Seriously Gay

Source: Times of India
LEENA GHOSH , TNN, Feb 20, 2010, 12.00am IST
As India becomes more gay-friendly, Bollywood also has stepped up to discuss gay portrayals in a serious tone.

Films like Dunno Y… Na Jaane Kyun, It’s A Man’s World and I Am Omar will show homosexual couples’ points of view and the hardships they face in a heterosexual world. They will also show how men are often exploited under different circumstances and are unable to express themselves.

Actor Kapil Sharma, who plays a wannabe gay model in Dunno Y… says, “Audiences want out-of-the-box experiences and are mature enough to accept such topics. My film’s for the niche urban crowd and has been handled sensitively. It’s a simple love story; the only difference is that it’s between two men,” he says.

In It’s A Man’s World, Mohsin Akhtar will flaunt his body and his acting skills. He feels that cineplex audiences make intelligent film choices. “Big banners are delivering more flops than hits these days, but quality products will sell. My film is engulfing and hard-hitting,” he says.
Actors are now doing comprehensive research before donning such roles. “I met a lot of gay people and attended discreet gay parties in Mumbai to observe their behaviour. I also watched movies based on this theme,” says Kapil. Mohsin interacted with male prostitutes for his role. “I met young male prostitutes at director Saurabh’s office and observed their body language,” he says.

Although director Madhur Bhandarkar cut the kissing scene between Samir Soni and his on-screen boyfriend in Fashion to avoid censorship, now directors aren’t hesitant about going all the way to show gay love on screen. According to reports, director Onir has included love-making scenes between Rahul Bose and Arjun Mathur in I Am Omar and he justifies it by saying, “Arjun plays a sex worker. So, we couldn’t do away with the physical aspect of the gay issue.” Kapil’s also seen in an intense scene in Dunno Y…, and Mohsin is shown as a playboy on his film poster.

Director Sanjay Sharma isn’t bothered about controversies or objections. “I have not included scenes to create hype. Without that intense scene, my film would’ve been incomplete,” he contends.

Q&A: ‘Homophobia is most archaic and regressive’

17 July 2009, 12:00am IST
SOURCE:  Times of India

Amol Palekar’s acclaimed films in Hindi, Marathi and English Daayra, Anaahat and Thaang (Quest) have focused on the stark subject of non-mainstream sexuality in India. His unconventional stance has made some viewers cringe and prompted some to ponder. He speaks to Ratnottama Sengupta :

What inspired you to make three films exploring the different definitions of sexuality?
In our society sexuality is taboo. If ever we talk about it, we avoid serious discussion on sexual orientation, preferences and choices. This closeted approach keeps us from educating ourselves or from knowing the existing reality. Ignorance, prejudices and phobias flourish then, and as film-maker i feel the need to address them. That’s how i did Daayra (1996), Anaahat (2003) and Thaang/Quest (2006). They provoked viewers to think of a transgender existence, a woman’s sexual desires or genuineness of a gay relationship. As they come out of the theatre they feel compelled to adopt the humanitarian angle. This changed perspective is a tiny ripple I triggered through my films.

How do you react to the decriminalisation of homosexuality?
The judgement in the Naz Foundation case is a path-breaking decision that all should welcome wholeheartedly. This proclamation of equality in treatment will help the marginalised sections of our society achieve freedom in various walks of life. Non-discrimination in employment, availability of home loans and healthcare insurance in same sex partnerships, changed definitions of family for adoption laws are a few instances where social and legal sanction to homosexuality will help. We are certainly marching towards more tolerant and sensitive life.

What do you say to those opposing the judgement?
The belief that non-procreative sex is a perversion and isn’t sanctioned by any religion generates bias against homosexuality. It is then considered a social sin and a criminal act. But homophobia is most archaic and regressive. There’s no scientific basis for the majority claim that same-sex relationships are ‘unnatural’. I’m all for a compassionate social mind that offers sanctity and respect to gay and lesbian bonds.

Given a choice, would you want your child to be a eunuch, or homosexual?
This question itself projects a hang-up suffered by most of us. It also equates being a eunuch or hijra with homosexuality. Eunuch by birth is a sad accident that no parent will wish for, just as no one desires a child with physical handicap. However, how we accommodate eunuchs child or adult will reflect our maturity. Many eunuchs are victims of evil social and religious practices that further perpetrate their exploitation and roles. I’ll have no problem whatsoever if my child is gay. I’ll still be a very proud father of a wonderful human being.

They Made Fun of Me

Soumyadipta Banerjee
Friday, April 3, 2009 23:59 IST
SOURCE:  DNA India

Mumbai: The images started getting blurry for Karan Goel when he was only 15 years old. By the time he reached 27, a crippling eye disease ensured that Goel could barely distinguish between day and night. But by that time, he had already established a successful export house, got an award from president Pratibha Patil.

But that’s not all. Goel, a graduate from San Francisco State University has earned the distinction of being the first blind person to make a full-fledged commercial film in India. “My film is called The Other Side and the film portrays the life of a gay man who is forced to get married due to societal pressure,” says Goel.

