Paper No. : Women, Media and Films Module : LGBT in Films

Development Team

Principal Investigator Prof. Sumita Parmar Allahabad University, Allahabad

Paper Coordinator Prof. Sisir Basu Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

Content Writer Mehrazun Neesa Haque ,Banaras Hindu University,Varanasi

Prof. Sisir Basu Content Reviewer

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Description of Module Subject Name Women’s Studies Paper Name Women, Media and Films Module LGBT in Films Name/Title Module Id Paper 10, Module 23 Pre-requisites The reader is expected to have the knowledge of how LGBT is being portrayed in Indian cinema Objectives To make the readers aware about the nuances of LGBT, how it is depicted in cinema and the changing times. Keywords LGBT, Homosexuals, Alternative sexuality, homophobia, films, directors, controversies

1. Objectives

This module is designed to introduce to you the issues related to alternative sexuality which comprises all that falls under the categories of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and (LGBT) and the way Indian cinema portrays them. Since Indian cinema just completed a century of existence, it provides you the great opportunity and offers a wide spectrum to analyse and perceive how LGBT have been portrayed over time. 2. Introduction

The module, LGBT in Films, will brief you regarding the term LGBT and the prejudice against sexual minorities in films as well in the society. The module will also help you to understand the changing perspective regarding this community and the recognition in society.The term alternative sexuality has been used to cater to the broader area of sexuality where people are discriminated against because of their sexual identity/orientation or gender identity. This includes gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender.In the last module, you got to know about the male gaze and how it is depicted in films. Let us now discuss different themes related to this topic. 3. LGBT in Indian Cinema :An overview

In the west, with the arrival of the birth control pill in 1960, the sexual revolution started and some of the effects of the change found slanted reflections in popular culture. However, for the wave to hit the Indian shores, where cinema was still bound by

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Victorian Puritanism, it took another decade. In the 70s, the true representation of the alternate sexuality came in Indian Cinema. In Hollywood, the depiction of sexual minorities started with the 1931 film 'Manhattan Parade' whereas Indian films waited another 40 years to even hint at . Let us understand the term LGBT first before we move on to discuss as to how filmmakers treated the alternate sexuality on celluloid. a. LGBT-Meaning Sexual minorities are a group whose sexual identity, orientation or practices differ from the majority of the surrounding society1. Generally, sexual minorities comprise lesbians, gays, bisexuals and (LGBT). We are going to use the term LGBT instead of sexual minorities as there are few objections regarding the use of sexual minorities by the people of this community in various situations. L stands for Lesbian who is female homosexual: a female who experiences romantic love or sexual attraction to other females. The term lesbian is also used to express sexual identity or sexual behavior regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexuality or same-sex attraction.2 Nowadays majority of lesbians prefer to be called lesbians rather than gays. G stands for Gay- male who is attracted romantically, sexually and/or emotionally to another male. Although the word gay can be used for any sex (e.g. gay man, gay woman, gay person, bisexual) but many women prefer to be called “lesbian” and gay people in majority don't like to be referred to as homosexuals because of the negative historical association with the word. Moreover, the word gay better reflects their identity. B stands for Bisexual, who is romantically, sexually and/or emotionally attracted to people of their own gender and another gender. T stands for Transgender which is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender identity (internal feeling of being male, female or transgender) and/or gender expression, differs from that usually associated with their birth sex3. Many transgender people live part-time or full-time in another gender. Some transgender

