dragging its feet about representing gays. Historically, gays have been an invisible sexual minority in our films. Buddy films from Sangam to Sholay have excited overheated comments about their underlying gay subtext and have been subject of sociological and psychological study for their 'Yeh dosti hum nahin chhodenge' theme. These interpretative analysis are enjoyably arguable but homosexuality has never been an overt cinematic theme.

Sporadically, over the latter years of the last century, some films, largely from the art cinema, made attempts to portray homosexuality. The issue was incorporated into Jabbar Patel's acclaimed Smita Patil film, Subah (1983). Anupam Kher played a gay man named Pinkoo in Mast Kalandar (1991). Ashish Balram Nagpal made an attempt with Adhura (starring a pre-fame Irrfan Khan). But it was Fire in the late 1990s that tackled lesbianism face-on and blew the lid off the subject. With an instantly recognisable name, Shabana Azmi, as its protagonist, the film excited protests and bans from one section while on the other hand, some found its lesbianism-as-an-alternative-to-spousal-neglect theme too pat.

Commercial films discovered alternate sexuality in a big way thereafter but by and large, homosexuality was often shown in the background of the fashion world and subscribed to the effeminate stereotype of gays. Konkona says: "I don't think gays have been represented very well in Hindi films. Many times homosexuality and cross-dressing have been used for laughs, which I don't find funny."

Indeed, homosexuality has been treated in a wink-wink-nudge-nudge manner. Kal Ho Naa Ho and Masti showed the heroes constantly caught in compromising positions by shocked onlookers. At best, these films can be also said to poke fun at the onlookers' (KHNH's Kantaben and the Satish Shah's character in Masti) obvious homophobia.

Girlfriend had a bold premise Isha Koppikar develops a lesbian obsession for her friend Amrita Arora but the critics hauled the film over the coals.

Much better received was My Brother Nikhil (2005), considered by many as a landmark film.

Anurag Kashyap raves: "That's the only one film where I can say the representation of gays was correct." In this sensitive AIDS drama directed by Onir, lead players Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli play a homosexual couple who are as normal as the boys next door. A popular star like Juhi Chawla playing Sanjay's sympathetic sister helped convey the film's inclusive theme. Two years later, the ensemble film, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd sprang a surprise when two male members (Vikram Chatwal and Karan Khanna) of a band of honeymooning couples were shown to develop a romantic interest not in their respective brides... but in each other.

Director Parvati Balagopalan broke new ground when she showed a seemingly well-adjusted gay couple, albeit in peripheral roles, in Rules Pyar Ka Superhit Formula. She says: "It was the story of love, therefore I thought of representing every community as well as different sexualities." She then went on to make an entire film, Straight, in which protagonist Vinay Pathak is confused about his sexuality. Earlier, the little-watched Mango Souffle had Atul Kulkarni playing a gay man and was tagged: 'Not such a straight movie.'u00a0

Madhur Bhandarkar points out: "I have had a gay track in Page 3 and Fashion." In the latter, Madhur had a kiss between Sameer Soni (who was played sans stereotypes) and a male actor but he dropped it from the final edit.

Homosexuality has found a place in Hindi films. Even on TV, the bastion of conservatism, we have a gay character, Sunny, in Bhaskar Bharati. Sanjay Gupta's new film Pankh has a kiss between two men. And in forthcoming The Desire, model-turned-actress Sheetal Menon makes seductive overtures to Shilpa Shetty. Celina Jaitley avers: "I am considering a role like the one in Brokeback Mountain for an English film. I am waiting for the second draft of the script. It's based on a true story from Spain."

While filmmakers have slowly pushed the envelope, most liberals still have a problem. Either a gay-centric film is not a mainstream Hindi film; or if it is a mainstream film, gays are not the main characters that is, well, the main grouse.

A paradigm shift has simply not happened. Dostana dealt with homosexuality, but as a farce. Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan and, later, Ranbir Kapoor and Imran Khan may showcase their partnership as a running gag on awards shows. But the characters they play onscreen, however, remain stridently heterosexual.

Consider the fact that Tom Hanks (Philadelphia) Sean Penn (Milk) were huge stars when they played gay characters and won Best Actor Oscars to boot. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall were also two of Hollywood's hottest young actors when they decided to play the gay couple in Brokeback Mountain.

