The LGBTQ+ Representation Is Gradually Changing In Hindi Cinema And These Movies Are Proof

Why isn't Bollywood casting transgenders in the role of transgender? The question might be simple, but invariably, no one has a good answer to it. There are a lot of transgender actors who are waiting to be cast in good roles, but then there are also actors like Vijay Raaz and Rajpal Yadav who are still being cast in these roles and they are doing a great job too.

From showing the LGBTQ community in a comical light in films like Kal Ho Na Ho, Bol Bachchan and Partner to now showcasing that there's nothing wrong for a man to love a man in films like Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Indian cinema has come a long way. In the 2000s, Bollywood found it funny that two men could be together, however, decades later, things have changed for the good.

Here are some amazing films that got the portrayal of the LGBTQ+ community right!

1. Kapoor And Sons

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The portrayal of gays had always been over the top in Bollywood; Remember Suresh Menon and Bobby Darling? Fawad Khan in Kapoor and Sons showcased that gays are not how Bollywood has been portraying for years. The pitch and tone of homosexuality weren't loud. It was brave to have a homosexual protagonist.

2. Geeli Puchhi

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The Neeraj Ghaywan film reframes the female bond and shows the tenderness of it. Not every lesbian is a tomboy. It also gave us an understanding of how female relationships are at constant competition over a man's affection. Ghaywan made sure that he doesn't make his characters look a certain way just to fit into the perception or stereotype -- which in itself is commendable.

3. Badhaai Do

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To showcase the concept of lavender marriage, a marriage of convenience to conceal the sexual orientation of one or both partners because of social pressure, was a bold move to say the least. To show a gay cop was another milestone. Many of us might not know that lavender marriages are the living realities of queer people in India. The film has started a conversation, which is always good.

4. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan

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Hailed as India's first mainstream gay romance movie, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan was a progressive turn towards the concept of same-sex couples - an issue that continues to remain a taboo in India even after a year of its decriminalisation by the Supreme Court. Even the LGBTQ community was elated to see a mainstream Bollywood film strike a conversation around homosexuality.

5. Margarita With A Straw

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This film is not only honest and raw but it is brilliantly executed. Kalki Koechlin plays the role of a girl suffering from cerebral palsy who discovers she is bisexual and falls in love with a Pakistani woman while trying to balance her relationship with her mother.

6. Sheer Qorma

Sheer Qorma

Filmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari's Sheer Qorma, a love story between two queer women (played by Divya Dutta and Swara Bhasker) is a heart-rending narrative of the longing for love and acceptance by queer children in their homes. The short film has screened at various film festivals and has won the best film award at India International Film Festival Boston.

7. Aligarh

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The movie inspired by the real life story of Prof. Ramchandra Siras (Aligarh Muslim University) ¨C who died in 2010 after a video showing his sexual relationship with another man had gone viral ¨C showed how the already established stereotypes can affect the lives of people so much that sometimes they end up dying too. "Shadi shuda logon ke beech akela rehta hun" ¨C dialogues like these questioned the stereotypes as well as the hypocrisy of the society. The film shows what queers go through and how the society discriminate against them.

8. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

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In this quintessential Bollywood commercial rom-com movie, which is packed with songs, dance and drama, the family is convinced that Sweety is in love with a Muslim man. When she reveals that she is actually in love with a girl, they flip finding it hard to accept. While his father initially doesn't accept this piece of information, he later supports her and realises that she is the same daughter he has loved all his life. The movie shows the amount of shame, alienation and loneliness that queer community goes through for coming out of the closet.

9. LOEV

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This heartwarming gay romance story won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 2016 Tel Aviv International Film Festival. It is a story of two friends who reconnect after a long time only to discover they have feelings for each other. The twist in the tale is that one has a boyfriend and the other one is finding it tough to accept his feelings. It's not a gay story, it's a love story whose lead characters are gay.

10. Evening Shadows

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The 2018 film won 25 international awards and was selected in 75 international film festivals. It follows the story of a boy and his journey of coming out to his orthodox family. It is also a universal story about a mother-son relationship that withstands harsh realities.

11. My Son Is Gay

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The only non-Hindi film on the list, this Tamil movie is a tale of a gay man coming out to his family. It showcases the impact it causes on his relationship with his mother and other people around them.

Indian cinema is finally contributing to moulding beliefs, shifting perspectives and normalising LGBTQIA+ community to come forward and tell their stories through their lens.

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