1 Suresh Bada Math* and Shekhar P. Seshadri, The invisible ones: Sexual minorities, Indian J Med Res. 2013 Jan; 137(1): 4–6. (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 2 Committee on Lesbian Health Research Priorities, Neuroscience and Behavioral Health Program, Health Sciences Policy Program, Health Sciences Section, Institute of Medicine (1999). Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future. National Academies Press. p. 22. ISBN 0309174066. (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 3 International + LGBT at the University of Michigan LGBT Terms and Definitions ( Retrieved on 01.07.2015) 3

people feel they exist not within one of the two standard gender categories, but rather somewhere between, beyond, or outside of those two genders4. Transgender people can be identified as , transvestites or another gender identity.5 After getting to know about LGBT people, let us now find out what the government and judiciary have been doing to improve their status and to increase the acceptance of these groups in societies across the world On 26th June 2015, the US Supreme Court legalized the same sex marriage across the country. The US Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the country, in a culmination of two decades of litigation over marriage, and gay rights generally. On Twitter, the US president Barack Obama welcomed the decision calling it "a big step in our march toward equality" In , homosexuality is a taboo that still prevails but initiatives are being taken by the judiciary as well as the Parliament to change its condition. On 15th April, 2014; the Apex Court (Supreme Court) in India created the "third gender" status for transgender. They were forced to write male or female against their gender earlier. The court clarified that its verdict pertains only to eunuchs and not other sections of society like gays, lesbians and bisexuals who are also considered under the umbrella term 'transgenders'6. With this landmark decision, India becomes the first country to recognize transgenders as the third gender. The Supreme Court also added that the third gender people would be considered as OBCs and would be given educational and employment reservation as OBCs.

4 LGBT Helpline http://www.lgbt.ie/information.aspx?contentid=84 (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 5 LGBT Helpline http://www.lgbt.ie/information.aspx?contentid=84 (Retrieved on 01.07.2015) 6 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Supreme-Court-recognizes-transgenders-as-third- gender/articleshow/33767900.cms (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 4

Image Source: i.ndtvimg.com/mt/2014-04/transgenders_360.jpg The Supreme Court brought into focus as to how police and other authorities had been misusing Section 377 against the community. Section 377 of Indian Penal Code ; Unnatural offences.—Whoever voluntarily has carnal inter•course against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine. Explanation.—Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.7 There were several steps taken for the rights of gays and lesbians in 2009 by Delhi High Court, but the Supreme Court ruled it out. This was opposed by many people and in common. Several revolutionary steps taken by people in the recent times to promote awareness about gay and lesbian rights indicate that in future, things will change for better for these communities. As we are dealing with women, media and films, we will focus more on the portrayal of lesbians compared to transgenders, bisexuals and gays as feminism is the spotlight of this course. Now we will discuss how cinema has projected this community over the years. b. Indian Cinema’s relationship with LGBT

Homophobia is prevalent in India8. LGBT community often faces a tremendous amount of hostility and exclusion and discrimination in various parts of the society. However, after the steps taken by the government and judiciary in recent years, the outlook

7 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_377_of_the_Indian_Penal_Code (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 8 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_India (Retrieved on 02.07.2015) 5