A major mainstream Bollywood star (actor or actress) has yet to play a gay character in a mainstream film... that frontier remains to be crossed.

Bollywood News Service

What the stars have to say

'Why should anybody be penalised for their sexual preferences?']

Konkona Sen Sharma
"It's unfortunate that homosexuals are marginalised. Section 377 is an outdated law. I am glad that there has been some movement to change this. If there are some protests, I am for it. Why should anybody be penalised for their sexual preferences? I have friends who are straight, bisexual and gay too. It's not a big deal. I have always stood up for the gay cause. I have no apprehensions about playing a homosexual character in a film at all."

'I have gay friends. Their biggest trauma has been about dealing with the family when they come out in the open'

Anurag Kashyap
"I am glad that our government has finally realised that it's time to grow up; but they are not completely grown up yet. On the one hand, they are getting all moralistic and have banned savitabhabhi.com. On the other hand, they are being very wise and finally behaving like adults by repealing 377. I have gay friends. Their biggest trauma has been about dealing with the family when they come out in the open. If they get acceptance at home then rest will be fine."

'For all you know, your relatives might be gay'

Arjun Rampal
"It's disheartening to note that in a democratic country like India such a big issue is made out of homosexuality. Homosexuals are accepted all over the world. It's about time our government stops staying in a primitive era. Gays are human beings too. There is nothing wrong with being a homosexual. For all you know, your relatives might be gay. They are not abnormal or criminals; so why create laws against them?"u00a0

'Who are we to stop them or judge them?'

Deepika Padukone
"People (including gays) should do what they think is right. Who are we to stop them or judge them?"

'It is great to have equal rights for everyone homosexuals or heterosexuals.'

John Abraham
"According to me, the government has shown that they have empathy for everyone's feelings u2026 it is a step in the right direction. I am very happy because everybody needs equal rights, irrespective of whether they are homosexuals or heterosexuals. I think homosexuals should never be shown as caricatures. I'm against it we need to be more responsible towards everybody's feelings."

'A full-fledged movie should be made on gays with a mainstream actor playing the lead.'

Madhur Bhandarkar
"The (idea of) repealing of 377 is a good sign. It's good for closet gays, who will come out in the open. Hindi cinema has mostly represented gays as caricatures. A full-fledged movie should be made in India on gays, especially with a mainstream actor playing the lead just like it happens in Hollywood and world cinema. That's the only way to break the barrier."

'Two gay people have played a role in making me who I am.'

Celina Jaitley
"Section 377 is a colonial relic of a law which was made by the British, in 1860. This section bans gay sex and has been used to systematically persecute, blackmail, arrest and terrorise sexual minorities in India. The amendment of this law is of utmost importance on grounds of public health and human rights. Two gay people in my past the first love of my life and a motherly make-up artist have played an important role in making me who I am today. I support this cause because my attitude. I can say that I am a very straight woman with a whole lotta b...s."

"I have gay friends who feel terribly oppressed."

Rahul Bose
"Section 377 is an outdated law. But because we are such a conservative and hypocritical society the fact that homosexuality is widely prevalent will never be accepted by the religious right. History has always proved that religious fundamentalists don't want social change. This is the leap that has to be taken by our politicians. It will meet with a lot of resentment and aggression in the beginning from the religious fundamentalists.
"I have gay friends and they are very keenly aware that they have to live under the shadow of the law. They feel terribly oppressed."

'If two people love each other, they should be allowed to be one.'

Saif Ali Khan
"I'm a great believer in personal freedom; I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as they are not hurting another soul. I don't judge people on the basis of what their sexual preferences are in life. If two people love each other, they should be allowed to be one."

'We can't adhere to what was decided 60 years ago when we were being ruled by the British.'

Anupam Kheru00a0u00a0
"We need change. We can't adhere to what was decided more than 60 years ago when we were being ruled by the British. It is still considered a taboo in society to be anything other than 'normal'. But today, gays are very open about their sexuality and I meet a lot of them. The recent rally by gays in Delhi is a clear indication that gays are coming out. I don't judge a person by his sexual preferences."