Dostana

"I know exactly the tone I wanted, they (gays) did not need to be effeminate." Words of Karan Johar, the producer of much hyped movie, Dostana. Dostana is a story of two guys, Sameer (Abhishek Bachan) and Kunal (John Abraham) pretending to be gay lovers so that they can live in an apartment with owner's niece, Neha (Priyanka Chopra). Yeah, a I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry - kinda deal. Karan even proceeds to say that he didn't feature the stereotypical gay flamboyance in this movie.

Alright. Let me ask you Karan, by giving that statement, were you trying to state that you didn't portray gays as sari-clad men? Or that your non-stereotyped gays weren't wearing any sparkling outfits? Is that all you meant? If so, lemme tell you dear, get out of that shallow well and understand what the actual stereotypical gay flamboyance is! But for a man working in an industry where you often get to meet homosexuals, I know you exactly understand how gays are being stereotyped.

Karan Johar adds, "Even within the fun and games, handling it sensitively is a challenge. If we offend even one member of the homosexual community, it will really disturb me." I just want to bark at you Karan, aren't you ashamed of telling outright lies such as Dostana being sensitive to the gay community? Okay, I get it, the jokes and the gayish actions were meant only for fun. But why do you have to put on such blatant lies? To attract gay audience? Wasn't John's butt enough for that? You have offended me. But I know you are least bothered since you are busy licking your moolah!


I'm not upset about the two male leads showing exaggerated actions or Abhishek's running during his Venice-narration or even about the one whole song that suggests being gay is bad. Sameer and Kunal were straight and probably any straight guy would also do such embellished actions if he wanted to desperately convince others that he is gay. I'm upset with the way Karan and team promoted the film that they succeeded in deviating from the stereotypes. I strongly object to that! If they could have added at least one scene where Sameer, Kunal and Neha saw two regular guys who were totally in love with each other in that Miami crowd, so as to make the audience realize, "Oh gays could be like that too!", I would never have taken all these troubles to trash this "ice-breaking" movie.

If gays indeed behaved all flamboyant, why would guys like me always complain about not possessing a gaydar? I could just look at a guy and think, "Oh he is acting flamboyant. He is gay!" That even a straight person can figure out, no need of any gaydar. Duh!

And it surprises me that lot of Indian gays take pride in getting homosexuality featured through this film. True, this movie initiated discussion among the public, more than what when the news of disagreements between Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss and Home Minister, Shivraj Patil on legalizing homosexuality hit the media. But this was definitely not the correct way to get that discussion initiated. You comfort yourself that since this is a comedy film, it is okay. Guys! Wake up and smell that stinking muck!! When you laugh at the comicality, the whole world is laughing at you! One of my colleagues said to me, "Did you see Dostana? I mean, do guys really behave that gross if they are gay?" Way to go Karan, way to go!! You just succeeded in creating more homophobes. I thank all my Gods for not making my parents come with me to watch this. I seriously don't want them to associate me with any of these Dostana-characters when I come out to them.


If you ask which movies I would want my parents to see, currently my picks are Mambo Italiano and A Love To Hide. The parental situations shown in Mambo Italiano are very much similar to an Indian scenario. It is a funny light-hearted movie, but not making fun of gays! (Now all you Karans out there, please don't get "inspired" to make this in Hindi!) And after they are comfortable with the whole homosexuality deal, I would want them to watch A Love To Hide. This is indeed a strong powerful heart-wrenching movie. I watched it last year and never had the strength to watch it a second time.

So finally this is Sam's verdict: Dostana does not at all succeed in deviating from the gay stereotypes. Even if homosexuality gets legalized in India, movies like Dostana claiming to be liberated from stereotypes may cause blockage for the social acceptance of gays. You may watch it for Shilpa Shetty's friggin hot body, Abhishek's superb acting, John Abraham's "coin-slot", Priyanka's beautiful face and the laughs at the comical scenes, but that's it!