towards the community seems to have changed slightly. In mainstream and alternative cinema of India, currently the LGBT are being depicted in positive manner. Traditionally, mainstream cinema adopted an attitude of dissent, mockery, sarcasm, comic and criminal towards LGBT community where as alternative cinema (confined to film festivals and a handful selected group of viewers) depicted them in more realistic manner and was successful in raising, expressing and suggesting possible solutions to their problems in a more effective manner as compared to the mainstream cinema. Nowadays, depiction of and discussion on LGBT in the Indian news media and Indian cinema have increased and this growing awareness is also trying to change the mindset of people towards them. In Indian cinema, transgenders were shown in the form of eunuchs. The cinema generally showed eunuchs invading homes of women, who had given birth to a male son. A few films tried to focus on the conflicts and politics of their colonized living. It is now quite trendy to read Bollywood films as 'gay' or 'queer'. Hoshang Merchant mentions the Andaz (1949) and Sangam (1964) love triangles where the real love plot is friendship between the two heroes. The female lead is there only to lessen the homosexual sting9. Shohini Ghosh reads Dosti (1964) as dealing with ―the intense friendship between two poor and physically-disabled young men, who struggle to survive in the city, an allegory of homosexual love expressed through the metaphor of physical disability. R Raj Rao, Gayathri Gopinath and Ashok Row Kavi have all queered Bollywood in a similar vein.10 The prominent presentation of eunuchs in mainstream cinema came in the form of them singing ‘badhai’ song to Mahmood for getting a son in Kunwara Baap (1974), the hero acting as a eunuch in a sari in Laawaris (1981) and a number of songs featuring hijras. In 1960, Mughal-e-Azam had an eunuch only because it was a historical one. In the late 70s, they were being presented more and in the 90s, a few films focused specifically on them like 's 'Tamanna', which was a path breaking film of its time and was followed by various films on this issue like Tamil film Appu (2000), Shabnam Mausi (2005), Shyam Benegal's 'Welcome to Sajjanpur' (2008) and Marathi film 'Jogwa' (2009) among others. Beyond the comic relief and showing them as a community, their troubles were also brought on the silver screen. At a time when sexual rights were not even discussed in public, actress Rohini Hattangadi played a lesbian lover in Vijay Tendulkar's Marathi film 'Mitrachi Goshta' (1981). In the hindi film, Mast Kalander (1981) the first gay character Pinku was introduced as a new generation gangster. In Sholay (1975), one of the inmates openly comments at other

9http://www.ideaindia.com/product_detail.php?pid=1818 (Retrieved on 03.07.2015) 10 http://literophile.org/?p=95 ( Retrieved on 03.07.2015) 6

men, illuminating his fondness for men. This small sidebar was overlooked by most or perhaps, not understood. The keen observers, however, got it. In the regional cinema, the depiction of LGBT started early compared to the Hindi film industry. In 'Randu Penkuttikal’ (1978) - a Malayalam film - reference to a lesbian was made for the first time. The obsessive love of a woman for a danseuse was depicted by the director. In various films like 'Deshadanakkili Karayaarilla' (1986) 'Sanchaaram' (2004), Rithu (2009) and 'Paranja Katha' (2010), homoerotic references were given. In 2006 'Vettaiyaadu Vilayaadu' (Tamil film) depicted a gang of eunuchs as criminals. The film showed how two men were molested inside a prison by the group. In the last twenty years or so, the Indian cinema seems to have taken LGBT more seriously as it has shown them in different positive roles thus making an effort to change the mindset of the common people. The eunuchs’ representation had started way back but the same sex love depiction started a bit late. In 1982, Marathi film 'Umbartha', in an implicit way, showed on screen a lesbian relationship between two prisoners of a remand home. Bengali cinema industry has contributed in breaking the stereotyping towards LGBT and has been coming up with various films on them regularly.

Image Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/05/The_journey_cover.jpg

Did You Know? ‘My Son Is Gay’ (2014) directed by Lokesh is India's first crowd- funded LGBT film .

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In 1998 Deepa Metha's (Indian-Canadian director) ‘Fire’ turned out to be a groundbreaking film in the mainstream cinema. Before Fire, there were no widely available images of same-sex love in modern Indian culture. Fire turned out to be the watershed film and influenced many directors to come up with a broader picture of what lesbian means within Indian culture. It was a rare event to discover a positive image for lesbians of Indian descent, whether living in India or in the diasporic South Asian community. Fire had to face a lot of controversies and was unacceptable by different group of Indians. The film was first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996 and in India it was released in 1998, after India’s Censor Board of Film Certification finally gave it the green signal. The uncut version of the film was released. The story of the film revolved around a New Delhi based family where two sisters- in- law, Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), were trapped in loveless marriages. As the two women became friends, their relationship developed into a sexual one. The film was the first widely distributed film to depict same-sex love between women in India. It was in more ways than one a path breaking film because the women experienced a happy ending.

