Breaking free

So now we have Dostana which, says Karan Johar has experimented with the gay theme but in a different way from what the Brokeback Mountain did. In Madhur Bhandarkar���s Fashion Samir Soni shares a kiss with a fellow male actor.
In fact Bollywood has over the past few years quite a mature portrayal of homosexuality, be it in Madhur���s Page 3, or the critically acclaimed My Brother Nikhil.Fashion and Dostana are seen as films that just may be able to bring homosexuality to the forefront and into mainstream cinema.
In Dostana, Bollywood hunks Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham, pretend to be a couple in a bid to rent an apartment in Miami. Fashion���s sub-plot, has Harsh Chayya and Samir Soni play a homosexual fashion designer-couple. In Bhandarkar���s Page 3 for the first time a gay character (played by Rehaan Engineer) was looked at without prejudice.
Johar���s first attempt at the concept was through Kal Ho Naa Ho, which had a funny ���gay��� subplot between Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan. The two even took homosexuality on to film award shows.
World over, life is also becoming ���normal��� for gays. Mahesh Dattani���s Mango Souffle breaks away from stereotypes with an erotic under-water gay kissing scene. Dattani believes that Bollywood films sometimes tend to caricature homosexuals.
In India, the debate to decriminalise homosexuality still rages on, with the Centre continuing with an argument that the criminal provision against homosexual acts is required to curb the spread of HIV infection. Manvendra Singh Gohil, erstwhile prince of Rajpipla and a homosexual who���s come out of the closet says, ���The rift between the Centre and the health minister ��� who is in the favour of decriminalising homosexuality��� speaks of a mindset which shows that we are lagging behind when it comes to supporting fundamental rights of our citizens. Across the globe, there are so many countries that have woken up to the fact that there is nothing illegal or perverse about homosexuality. But then, we have always been a very conservative society so this stand is expected.���
Ashok Row Kavi, founder of a male sexual health NGO which also fights for the legal emancipation of homosexuality in India, says, ���A few days ago I was in Delhi and a group of young Congress MPs were going to present to the government their views and it basically boiled down to that ��� it was stupid to fight over such an issue. This fight between the centre and the health ministry shows us all in a very poor light.���
Psychiatrist Sandeep Shah, says, ���As doctors, we don���t look upon people with homosexuality as abnormal. Rather it is about helping them cope with the social problems that arise and the guilt they often face when they realise their sexual orientation. The debate that is raging on is to be welcomed. It is understood that even if a law views homosexuality as something criminal, it wouldn���t mean that there is an end of homosexuality or that people will deviate from what their sexuality is.���
While Bollywood films have a long way to go when it comes to creating an award-winning, sensitive film solely focussing on homosexuality, at least the first stone has been laid in that direction. And hopefully, some day there will be more awareness and understanding in urban India about homosexuals. After all, life is all about making your own choices and others should respect them.
Gay in Bollywood?
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.
My Brother Nikhil
Life In A Metro
Page 3
Mukhbiir