Check out these related posts too!
Taare Zameen Par
Mambo Italiano
Bhool Bhulaiyaa

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Why Cosmopolitan Is For The Fun Fearless Gay Male

Sam is crazy enough to do anything to get his hands on a Cosmopolitan. And that's a proven fact! Or else instead of going to his nearby bookshop, why would he ride to the busy city railway station, wait in the queue for more than fifteen minutes to get a platform-ticket and hide the Cosmo in a plastic bag and walk out from there as if he had done nothing unmanly?

I haven't been lucky to possess a Cosmo for more than 6 months because that long it has become, since I and Phoebe had a meet. They wouldn't suspect if she showed the Cosmo while paying the cash and she could later hand it to me. Now I didn't have the patience to wait for Phoebe anymore. So I decided to get that darn magazine myself. I didn't want to buy from my usual shops since it would be difficult for me to look at their faces later on. That's why I settled to hit the railway station where it is always crowded and it is not quite possible for the shopkeeper to remember "that strange guy who asked for Cosmopolitan!"

After long waiting to buy the platform-ticket, I entered the platform and reached the bookstall. My eyes immediately caught the Cosmo, but I was still wondering how I could ask the guy. Hiding my shame, I looked at him, gave him a hundred rupee note and said, "Cosmo."
"What?" May be he thought I implied something else.
"There! That one! Cosmopolitan?" Now that the cat is out of the bag, I wanted to run like hell from there! I'm sure my face had become a red tomato by then although his was expressionless when he handed me the magazine. I quickly put it inside a plastic cover. Mission accomplished!

So why is Sam so hellbent on checking out Cosmo risking his dignity? Let's hear straight from the horse's mouth..

Temptation Unlimited
One would feel that the latest issue is all that is needed to fine-tune your life, dating, sex, work and fashion. But when you see the next issue on the rack, you surely would be tempted to grab that one too!

Eye-candy Galore
Handsome hunks to make you drool. And lots of them! One would begin to worry if you are straining your eyes too much by scanning every single of them as you flip through the pages. You just can't help getting hypnotized!

Decoding Adams
Dozens of articles devoted to puzzling out the most mysterious species that God has ever created - Men. And that's what we gays need. When it comes to dating guys, it's all about how you play it.

Scandalous Confessions
Who wouldn't love to read the hottest and steamiest confessions that Cosmo readers make every month. You would surely want Cosmo to bring out an entire issue featuring this guilty pleasure alone!

Realize Your Role
Cosmo carries pages that bring life/love/lust - situations and both genders take on it. Early reports from CSB Labs indicate that if you tend to agree with most of what a female writer says, you could be passive. And if you frequently find yourself on the sides of the male writer, you could be active (although not yet scientifically proven!).

Saviour Of The Gaykind
Most of Cosmo's suggestions can be fit for the gay crowd. But remember, I said "most of." You don't want to end up like a macho trapped inside a lady. It's better if you turn a deaf ear to fashion and beauty tips.

Improve Your Vocab.. In Style!
Are you one of those people like me who doesn't have the patience to read long novels, but also want to polish your English? With Cosmo, you are guaranteed to discover new chic words from their peppy but simple writing style.

Any other cosmoCatch that you guys feel like sharing? Post your thoughts coz it might end up here!

Check out these related posts too!
Stale But Still Hot!
The Cosmopolitan Tales

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The Right To Do "I Do"

If anyone asks me whether I see myself involved in a relationship with a guy ten years from now, I would promptly say, "Yes!" But do I see us married? Although I wish our relationship to be solidified by a marriage, I will not be as confident in saying a "Yes" as I was in giving the previous reply.

And why? Let's face it, men have serious issues when it comes to commitments and marriages. I would say, most of the times, man is the troublesome ingredient in a relationship. That is why I consider the working out of lesbian relationships and marriages is just a piece of cake when compared to straight or gay ones. So if two men (sorry ladies, I'm taking the extreme case) decide to get married to each other, don't you think they must have put so much love and effort in their relationship that they are now comfortable in taking the next big step? And if you wish to take away their right to marry, don't you think you are just choosing to be blind by disregarding their love? If you say marriages are made in heaven, why do you want to go against the union of two souls on earth? Or is your marriage so vulnerable that a gay marriage in the neighbourhood can lose the sanctity of yours? If that's the case, don't you think yours was the one that should have been stopped from happening?