Image Source: http://www.mensxp.com/entertainment/bollywood/8915-bollywoods- relationship-with-homosexuality.html

In an interview with AfterEllen.com, Deepa Mehta said, “I’ve always said Fire is a film about emotional nurturing and the vacuum that is created in loveless, arranged marriages in India, which, in the case of Fire, is filled by the love between two sisters-in-law.”

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Earlier too, on many occasions, she had said that Fire was not about only the sexual relation between two women but more of emotional bonding which came out when loneliness was there. Fire is all about unsatisfying heterosexual relationships, and a reflection of traditional Indian marriage rather than an affirmation of lesbianism. The next film on lesbians came in 2004. Girlfriend was directed by an Indian director. For decades, cross-dressing of both men and women has been a regular feature in popular Indian films. Girlfriend was also not accepted by the different groups in India like Fire. The controversy became more as lesbian groups also protested against it on the grounds of , its stereotypical and homophobic depiction of lesbianism which prevails in the country. The next film directed by Ligy J Pullappally portrayed the love story of two village girls. In 2004, Malayalam film 'Sancharram' (The Journey) depicted the natural love that was between two girls unlike Fire where lesbianism arose because heterosexual relationship didn’t work out. The director said in an interview published in afterellen.com (a website) that she wanted to avoid the stereotypes about lesbians in films such as Fire and Girlfriend, and instead wanted The Journey to depict a rural experience and a local story, as opposed to an urban one11. Mira Nair’s film 'Kamasutra' was adapted from the book in 1996 that illustrated intimacy between women. In 2000 ‘Uttara' a Bengali film by poet Buddhadev Dasgupta depicted violence and chaos in a quiet village in Purulia district in Bengal with the undertone of homoerotic theme. In Bengali films LGBT are being cast in lead roles and several films are /have been made on this subject. The contribution from Bengali film deserves a special mention in this field. Films like Chitrangada, Arekti Premer Golpo , Memories of March and many more have raised the subject of homosexuality with sensitivity. Apart from Fire and The Journey, no commercial films tried to portray lesbians in a positive light and in lead roles. To get more acceptance, we need to have more films on this subject. Now we will discuss as to how different films in alternative cinema describe the LGBT. The illustration is more serious and suggests possible solutions of the different problems brought in films in more effective manner as compared to the mainstream cinema. In the same year as Fire, Bomgay (1996)- a 12-minute gem of a short film raised questions related to complex gay identity. Released in USA and Britain, Chutney Popcorn (1999)

11 http://www.afterellen.com/movies/4753-from-fire-to-journey-to-kiran-cinematic-indian-lesbians-evolve/2 (Retrieved on 05.07.2015)

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and Nina’s Heavenly Delights (2006) depicted stories about Indian Lesbians. In Kiran meets Karen (2008), the story revolves around a famous Bollywood actress, Kiran, who meets a lesbian journalist, Karen. Other films in form of shorts, documentaries and features tried to understand the LGBT movement and a few others among those which need special mention are 'Tedhi Lakeer' (2004), 'Teen Deewarein' (2003), 'My Brother Nikhil', Marathi film 'Thang' (2006), 'Touch of Pink' (2004), 'Stag' (2001), Water (2005), Yours Emotionally (2006), 'Piku Bhalo Aachhey' (Bengali, 2004), 'Happy Hookers' (2006), 'I Can't Think Straight' (2007) and 'Luck by Chance' (2009). Undoubtedly cinema is the best thing to have happened to the LGBT movement in India. Doubted, ridiculed and criminalized for centuries, the sexual minorities stepped out from the shadow of invisibility after 2000 to claim their rightful place in popular culture12.Now let us discus about the directors who have worked hard to change the mindset of the people and to help the LGBT community find a recognition in the society. 4. Special hat tip to , Onir, Rituparno Ghosh (Directors)

