Section 377 Archives - Page 2 of 2

What Kapoor & Sons Teaches Bollywood About Coming Out of the Closet

Shakun Batra’s Kapoor & Sons, was a brilliantly observed family drama. It also stood out from a sea of Bollywood offerings that stereotyped homosexuality, by having a gay character in the lead whose orientation is almost incidental to the plot.

Poulomi Das April 13, 2016

Bollywood

Why Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga Fails as a Queer Movie

Many mainstream Bollywood movies have relied on the “gay twist”, but none of those were interested in selling themselves as a progressive empowerment fable like Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Worse, its lead protagonist is a cipher, who isn’t defined by anything other than her repressed homosexuality.

Karthik Shankar April 12, 2016

Gender

How My Closeted Aunt Helped Me Embrace My Sexuality

At 19, my aunt, who I once suspected of being a little bit butch, lashed out at my mother for trying to fix my engagement with a girl. She understood that I was different, just like her. And that #LoveMovesForward in different ways.

Manish Gaekwad April 9, 2016

Bollywood

Has the Famously Homophobic Bollywood Really Changed in Post Sec-377 India?

In a post-Section 377 world, Bollywood has evidently taken major leaps. I was recently brought in as a consultant for a film script when the production team felt that the straight men writing a story about queer lives lacked insight.

Manish Gaekwad April 4, 2016

Bollywood

From Fire to Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga: A Brief History of Homosexuality in Indian Cinema

In 1996, Deepa Mehta’s Fire was met with riots and outrage. Politicians leapt over themselves to denounce the film as a threat to Indian culture, plenty more objected to the film’s religious allusions. Today, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga has received the kind of acclaim and acceptance that, not so long ago, seemed impossible.

Kahini Iyer April 3, 2016

POV

Homosexuality is Not a Crime. Time to Ask, “But What about Our Soldiers at the Border”?

The jawan’s plight is of great relevance to every problem plaguing the country from black money to AFSPA – every problem, except those that directly affect the life of the jawan. Serving in the forces requires the strength to forego many of the freedoms that the rest of us enjoy. But how is it acceptable to snatch away a person’s freedom to love?

Sonali Kokra March 15, 2016