OPENING THE QUEER EYE

In our Pride Month celebrations, we must also ask the LGBTQIA+ community if it is finding an honest and adequate representation on the Indian screen

- Prathap Nair

India is no longer a country that criminalises homosexuality. The defiant click-clack of high heels and flamboyant saris on men in pride parades have become commonplace even in smaller cities. But that said, there is an obvious question that needs our attention: Are our films and shows willing to honestly depict the reality of queer lives?

“When I started making films, there were no takers,” says queer filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan whose Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival screens up to 30 Indian queer films every year. These films rarely found a market. Part of the reason has been that Bollywood, until recently, was the sole purveyor of queer narratives. Made in 2002 but banned by Indian censors, Rangayan’s first film, The Pink Mirror (Gulabi Aaina) became a staple at international film festivals. It was only after Netflix released the film in 2016 that it found a wider audience. Rangayan says there has recently been a “sea change”, thanks to streaming.

The arrival of Netflix marked new beginnings. Not only did shows like Sacred Games and Selection Day have queer plotlines, the platform also gave access to a host of hitherto unreleased queer films. Soon enough, other streaming platforms were emboldening creators to experiment with content. Post the Section 377 ruling in September 2018, filmmakers felt they could tell more LGBTQIA+ stories on the Indian screen. Though this resulted in remarkable progress, some argue much work still needs to be done.