Aligarh - A Movie Done Right

When Ishani Banerjee (my ex-colleague) told me that she is working on a story about a gay man for a Bollywood film, my only request to her was to try to stay away from the usual stereotypical jokes and representations used against LGBT community. She said it will be a very different film, and promised to be a great one too.

And that's what I experienced when Aligarh showed me the life of Professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was a victim of sting operation that exposed his private moments to the outside world - which also led to his suspension from the Aligarh university. Aligarh is very serious in its cause, one that understands the societal ostracisation and contempt that the gay community fears about, if they come out. It is a reflection of the fact that how even when the law is favourable towards the LGBT community (Section 377 was decriminalized by the Delhi High Court during that time), the troubles for them are far from over if the mindset of the society doesn't change.

From the starting frame to the ending one, the movie has an undercurrent of loneliness - the one that was experienced by Professor Siras (and also by many closeted gays). There would be only very handful of movies from Bollywood that give a respectful and sensible characterization of a homosexual person like how Aligarh has done. I especially loved the portrayal of the kiss exchanged between a man and a woman, with the next scene that of between a man and man. Interestingly, the first one happens in public and the latter happens in the private confines of a room for which Professor Siras had to go through the ordeals of being shamed and alienated.

Aligarh is a bold attempt of telling about the violation and unfairness done towards Professor Siras. Through that, it also casts light on the predicaments suffered by India's LGBT community as it is - without any masala. And that makes this movie a must-watch.

Trailer of Aligarh:

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Homosexuality in 'Bombay Talkies' - 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Backward
If 'Slumdog Millionaire' Was Unfair To Mumbai
Dostana

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Homosexuality in 'Bombay Talkies' - 2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Backward

Karan Johar’s segment in ‘Bombay Talkies’ - Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh, seemed to offer promising image overhaul on gays, trying to steer away from the conventional portrayal widely embraced by the storytellers of Bollywood. For once, the gay character is not flamboyant, limp-wristed or feminine. Rather, he is a confident young man, not ashamed of his sexuality. The opening scene shows him barging to the bedroom where his father (who had banished him from the house for being gay) is sleeping and pulling him out of the bed and screaming at him, “Main chhakaa nahi hoon! Main homosexual hoon! Naa chhakka hona galat hai, na homosexual!” (I am not an eunuch! I am a homosexual! Neither it is wrong to be an eunuch, nor to be a homosexual!) And later when he reveals himself to his female colleague that he is gay, she doesn't appear shocked - the reason being, “Gay ho, terrorist nahi.” (You are gay, not a terrorist.) The segment also features a lip-lock between two men, which is considered as a daring and progressive attempt.

A still from Bombay Talkies - Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh

It is for these illustrations the gay community and the Bollywood critics are applauding Karan for sensitively handling the angle of homosexuality. But if you analyze carefully, the story has far-reaching dangerous repercussions because it plays with the idea of trust. When it shows that the gay guy is having no boundaries by hitting on his female colleague’s husband, it sends out the message that one needs to be careful when befriending gays. And sadly, it tries to seed homophobia among the one group whom gay men have always felt comfortable opening up to – the women; it warns them gay men could be potential boyfriend/husband stealers and home-wreckers, so better stay away from them.

A still from Bombay Talkies - Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh

Bollywood has used homosexuality in innumerable ways – to add laughter, to induce shock value, to bring tragedy. But rarely has anyone attempted to empathize with them. What is this need to depend on showcasing us as a group who is defective or deviant in one form or the other? This is a group which is suffering not because they are defective, not because they are unnatural, not because they are abnormal; but only because the society is prejudiced due to the various misconceptions surrounding them - movies being a great vehicle for propagating such delusions. 

If a certain religion or community or caste is shown in a bad light in our movies, the respective groups are quick to demand the director to remove the disgracing dialogues or scenes. But in this case, the gay community themselves get divided in their opinions because some just see the “outer picture”; few care to analyze the long-run implications. The movie is a cleverly camouflaged attempt to seed homophobia. When I posted about Dostana years ago on the gross characterization of homosexuality, there were many who tried to make me see why it was the best thing that has happened for Indian gays. Funny, now I see many views on how Karan Johar has redeemed himself, while admitting Dostana indeed had badly depicted gays and how this was a wonderful change from him. Majority of the Bollywood outings, such as this one, brings out the slant that one is not entitled to lead a happy satisfied and committed life if he is gay, unlike how straights receive a happy ending for their love stories.