I know we Indians have a long way to go in demanding our right to marry the one we love, when we are currently fighting for decriminalizing homosexuality in India. But I really don't understand the big deal in allowing two consenting adults in relationship to marry. What loss will the others face if a man weds a man or a woman weds a woman?


They raise the opinion that if today we allow gay marriages then tomorrow what will happen when someone wants to marry his or her dog! First of all, I would say all those who support this concept do not possess the common sense even of a fifth grader and they seriously need to get their goddamn mind cleansed! And secondly, dogs deserve more respect than them because at least they are loyal and they don't preach to hate. Then they want to pose the question that if today marriage between same gender is allowed, what would tomorrow's textbooks teach children about marriage. Again I'm asking, what is so bad about making the next generation realize that it is A-Okay to love and live with the one whom your heart desires for.

You can see how crucial the issue of gay marriage is when bloggers like Nathan say,

Gay marriage IS still important. It will always matter to me, because I will always be gay and Rodney will always be my partner. I will always want us to be married. And every year when my taxes roll around, I’m so coldly reminded once again that even though I pay the same amount of taxes as everyone else, I still have to check mark "Single" when I file them. In the eyes of America, this union doesn’t even exist, even though Rodney and I will be coming up on our 8th anniversary.

If you still can't get it, I guess the following video is the last resort in injecting some sense to you.

By the way, thanks Amit for discovering this video.

I know for us Indians, these issues may not be of major concern now. But it would be wise to realize that in future we would also be trotting down the same road!

Update - Wednesday, November 05, 2008:

Wanda Sykes is so wickedly funny in this video where she talks about how ridiculous it seems when people want to go against gay marriages instead of minding their own business. Thanks Nick for the link!

Update - Wednesday, November 12, 2008:

In this video, Keith Olbermann gives a powerful message to all those who supported Proposition 8. IF YOU VOTED 'YES', YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! You say you don't want to redefine marriage. How would you feel if black people couldn't marry white people? Or even worse, black people couldn't marry black people!! Because, there was a time in America when laws prohibited such marriages, similar to the one that is now existing that forbids gay marriages. And all because you voted 'Yes'.
Thanks Closetalk for informing me about this video and Eliot for hosting it on your blog.

Check out these related posts too!
The Gay Parade And The Media
Curing Homophobia
Is Internet Becoming Homophobic?

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John Miller's Good Looking Rascal

There is definitely something naughty and alluring with the way this guy is holding the pencil with his teeth. And ever since I saw the above ad in magazines, I had been searching (googling) to see if any man-crazy guy like me have uploaded its scan. But I was peeping at the wrong places when in fact the website of John Miller, an Indian label for executive attires, had enough and more of what I was looking for! It was like discovering a treasure chest! So here are some stills that I "stole" from John Miller website. Click on them to get their high definition versions. They are perfect to adorn your desktops.

The above shot actually hypnotizes me with something. If you can change your "focus" towards under the table after the high definition pic loads up, you will see what I mean! *wink*

Does anyone know the name of this guy? He seems to have the looks of a Christian mallu payyan (Keralite dude).

Hats off to the photographer (name please?) for giving these shots a stylish and elegant touch!

He gets a totally different look without that french beard, as you can see from the following pic. No doubt, he is quite a catch!

More shots available at John Miller website. Their website also offers style guides on office wear, how to get that perfect tie knot, what to wear for interviews and office parties, and also some office tricks to make your life easy. So head over to www.johnmiller.in now and get access to all that!

Update - Sunday, November 23, 2008:
Thanks to that anonymous person who identified this guy as VJ Neil of Channel [V]. His full name is Neil Bhoopalam. You can read about him at here and here.

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