So far, we have discussed as to how the Indian cinema is dealing with the LGBT theme in various distinctive ways. With the raw start from Fire to humour as a defense mechanism in Mango Shuffle (2002), and from portraying homophobic humour in Kal Ho Na ho, Dostana, Bombay Talkies to moving towards mainstream mentions like Turning 30, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd (2007), Fashion, cinema has dealt with LGBT theme in different ways. Now we will discuss a few directors who have contributed immensely in this area. Sridhar Rangayan

12 http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/100-years-of-indian-cinema-homosexuality-in-films-593286.html (Retrieved on 04.07.2015)

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Here is an Indian filmmaker whose contributions to the genre have been immense. His LGBT films like The Pink Mirror (2006) and Yours Emotionally (2007) have been considered path breaking works due to their realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the largely closeted Indian gay community. The Indian Censor Board banned his film The Pink Mirror in the country. The ban is still in order. He has contributed enormously as a gay activist and worked towards the up-liftment of the alternative sexuality in India. His films won many awards in India as well as abroad.

Image Source: http://gaytoday.com/images2k3/pinkmirror1.jpg

In one of his interviews with India real time (a website) he said, “Things have definitely changed over the last couple of years. In the last decade you have seen films coming up, which have been sensitive. But I think it’s not enough. What is interesting in “Bombay Talkies” is that people have gone away from the stereotypes. There are two men living out their lives. There is no caricature. It does touch your heart. But, I have just one small point. Why is Saqib’s character the home-breaker at the end of it? If you have a happy, gay man, it would be great. As a filmmaker, I loved the film but as an activist, I just feel it sets back things for us in many ways. I also thought Zoya’s film talked about gender expression. It was very interesting that out of the four films, two films which dealt with alternative sexuality. “Bombay Talkies” did push the envelope in some way. And I am sure healthy discussion will happen in some way or the other.’13

13 http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/05/17/the-front-row-lgbt-in-bollywood/ (Retrieved on 06.07.2015) 11

To know more about him click to one of interviews with PINK Pages http://pink- pages.co.in/profiles/indias-most-influential-gays-and-lesbians-sridhar-ranghayan/ Onir 'I AM' director Onir, 51, is the only high-profile Bollywood figure to publicly acknowledge his sexuality14 . My Brother... Nikhil (2005), is his first film as a director which dealt with the Goan government's harsh treatment of AIDS patients in the 1980s and the stigma attached to them. It won several awards in different LGBT film festivals. His other film in 2011 ‘I Am’ consisted of four short films exploring themes as single motherhood, displacement, child abuse and same-sex relationships won several awards including the National Award for Best Hindi Film and Best Lyrics.

Image Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZezOCp7YbaE/UvE66VQ1q- I/AAAAAAAACcw/Kmns9JKA1-w/s1600/Onir2.jpg To know more about the frank director click http://www.deccanchronicle.com/140215/entertainment-bollywood/article/gay- bollywood-director-onir-says-i-wont-be-invisible\

14 www.deccanchronicle.com/140215/entertainment-bollywood/article/gay-bollywood-director-onir-says-i-wont-be- invisible (Retrieved on 05.07.2015) 12

Now we will learn more about a LGBT icon in India, a Bengali director, who spent his life as an open homosexual person and chose transgender lifestyle during his later years. Rituparna Ghosh was one of most acclaimed film directors of India. An admirer of Satyajit Ray, Ghosh’s early films explored Bengali middle class aspirations and desires, followed by a second phase of bilingual dramas featuring Hindi movie celebrities as star vehicles. In the third interrupted leg of his film-making journey, he openly pushing the envelope on the representation of sexuality on the screen by playing gay or characters in movies directed by him and his peers15.