A still from Bombay Talkies - Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh

One can argue that Bollywood is in an experimental phase where straight relationships are also used for bringing out the various unconventional themes, so why not on homosexuality? Again, one needs to understand we are talking about a minority group who is struggling to find acceptance and at the receiving end of severe homophobia. Even Bollywood played safe while narrating love stories of heroes and heroines, where lip-locks were replaced by birds and flowers. It had invested sufficient period in exploring the plethoric emotions of love before plunging into the more sexually visible forms. We have Mughal-E-Azam, Devdas, Aradhna, Kagaz Ke Phool and so many countless movies immortalizing love, but what do we have for depicting homosexual relations apart from the scenes of sex and lust?

A still from Bombay Talkies - Ajeeb Dastaan Hain Yeh

Karan Johar’s story is two steps forward in terms of how mainstream actors are now daring enough to take up homosexual roles and how censor board didn't feel the need to chop out the gay kiss, but it is a step backward in terms of bringing positive representation for a highly marginalized community.

For the uninitiated: 'Bombay Talkies' is a 2013 Indian anthology film consisting of four short films, directed by Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee, Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar. The film was released on May 3, 2013, coinciding with and celebrating the centenary year of Indian cinema.

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If Slumdog Millionaire Was Unfair To Mumbai

Yes I saw Slumdog Millionaire. A good movie, but highly overrated. Although it had a Bollywood feel to it, I enjoyed a lot because unlike the usual Bollywood movies, it didn't overdramatize situations and had a punch of raw feel to it. An Oscar material? I don't think so. But then if all the hype helps in getting global recognition for few Indian talents, who am I to compain! But Slumdog Millionaire changed the way I think about myself. Whenever I grumble about my not-happening life, I should remind myself to thank God that I wasn't chosen to be born in those slums, and that I'm not one among those numerous unfortunate boys whose eyesight is taken away with red-hot spoons or whose limbs are cut off so that their masters can get more money.

But this post wants to talk about an entirely different topic. Recently, the director Priyadarshan was bashing Slumdog Millionaire as a mediocre trashy film. Although I do not agree to his views at all, I couldn't help relating his thoughts to what I once wrote about the movie Dostana. (I know! I need to move on, but this is the last attempt. So please bear with me!)

Priyadarshan's remarks about Slumdog Millionaire are put in quotes and my take regarding Dostana is explained after each quote.

"The West loves to see us as a wasteland, filled with horror stories of exploitation and degradation. But is that all there’s to our beautiful city of Mumbai?"

The Indians love to see a homosexual man as limp wristed foppish flamboyant weirdo who walks and talks like a woman having extraordinary penchant in fashion or dying of AIDS. But is that all there's to portray about gays?

"It should have been made by Mani Ratnam. Then you’d have seen what he would have done with Mumbai."

Dostana should have been made by some female director, like Reema Kagti (of Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. fame) or Parvati Balagopalan (of Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula fame). Then you'd have seen what they would have done with homosexuality and gays.

Priyadarshan is surprised that Mumbai is celebrating a film that shows only the city’s underbelly. "Why are we taking this treatment? Just because a white man has made Slumdog Millionaire, we’re so happy with it?"

And I was surprised about many Indian gays taking pride in getting homosexuality featured through Dostana. Just because homosexuality became the core-theme in a bollywood flick, why were many gays celebrating a film that only enforces every conceivable gay stereotype!

The angry director wonders why there isn’t a single shot in Slumdog Millionaire that shows the more aesthetic side of Mumbai?

And the angrier I wondered why there wasn't a single shot in Dostana that shows the more usual behaviour of gays?


If you feel Slumdog Millionaire makes Westerners think about India as "a wasteland filled with horror stories of exploitation and degradation", I say Dostana was equally destructive towards gays. I was then told that Dostana should not be taken as a documentary and it was just a fiction, so chill! Then why now are we not having the same attitude towards Slumdog Millionaire? At least Danny Boyle didn't exaggerate unlike many of our Indian directors do.


Rant: Anyways, since I brought up Priyadarshan to this discussion.. Man! He is just butchering all those beautiful Malayalam movies that we Keralites cherish in our hearts. His latest offering Billu Barber is just another remake of yet another Malayalam movie, Katha Parayumbol (translation: When Story Is Told). Although I haven't seen Billu Barber (Why should I?), I'm definitely sure that it will once again not be a match to the original. I was moved to tears seeing Mammooty's efficacious acting in the climax scene of Katha Parayumbol and here I guess going by the standards, Shah Rukh Khan must have got yet another wonderful opportunity to ham!

