Pride and the pictures: Director Faraz Arif Ansari lists nine must-watch LGBTQIA+ films

Films are one of the most popular mediums which influence peoplersquos opinion in India Earlier mainstream representations of the queer community in Indian films were typically as a source of comic relief and ridiculeDuring the last few years things have improved and commercial movies like lsquoEk Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Lagarsquo featuring Sonam Kapoor and the Ayushmann Khurranastarrer lsquoShubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhanrsquo have portrayed samesex love stories with sensitivity However these films have only scratched the surfaced and therersquos a lot left to be desired in terms of LGBTQIA representation in Hindi filmsFilmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari has been a strong advocate for realistic storytelling about the queer community in India In 2017 Ansari directed the silent short film lsquoSisakrsquo which focused on queer love or rather the challenges of expressing itFor your viewing pleasure this Pride month we asked Ansari to recommend a mix of mustwatch LGBTQIA titles mdash both Indian and international mdash which he feels are a genuine representation of the community ldquoThese films are important because of the authentic portrayals It is important to see the sensitivity behind a queer person and it is important to understand that the life of a queer person is the same as that of anyone elserdquo Ansari says The filmmaker further emphasises that the way a queer person loves is no different than anyone else in this world They believe that these movies bring out the humanity behind queer portrayalsThe Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert 1994ldquoWhat a celebration this film isrdquo says Ansari Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce play two drag queens in this Australian comedy and Terence Stamp a transgender woman who are journeying across the Australian Outback on a tour bus called lsquoPriscillarsquo They encounter a variety of individuals and groups along the way ndash ranging from friendly to homophobic Ansari adds ldquoTwo drag queens and a transwoman in a road trip adventure unlike one has ever seen before but at the same time the film is tender in its narrative and makes one ever so sympathetic to these quirk characters that are unabashedly queerrdquoFire 1996Directed by Deepa Mehta and starring two powerful actors ndash Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das ndash this film was loosely based on Ismat Chughtais story lsquoLihaafrsquo One of the first Hindi movies to showcase a lesbian relationship its release in the country was met with a slew of protests and theatres where it was played were vandalised However the film started a conversation around homosexuality in India ldquoThis was the first queer representation on screen for me I grew up in the 90s so until then the portrayals were very bad and regressiverdquo says Ansari For them lsquoFirersquo will always hold a special place in their heart because of the delicate portrayal of women ldquoThe film was done with great dignity without making a caricature out of itrdquo says AnsariHappy Together 1997A couple Lai Tony Leung Chiu Wai and his boyfriend Ho Leslie Cheung ndash move to Argentina from Hong Kong in search of a better life Their already rocky relationship turns abusive and results in a cycle of breaking up and making up The film is a journey of these two characters ndash both individually and in terms of their relationship Ansari opines ldquoThis intimate and deeply affecting portrait of a failing relationship is a queer cinema classic Director Wong Karwais aesthetic flashiness in this dynamic spectacle not only overwhelms the audiences but also challenges themrdquoMy Brother Nikhil 2005This film was based on the life of AIDS activist Dominic dSouza Directed by Onir and starring Sanjay Suri as the protagonist the film was set in a time period ndash late 80s to early 90s ndash when the awareness about AIDS in India was considerably low lsquoMy Brother Nikhilrsquo showcased the discrimination and stigma a HIV positive patient had to go through at that time As per Ansari lsquoMy Brother Nikhilrsquo opened up a larger conversation on acceptance and HIV ldquoIt had a very progressive representation As someone from the queer community one can see the sensitivity in the approach and that needs to be applaudedrdquoBrokeback Mountain 2005ldquoWhat this film did with its casting was open a massive conversation in mainstream Hollywood about queer identities the harassment and violence faced for being queer and how one has to hide away their true sexuality and live a life of pretence and liesrdquo shares Ansari The story is adapted from a short story of the same name by Annie Proulx It delves into the complex emotional and sexual relationship between two American cowboys played by actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal The filmrsquos loss at the 78th Academy Awards in the Best Picture category is debated to this day Some feel that the conservative attitude of the jury robbed the film of a deserving winMemories of March 2010The film had a strong cast which included Deepti Naval Rituparno Ghosh and Raima Sen It follows the journey of a mother who finds out following his tragic death that her son was gay The rest of the film is about how she goes through denial reconciles with her sonrsquos lover and finally accepts the sexual identity of her late son ldquoMost of the time audiences do not identify with the queer spectrum For them to be able to get a glimpse of the sensitivity and humanity behind being queer ndash it is not just about loving someone of the same sex it is about family friendships etc ndash the film touches upon those notes and portray it quite astutelyrdquo notes the Mumbaibased filmmakerSuper Deluxe 2019The Tamil film features four stories about different people stuck in difficult situations Their experiences somehow connect them It garnered a lot of international accolades including Equality in Cinema Award at the 2019 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Actor Vijay Sethupathi who portrays the character of a transwoman Shilpa was appreciated by critics and audiences alike for the nuanced and sensitive representation of a transgender person ldquoHats off to the film for representation storytelling with so much dignity and at the same time keeping it entertainingrdquo says AnsariSisak 2017ldquoI have been very narcissistic and added two of my own films to the listrdquo quips Ansari Their 20minute silent film is set in a Mumbai local train compartment It is about two men and the attraction dismay and the pain of not being able to express love to each other which comes across organically through the expressions and glances of the two actors ndash Dhruv Singhal and Jitin Gulati ldquoWhat I really wanted to do with lsquoSisakrsquo was to keep it to the point It was to show that two people fall in love with each other and then to let them think how can this be wrongrdquo says Ansari They feel seeing two samesex people in love most of the time makes people uncomfortable Through this film ndash which has no physical intimacy or dialogue ndash he wanted people to question how can this be inappropriate and wanted it to be a conversation starterSheer Qorma 2021ldquoMy reason for making lsquoSheer Qormarsquo was that I wanted to have a very sensitive dialogue in the mainstream space Brilliant actors like Shabana Azmi Swara Bhaskar and Divya Dutta who have been strong allies of the queer community came forward to tell this gentle and sublime story in a mainstream fashionrdquo explains Ansari The film according to the director also sparks a discussion about gender identity something which has not been common in Hindi films The film is a love story between a woman and a nonbinary personAlso Read Designing for Movement Sandhya Raman on the delicate art of dance costuming