Image Source: static.indianexpress.com/m-images/M_Id_367558_Rituparno_Ghosh.jpg He won many awards and worked a lot for LGBT community. His films glorified womanhood and sensitively portrayed women's lives, feelings and sufferings16. The films generally were critically acclaimed and commercially successful. One of his beautiful works in Bengali is the film Chitrangada (2012) which tells the story of a choreographer who is struggling with his gender identity. His death in 2013 brought an end to a beautiful journey of a great filmmakers sending shock wavers across the film and LGBT fraternity from both India and the world. To know more about this iconic figure, click http://dearcinema.com/interview/my-city- can-neither-handle-me-nor-ignore-me-rituparno-ghosh/2300 These three directors have made/are making significant contribution towards changing the mindset of people about LGBT. There are several other directors, who are also giving their best in this field. Sanjoy Nag, whose 'Memories of March' (2010) was a beautiful story of reconciliation starring Rituparno Ghosh, Kaushik Ganguly's Bengali

15 www.livemint.com/Consumer/NGQP6dAn14VkftVnA3FBbL/Filmmaker-Rituparno-Ghosh-49-dies-of-cardiac-arrest.html (Retrieved on 06.07.2015) 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rituparno_Ghosh (Retrieved on 06.07.2015) 13

film 'Aarekti Premer Galpo' about a gay director's obsession for his bisexual cinematographer and so on. The cinema industry is trying their best to bring acceptance in society for LGBT community. Their efforts have started showing some results, but still it is a long way to go. Now we would discuss how LGBT are being portrayed in Indian Cinema by dividing them into three segments. 5. Portrayal of LGBT in films

Earlier we had discussed LGBT films in general. Now we will see the films coming under different segments. The three sections are as a protagonist or an entertainer or just a guest appearance. 5.1 Protagonist In Hindi films like Fire, Girlfriend, Tamanna, Darmiyaan, Shabnam Mausi, My Brother Nikhil the LGBT characters were in lead roles and the story revolved around an LGBT theme. Dunno Y Na Jane Kyun is the first film in the history of Indian cinema portraying a gay relationship openly between two men. Regional films like The Journey, Memories in March, Chitrangada also portrayed the LGBT theme in an explicit manner. Yours Emotionally, , The Pink Mirror are also among the movies made on this subject.

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Image Source: http://sn- content.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/display%20image/300x275%20jpeg/59376548.j pg 5.2 Entertainer The most common portrayal of LGBT members in the films came in the form of entertainers. Ever since transgenders were first introduced to Indian cinema, they have been shown as entertainers brought into the scene to lighten the mood or make people laugh. The films like Maine Pyar Kiya, Chamatkar, Masti, Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, Ab Tak Chhappan, Kya Kool Hain Hum, Ghulam, Student of the Year, etc; have such characters.

5.3 Guest Appearance

The third category is as guest appearance where anyone from LGBT community enters the film for one shot or several shots with a particular purpose and sometimes helps to resolve an issue as well. Films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Maine Dil Tujhko Diya, Fashion, Page 3, Mughal-e-Azam, Bombay, , Jodha Akbar, Honeymoon Travels Private Ltd are examples.

After getting an idea as to how the community is being portrayed by the cinema industry, let us now move on to the next section which will brief you about the various controversies related to films under this theme.

6. Controversies related to LGBT films in India

Rigveda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism says, Vikruti Evam Prakriti (what seems un-natural is also natural), which some scholars believe recognizes the cyclical constancy of homosexual/transsexual dimensions of human life, like all forms of universal diversities17. Still in India it is largely in the closet and its ancient laws criminalize homosexuality to a greater extent. The Indian censor board’s strict rules have not allowed portrayals of alternative love in an open way. But still there were some brave filmmakers who charted a new path in the queer landscape with sensitive stories despite facing a lot of controversies post the release.

17 http://www.lawctopus.com/academike/same-sex-marriages-in-india/ (Retrived on 06.07.2015) 15

Fire, released in 1996, was a groundbreaking film which portrayed lesbians and faced troubles after its release. The conservative groups protested a lot as they were not ready to accept it and Deepa Mehta had to face problems as well. Another film Dunno Y..Na Jaane Kyn in 2010 too received a lot of flak for the way it showed relationship. Very few films are being accepted by Indians on LGBT themes. Girlfriend was protested by conservative people as well as lesbians for its stereotyped portrayal of the latter.

