Bollywood rocks, both ways

<div class="section1"><div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="77.5%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><script language="javascript" src="Config?Configid=43376741"></script><br /><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;photopop?msid=171582&type=0&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/cms.dll/thumb?height=98&width=98&photoID=171582" hspace="12"" /></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Click to enlarge picture</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">Suddenly, there is an explosion of homosexuality in mainstream Hindi cinema.Those in the know say it''s partly a reflection of what goes on quietly in the industry. <br /><br />Gay characters are nothing new in Bollywood. Earlier they either played the hero''s sidekicks or were just a caricature. Their portrayal hasn''t changed drastically now. What has is that every other new release recently had one homosexual character. And we are not talking about films with a gay theme, like Mahesh Dattani''s Mango Soufflé.<br /><br />Chunky Pandey swings both ways in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost</span>, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Market </span>has an overtly effeminate pimp called Juicy, Raj Zutshi is a homosexual fitness instructor in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Chupke Se </span>and <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Rules - Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula </span>has a gay couple. In <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Kuch Naa Kaho</span>, there is no such character, but a reference to one. In the upcoming Out of Control, it is Satish Shah''s turn to switch preferences. <br /><br />Most of these roles are over-the-top, except the characters in Rules, in which they blend in with the story smoothly. In the rest, they add no value to the film. <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Market''s </span>director Jai Prakash says his character is a real-life one. "There are so many such people I come across personally. So, I decided to include one in my film."<table width="134" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="right"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#cccccc" align="center" border="1"><span class="whitehead">Mad rush for movies on Prostitutes</span></td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td><img src="/images/spacer.gif" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <table width="134" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bordercolor="#c5c5c5"> <tr bordercolor="#ffffff"> <td> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr> <td valign="top"> <img src="images/bullet.gif" align="absmiddle" width="4" height="4"> </img></td> <td><a href="http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/articleshow?msid=184618"><span class="small">Navbharattimes </span></a></td> </tr> </table> </td></tr></table> </td></tr></table><br /><br />Many see it as a step forward for a bolder Bollywood. "The industry is evolving. An increasing number of multiplexes means people can experiment with new themes," says trade analyst Taran Adarsh. <br /><br />"Bollywood is growing up. The traditional image of the macho male has caved in. And there''s more acceptance of the gay character," says filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. <br /><br />On the flip side, the stereotype image does not have real life gays amused. "I am horrified when I see gays being shown in this light," says gay rights activist Ashok Row Kavi. <br /><br />Kavi says homosexuality on screen has been a result of the change in the hero''s image from a repository of the moral value system to an object of desire himself. "The location of desire has shifted from the woman to the man," he says. <br /><br />In a lighter vein though, Kavi says Bollywood is covering up for its own guilt by showing gays on screen. "The film industry is playing naughty. It takes away attention from the real life gays in Bollwyood," he says with a chuckle, adding some of the top directors are homosexual. <br /><br />Unlike in fashion circles, most of Bollywood''s gays have not come out of the closet. But like in fashion, there is a huge casting couch for men. Upcoming actor Kiran Janjani, who played a male stripper in Oops!, says it''s not just the directors, but their secretaries and PROs also, who ask for sexual favours. <br /><br />Janjani says though he was sought out by fashion designers and advertising professionals, he has never been solicited in the film industry. "But I know of several great looking men sleeping around with top directors'' secretaries and PROs." He says the lure of fame is too great to resist for most newcomers. "In the film industry, they say ''be a homosexual, be a bisexual, be anything, but don''t be a loser.''" <br /><br />Bhatt doesn''t see the onscreen phenomenon as a reflection entirely of the off-screen one, but says the casting couch for men is a reality one can''t wish away. "You hear about is as much as about Bollywood''s nexus with the underworld." <br /><br />Once in a while, you see it in Bollywood films also.</div> </div>