Brokeback Mountain comes to India

Any other kind of sexual orientation other than the standard man and woman relationship is considered a taboo in India. Homosexuality in particular has been outlawed by the Indian civil society and the government since the 1860s, condemning any one who in involved in this kind of ‘activity’. According to the government, homosexual intercourse is a criminal offence under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which made it an offence for a person to voluntarily have "carnal intercourse against the order of nature." Even though the legal issue is a subject of debate, the attitude towards gay couples has changed drastically over the years especially because of the cinematic perceptions. Initially many of the Indian movies used homosexuals or the act itself as a sidekick or a comic relief to break tension. The gay or lesbian character usually plays the stereotype as the protagonist’s friend or a dress designer but with the time and acceptance of the viewers, Bollywood is opening up and making an effort to deal with such sensitive issues. Page 3, a movie released in 2005 was known for being one of the initial movies that came very close to depicting a gay character with some semblance of sensitivity.

Today, Bollywood movies are giving more importance and respect to that particular category by basing the entire movie on them and not portraying them as inferiors or limiting them to just the comedy scenes. As discussed in the previous blog, Deepa Mehta with the production of the movie ‘Fire’ is one of the first directors to take the bold step of discussing this type of sexual preference in a serious tone. Even though some of these movies don’t make it to the big screens due to censorship board or do not receive similar accolades and popularity as the mainstream movies, one can still see the difference in the way the majority of the movie watchers broach this subject.

Recently, the younger generation, students in particular, have contested against the abomination of homosexuality after the release of the movie Dostana (friendship). The release of this movie opened the gates and encouraged gays to finally come out of their closeted relationships and celebrate their sexual orientation. According to the Times of India (notable Indian newspaper circulated throughout the country) "This is a defining moment in the history of free India. No state has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only 'queer' people are those who propagate hate," filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said. Another prevalent director in the Indian cinema, Onir told the Time of India, “It is a very important judgment; it sends the correct signals across. It was not a overnight change. People will now be able to live without any fear, fear of being blackmailed or anything. The law was never a part of our culture, it should have gone away with colonialism. It only applies to Delhi jurisdiction, but I hope it has a greater impact. It is a step which the rest of the country should follow."