Image Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040616/ldh2.jpg

In every LGBT film, some issues which are contrary to the cultural norms are portrayed and as a result LGBT films get banned in India. Unfreedom is a story of a young girl who resists a forced arranged marriage to unite with her lesbian partner. The nudity and lovemaking scenes of the female protagonists made the censor board ban the film in year 2015. There is a long list of films which were not allowed to be released in India. The controversies related to films on LGBT ignite the society to get into a rage resulting in a ban which shows that the society is not prepared to accept fully the LGBT issue. It is still a taboo but there is some acceptance and is a good indication as India is now changing which we will discuss in the last section.

7. LGBT in modern India

Till now we have studied LGBT’s depiction in cinema and the controversies related to it. Now in the last section, we will see how India is changing and homosexuality which is still implicit in society, is moving towards being explicit. After a number of

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movements and different protests in 2014, the Supreme Court introduced the third gender, which was a benchmark decision. After this decision, the acceptance of LGBT in society increased and now we can see the transgenders in various places in good jobs.

Did You Know?

Kalki Subramaniam is India's first transgender

entrepreneur. Subramaniam is a journalist, writer, actor and activist. She holds two Masters: in Journalism and Mass Communication, and International Relations. Now, In September 2014, a she is an entrepreneur. She is also a transgender. That television news station makes her, she says, India's first transgender recruited the country's entrepreneur.18 first transgender news anchor, Padmini Prakash, 31, after almost five months after the apex court’s decision. In 2015, the first lesbian advertisement was launched in India which went viral on social networking sites. Now we can see parents accepting the sexual orientation of their children. A mother posting a matrimonial advertisement in a leading newspaper for his gay son is an example of the change. Now films depicting LGBT relationships are being accepted by the citizens. But the country has a long way to go as some violent incidents involving LGBT people are reported showing that their acceptance remains a far-fetched idea.

18 http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/6-indian-transgenders-who-dared-to-make-a-difference/1/440778.html (Retrieved on 14.7.2014) 17

Image Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article9746815.ece/alternates/w620/India- transgender-news-anchor-v2.jpg Corrective Rape is a trend being followed by the parents and relatives to bring the homosexuals on right path. According to statistics with the crisis intervention team of LGBT Collective in Telangana, there have been 15 instances of 'corrective rapes' that have been reported in the group in the last five years. "We are sure there are many more cases, but they go unreported, says Vyjayanti Mogli, a member of crisis intervention.” We came across such cases not because they reported the rape, but because they sought help to flee their homes."19

Image Source: http://www.dekhdekh.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/woman.jpg

19 timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Parents-use-corrective-rape-to-straighten- gays/articleshow/47489949.cms (Retrieved on 06.07.2015) 18

The latest report on this can be read in TOI article published on 1st June, 2015. Click here. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/parenting/Parents-use- corrective-rape-to-straighten-gays/articleshow/47489949.cms 8. Let Us Sum Up

Now let us sum up what we have learned in this module. Firstly, we learned about LGBT and its definition and why we use alternative sexuality instead of sexual minorities. We also understood the role of cinema in bringing to the fore LGBT issues for acceptance. We learnt about several films’ contributions in changing the mindset of the people. We discussed about the film Deepa Mehta’s Fire which was a landmark film on the issue of LGBT. Other films in regional cinema were also discussed. Further some prominent directors’ contributions were discussed. Director like Sridhar , Onir and Rituparna worked as revolutionaries in Indian cinema and were trendsetters. We also divided the portrayal into three segments in which we discussed how the LGBT community in films was portrayed. The depiction of LGBT was dealt in three different categories - as a protagonist, as an entertainer and as a guest appearance. We have also discussed about few controversial films, and finally, we read about the ways in which the society is accepting the change in modern India, though there is still a long way to go.

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