But how does he make a film when he can’t even see the camera. “I used to see till I was a teenager, so I have an exact idea of the scene in my head. I ask my assistant to do exactly what is there in my head and when the shot is ready, my assistant tells me exactly where the characters are standing…at which points etc. Then I ask them to roll the camera,” he explains.

The scene takes at least twice the amount of time that a ‘normal’ scene would take, but who’s complaining? “Nobody! People are too appreciative that I have taken up the effort to do something like this. There was a time when I was not getting a job in the US for being blind. I was ridiculed and pushed around by bullies. And I just had to wipe my tears and get out of the place as fast as possible.”

We ask him why a film on gays, is he gay? “I am married. But I had a friend who was tortured and ridiculed. I knew how he felt. I have portrayed the trauma that a gay person goes through if he doesn’t have a support system. People simply don’t understand him. I knew how it feels when people make fun of you. They made fun of me too. I want to tell all my friends that people who make fun will continue to make fun of you. After a point, it wouldn’t matter to you if you have the will to succeed” he ends.

Pakistan lifts ban on “Dostana”

No further information is available at this time

“Dostana” is Injuriously Entertaining

Raja Sen | November 14, 2008 | 11:30 IST  (SOURCE:  Rediff.com)

It’s just that when one of the most successful movie studios in the country makes a film with two mainstream actors pretending to be gay, you would like a little more than good-looking fun presented predictably on a plate. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.

Dostana is exactly as you’d expect from the trailers. Shilpa Shetty pops up wearing a bikini, Priyanka Chopra makes Neal’N'Nikki leftovers look very good indeed, and John Abraham’s bottom plays a starring role. In between, there’s a plot cobbled from I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry, and a surprisingly broad Jhoom Barabar Jhoom feel given to Abhishek Bachchan, who inevitably does much better this time around.

Yet for all its potentially paisa-vasool assets, Tarun Mansukhani’s debut film is a crucial blunder. Making an entire film out of Kal Ho Naa Ho’s Kantaben joke was always going to be a stretch, and while the male stars earn applause by throwing themselves this heartily into a risky project, it ends up as a shamefully regressive film.

We in India haven’t yet matured to sensitive, normalised portrayals of homosexuality, and this film continues to paint them as freaks of nature. John and Abhishek play a couple of decidedly homophobic straight men pretending to be gay, and every other gay character in the film is a complete, flamin’ caricature. It isn’t wrong to show a stereotypically effeminate man, of course, but to make absolutely no attempt to balance this is to damage an already-fragile mindset.

The problem then is that the film is genuinely entertaining, albeit very obvious, in a way that it is likely to be a smash hit and reach millions of people — setting the gay rights movement in India back at least a decade. Sigh. Nobody expected a Brokeback Mountain, but a dollop or two of perspective tossed in the middle of all the item songs and bling wouldn’t hurt now, would it?

There are a couple of deft moments, sure. Kirron Kher, playing Bachchan’s mother, earnestly hams her way through a scene where she makes John cross the threshold of the house, like a new bride. The muscled actor does so gleefully, knowing how embarrassed Abhishek would be, after which Kher blesses the couple, and candidly admits she doesn’t know which of them is bride and which is groom. It’s a nice little candid aside on the unpreparedness of an older generation, on their need to label and their unfamiliarity with these newfangled sexual dynamics.

Speaking of sexual dynamics, there’s a considerable amount on display here in terms of Priyanka Chopra’s dresses. Not that we’re complaining one bit. The actress looks screen-scorchingly hot, and while there is a skimpiness overkill, we’re too busy staring to make an issue out of it. She looks refreshingly at ease after a series of overdone roles, and her on-screen enjoyment is natural and fun. And did I mention those legs? Lord.

Meanwhile, John Abraham is clearly at ease grooving to songs originally made iconic by his girlfriend. He’s also evidently enjoying being the new Salman Khan, showing off more chest than a Bigg Boss contestant and demonstrating a loathing for shirt buttons. Again, he too seems to be having a good time, and that’s the best possible thing to happen for an on-screen bunch. He’s much easier in front of the camera now, and he makes the flimsily written character rather likeable.

Abhishek is the pick of the actors, no doubt about it. Called on to play an over-the-top pink-loving straight man — who seems far too interested in pretending to be gay — Bachchan does a spot on job as he stays over the top and ends up being a pretty enjoyable buffoon. Clearly an actor who likes getting under the skin of his character, this is a role that calls for much self-deprecation and embarrassment, and Bachchan embraces them quite well.

The plot could have used at least a tad of work, though. While I admit that this film is better than Chuck And Larry – which is rank unwatchable, so let’s not pop open the bubbly just yet — the plotholes are too massive, really. Two single guys in Miami decide to share a flat and pretend they’re gay? What’s the point of the stunning pad if you can’t bring women over in the first place? And after agreeing to tell their flatmate Priyanka that they are gay, they spend all their time flapping their wrists in front of her and forget all their womanising ways?

Overall, it’s an average piece of fluff — but one of the most hideously insensitive things to come out of Bollywood in a long while. Boman Irani shouldn’t have played the part he does, and Karan Johar shouldn’t have let this film turn out the way it has.

This film is a joke; but the last thing we need is India thinking homosexuality’s just another gag.