And to the Westerners.. Let not Slumdog Millionaire scare you from visiting India, especially Mumbai. What shown in the movie is one reality. But now, why don't we try to see Mumbai through the eyes of an eight-year-old to get a different perspective!

The following video is available in HD (press to enable) which means, you can put it full-screen (press ) without losing much clarity!

This song is from the film, Taare Zameen Par (translation: Stars On Earth) and you can find it's beautiful lyrics and translation at here.

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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!

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Taare Zameen Par

Finally I watched Taare Zameen Par (Stars On Earth). Yeah I know, I am way too behind especially for an outstanding movie like Taare Zameen Par.

"I cried not because I was shown how badly Ishaan was being treated, but for I was able to associate so many things happened to me in those days with the movie." One of my colleagues told me. This is one movie where men do not shy to reveal that they were teary.

"You haven't watched Taare Zameen Par?" Everyone used to tell me with that look, like I have committed some crime. And finally I was fortunate to see it. I actually was afraid of the high expectations I had, for everyone was praising about it endlessly and I didn't want to get disappointed. But I didn't, in fact the movie surpassed all my expectations and I was indeed deeply moved.

It is said that this movie is a must-see for every parent in this world, for every parent who force their dreams and ambitions on their children, for every parent who compares their child's ability with others and in my opinion, especially for every parent who nowadays pushes or wants to push their children to the so-called "reality shows." In this competitive world, they fear whether their children would get left behind and so they make them do everything they can think of, to make sure they are ahead in the race even if that means demanding more than what the child could give, as Ram Shankar says. In this attempt, the child is denied to see the colourful world his mind is picturing for him and instead, he is thrown into the grey world of competition.


Yes, the movie did bring me back some of the memories that were buried deep down. It made me remember my "drawing on the wall" days. When I was little, the walls of our house used to be the bear witness for my crayon games until they were painted again. The movie also made me remember my Kindergarten days, those teachers who taught me alphabets and words, my school days when I used to paint, our lively drawing sir and the fright I used to get when I realize that I hadn't done that day's maths homework. I wish I could turn back time and experience all that once again. Watching those children from Tulip school made me realize again how blessed I am because I know how close I were to be one like them. And finally, I truly couldn't help but feel jealous of Ishaan, for he was fortunate to have the two precious gems I always wish for - a brother and a sincere friend.

And now I must echo what everyone kept on telling me, if you haven't seen Taare Zameen Par, you should! This is a must-watch even if you haven't watched a "bollywood" film in your entire life. And no need to be embarrassed if you become emotional and teary coz no one who watched this was able to do otherwise. Taare Zameen Par is indeed a star and a fine masterpiece presented to the world cinema. And I'm proud to see that it was born from India.

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Mambo Italiano

God! I Luuurrved this movie! From the moment you hear the narration of Angelo's life from his pre-born days to the present when he talks to the guy at the Gay Helpline, you will know that you are guaranteed to have a fun time till the end. Angelo is gay and closeted who happens to be bestowed with parents who act crazy all the time (which is real fun!), a sister who goes to the anxious mode every now and then and a hunky (and yummy) boyfriend who feels insecure about his sexuality. Together they all present to you, what I can say, one of the funniest movies I have ever seen. The dialogues are so witty and f**king hilarious!

Angelo: There is no fate worse than being gay and Italian.

All the lead actors have got some attraction factor which makes you sit there like a moth attracted to the flame. Angelo (Luke Kirby) is cute and has got beautiful eyes which I was gazing the whole time whenever his scene came up. His boyfriend Nino (Peter Miller), handsome and smoking good body! His face reminded me of my first crush. The Gay Helpline guy, Peter (Tim Post) is cute too and clearly he possesses the voice that could blossom romance even in the coldest of hearts. And I especially loved the boy (Michael Romano) who played Angelo's younger days - loved his smiles.

Luke Kirby is beautiful.

Mambo Italiano is a perfect movie to watch if you want something lighthearted after the day's tiresome chores.

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Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Whoever said Bhool Bhulaiyaa rocks must not have seen its original version, ‘Manichithrathazhu’. I normally don’t watch Hindi movies from Priyadarshan. But what raised my curiosity to see Bhool Bhulaiyaa was, it had my all time favourite, Vidya Balan. Knowing that she is handling the core role made me even more inquisitive to see how she matches with Shobana, who acted Vidya’s part (To say, Vidya acted Shobana’s part would be more appropriate) in the original Malayalam version of the movie.

The gifted bharathanatyam dancer and actor, Shobana.

