Vinay Pathak: We haven’t portrayed LGBTQ characters enough on the big screen

From playing Pakya, a gang member in Johnny Gaddar, to essaying an aspiring singer Bharat Bhushan in Bheja Fry and the bank robber Harman in Badlapur, Vinay Pathak has always made a mark with his performances in films, television and theatre. He ventured into the web space recently as well and feels that’s an interesting area to be in currently.
In Pune to shoot for his upcoming movie from Yoodlee Films, titled Chhappad Phaad Ke, Vinay spoke to us about a plethora of things, including films, literature and his love for food.But one thing that particularly stood out through the conversation was his take on the portrayal of certain communities on the big screen. The actor, who portrayed a closeted gay man, who is in a heterosexual marriage in a project recently, feels that though the portrayal of LGBTQ characters has evolved in films, there’s a long way to go. “I feel we haven’t portrayed them enough. Despite a slightly evolved understanding of the community, it’s still hush-hush and nudge-nudge when we speak about them. And not just in the Indian film industry. Across the world, LGBTQ films are niche because the subject is considered niche. But the good thing is that we are finally talking about them, rather late in the day, but still. The way forward is to tell more stories about them. I feel the next generation will be more aware and evolved when it comes to LGBTQ stories and portrayals,” he says.
Vinay believes not just LGBTQ, but certain other communities are also portrayed in a particular way in films. “You take a Pathan character from a Hindi film made in the 1960s and one made recently. He will always be shown as the loyal friend. We have set ways of showing these characters and I am surprised how less they have evolved. The same goes for a Dalit or say a Sikh character. Yes, there are exceptions. Thankfully, people like Zoya and Reema are pushing the envelope by telling human stories, but, as I said, it’s still niche,” he says.
In his upcoming film, Vinay plays the role of the patriarch in the family and the story is about how the self-confessed idealistic family’s ideology changes when they stumble upon a lot of money. “It is an interesting dark comedy, he shares. However, when it comes to work, there’s no preference of a medium for the actor. He informs, “I feel two factors contribute towards my project selection- an exciting character and good money.” But excitement first of the money? “Money is an excitement, laughs Vinay.
On that note, we ask the Dasvidaniya actor if the recent past has been more favourable for the actors than the stars, considering breakout characters have emerged from star-driven films as well. But Vinay has a different opinion on the topic. He says, “No, I don’t think so. We definitely have more avenues to show our work today, but this bit about ‘actors finally getting their due’ was also doing the rounds when the television boom happened. Did it really happen? Let’s face it, our star system is very much in place. It’s not scattered or confused. The stars know their strengths and what they are doing, and a specific kind of storytelling always works. There are newer stories being told, but the star system will remain.” Ask him the reason behind this and he replies, “I am no expert on the topic, but I think we are a very populous country and we are adding to the numbers rapidly. With that comes an unending need to feed and almost anything that’s established will sell. So, the mainstream storytelling hasn’t changed. We have become technically better, suave and all, but content wise, there’s not much happening.”
An avid Hindi literature reader, Vinay says that Hindi literary works haven’t evolved in the last 20-30 years. The actor, who counts Premchand’s Soz-e-Watan among his favourites, says, “Not that nothing has happened, but I feel regional literature has gone far ahead of Hindi literature today.” Among his other loves is food, and that’s also one of the reasons he loves shooting in Pune. “I am morally loose when it comes to food. I accept it! Pune has a wide range of cuisines on offer, but the Maharashtrian palate particularly interests me because there’s so much to choose from,” he says. This time around, Vinay was blown away after sampling a thalipeeth. “The first time I had it, I was speechless! I think I am in love with the thalipeeth,” he adds.
Interestingly, there are quite a few places that the actor makes a point to visit when he comes to the city. “Radhika Apte is my food guide when it comes to eating in Pune. She tells me ‘Idhar lunch karna, udhar dinner karna’. But I love a few restaurants in Koregaon Park and some of the old bakeries that I make sure to visit when in Pune. I have been coming to the city since the last 15 years and I can’t get enough of it. So, I keep coming back,” he concludes.