Bollywood¡¯s recipe for queer content has always been close to a disaster. Historically, the Hindi film industry has not?only instilled harmful stereotypes with characters like Abhishek Bachchan¡¯s Sam in 2008 film Dostana, but also mocks the existence of LGBTQIA+ community by portraying them as limp side character.
To make it worse, these characters weren't even played by people who identify as queer.
Movies are a strong visual medium that leave a lasting impact on people¡¯s thoughts and drastically shapes their opinions. LGBTQIA+ community needs the right representation in the movie industry that accurately depicts their trials and tribulations.
We have listed some queer friendly content that steers clear of these dangerous depictions and actually attempts to do justice to the concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Hosted by actor Aamir Khan, this was one-of-a-kind shows to ever air on national television. The show touched many taboo and sensitive subjects that needed a voice in our country at the time, one of which was homosexuality.??
We are suggesting you watch this with your family, if you haven¡¯t already. The episode about Alternative Sexualities brings the people with different identities forward to tell their stories themselves. A gay man, a lesbian woman and a trans woman tell their heartwarming stories and it makes for a real eye opener for people who have never heard it from the source.??
Along with that, the show also brought psychologists to answer the age-old questions like ¡°is this a disease?¡± or ¡°can it be cured?¡± The episode also answers questions that parents of queer children might have and also provides realistic advice.
Even though the show aired in 2014, it is still relevant and is available to browse for free on YouTube. Watch it below.
A soul touching story about a gay man trying to come out to his orthodox parents really strikes a chord with off-screen gay men. Experiencing similar lives themselves, the movie offers a comforting and familiar space on screen.
The story revolves around Kartik, played by actor Devansh Doshi, a gay man who has moved out of his small town not only for better career opportunities as a photographer but also to live his true authentic self.??
The movie proceeds with Kartik visiting his hometown wanting to come out to his mother. He takes his mother on a small road trip where he confesses his truth. The mother finds it hard to accept that her son is gay.??
The movie offers an insight of what a mother goes through when their children come out to them, what worries them and what questions they have. The journey of her mother¡¯s shock to acceptance is really a beautiful watch. The movie also explores many other aspects of growing up and is an absolute must watch!?
Many queer people in India think getting into a heterosexual marriage will solve their problems, get them a respectable status in the society, and maybe it can. But at what cost? This movie explores the same.?
The plot centres around Avinash (Saqib Saleem), a gay man. He flees his home after years of abuse at the hands of his homophobic father. He obtains an internship at a popular magazine and befriends a coworker named Gayatri (Rani Mukerji). Gayatri invites him to supper, where he meets her closeted homosexual spouse Dev (Randeep Hooda). Dev eventually gains the guts to come out of the closet, and the film concludes with him and Avinash enjoying a passionate kiss.?
The movie accurately depicts how staying in a closet is harmful for the individual and people around them in a forced relationship. Gayatri suffers for a no fault of her own, and it makes a great case to educate people out there about the harmful effects of Lavender Marriages in India, which is a concept explored in popular Bollywood movie Badhai Do.?
Indian parents should watch this movie for two reasons - the movie shows how torturing your queer children won¡¯t make them be otherwise and that it's not wise to force your kids into marriage.?
Kapoor and Sons was a film about a dysfunctional family.?Rahul Kapoor (Fawad Khan) and Arjun Kapoor (Sidharth Malhotra) are two brothers who do not get along.
Sunita Kapoor (Rathna Pathak Shah), Rahul's mother, is horrified to see intimate images of her son, Rahul, and his partner. Rahul's sexuality was just one of the many facets of the family drama that made it a must-see.??
Rahul Kapoor is shown as a happy, successful person living abroad on his own terms which is starkly opposite from what Bollywood had shown about the queer community. Many parents of queer children fear that their kids will not be able to do well in society on account of people putting them down because of their sexuality and this was the perfect example of how that¡¯s not the case.
Ted Talks are a great way to consume info-tainment content. This particular talk is delivered by a gay man¡¯s father, James H O'Keefe MD, who is a Board Certified Cardiologist and Director of both the Charles & Barbara Duboc Cardio Health & Wellness Center and the Preventive Cardiology service at Saint Luke¡¯s Mid America Heart Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
This session provides a personal and fascinating look at why homosexuality is a necessary and extremely valuable cog in nature's wheel of perfection. James talks about his sons coming out to him, his journey in life and him accepting it. The talk explains everything with a medical angle and is a very informative watch.
The movie is based on a sensitive subject often associated with homosexual people - the unfortunate HIV/AIDS virus.
Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) is a state-level swimmer who is loved by his family. Things take a turn for the worst when Nikhil is diagnosed with HIV.?Except for his sister Anamika (Juhi Chawla) and boyfriend Nigel (Purab Kohli), everyone turns against him.?
Indeed, the rules of the time were so heinous that the Goa Public Health Act allowed the police to arrest him and confine him in isolation.?
Nigel and Anamika eventually get Nikhil released and launch People Positive, an AIDS aid organisation. Later on, he is also accepted by his parents. Following Nikhil's death in the film, his parents begin to treat Nigel as if he were their own son.
This movie allows an insight as to what a person goes through when they are diagnosed with HIV debunking many myths around the disease. The film was ahead of its time and is a must watch for entertainment and education.
?For more stories on the LGBTQIA+ community and queerness in India, keep reading?Spectrum?on?Indiatimes.? ?