I still remember those days, years before when I was in school. It was a routine that on the evening of the last day of my exams, I and my parents would go out for movie and dinner. I loved those evenings. I used to feel such a relief, because I no longer have to worry about the studies, the exams are over and going out with my parents in our car to the city used to be a big deal for me. I would be so excited that during the drive I would practically talk non-stop while my parents sitting in the front suffer my gibbers. I saw Manichithrathazhu on one such similar occasion.

I didn’t have any clue what the movie was about. It first started out to be a funny one with occasional odd moments that were kinda freaky. And as the movie progressed, the freakiness started to compound. How scared I felt! And the acting? Topnotch! Mohanlal gave one of his best shots and I don't have enough words to comment on Shobana’s performance. I was amazed to see how efficaciously she was able to reach the different levels of the character and only someone who is highly proficient can consummate such a complex role. No wonder she bagged that year’s National Film Award for best actress! (in 1993)

Shobana in 'Manichithrathazhu'.

Today, I got the DivX print of Bhool Bhulaiyaa and I wasn’t going to see the whole movie. Already had enough bad experiences from Priyadarshan’s movies (or should I say re-makes??) I just wanted to see Vidya’s performance. I think she is one of the very few talented actresses in Bollywood. So I skipped to the prominent parts. But sad to say, even she couldn’t do justice to the role. I felt like, she was not really getting into the character. I can’t believe that I am saying this about her, but to me what she portrayed to be vehement actually seemed funny. And it is better not to talk about Akshay Kumar’s toothless attempt. It is so evident that he tried to be Mohanlal, but alas! He too failed miserably. Now I don’t want to comment about the direction because I can’t, since I haven’t fully watched the movie and I am not intending to do it also. But those who were unfortunate to watch this film told me that Priyadarshan has tried to do exactly (in other words, copy!!) what the original director, Fazil did. But by the look of it, I think Priyadarshan (He worked as assistant director for Manichithrathazhu) couldn’t even match to one–tenth of Fazil’s expertise.

Vidya Balan in 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa'.

So you know what my final words would be about Bhool Bhulaiyaa. I would say watching Manichithrathazhu with subtitles is any times better than suffering this Priyadarshan faux. Thank God that I didn’t waste money for seeing this film in a movie hall!

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Chak De! India

Some days before, as I was immensely immersed and enjoying the soccer match in She's The Man, a thought strike me. Would Bollywood be capable of creating a film which not just shows the game, but actually make the viewers feel the game. Of course there was Lagaan, but what about a full fledged sports movie? Bollywood can easily breed emotional dramas, but what about one that is an entirely sports-dedicated? Of course, the challenge would be then to make the audience engulfed in the game because the ending is already known and there is no point in watching if the game didn't appear exciting. Then that requires superb script, equally matching cinematography, sensitive direction, skillful acting and brisk stunts - a delicate combination because in such movies what matters most is the pace. If the pace is fast, the scenes can become leery. If the pace is slow, then it becomes a ho-hum.

When I first heard about Chak De! India and what was it about (a coach determined to give the Indian women hockey team the world cup), my first thought was it could be just another flop from Yash Raj Films. Their previous two movies were dud even though their promos succeeded creating the stir. And this one seemed to be like a patriotic one, but Bollywood is notorious for being jingoistic. So my eagerness to see this one was fiddling. But then soon I began to hear all talking about how wonderful this movie was and it did enlighten my curiosity.


So I watched. What I noticed about the movie was its pace. Slow at first, but then gradually increasing. By the beginning of the second half we can already feel the adrenaline rush. The plots were all completely believable and that's what make it special. It is not at all a tale of magic that work wonders. Even though we all know what the ending would be like, we can feel ourselves praying for the win. And that's the result of the successful combination that I mentioned before. We feel the disappointment when they lose, and the vigor when they win.


The character portrayal and development of the players was outstanding. They are all each completely different from the other, have their own ways to deal with the chafes, but had to come together as a team and what made them do it and how they achieve it are all completely convincing. And the movie not just shows a single match, but an array of them and each of them carefully pictured and stands out vivid. A huge applause for that because they not at all appeared to be repetitive, but was able to keep up with the accelerating pace of the movie. I felt like I was in a live stadium because the people around me were all shouting, clapping, cheering... made me relive the time when I went for Lagaan.


You will feel that you are not just a spectator but actually an invisible character in the movie. And when it was over, I was missing them. I was actually missing them! Can you believe that! Chak De! India will awaken your patriotism and you will definitely feel that Indian pride when you walk out from the theatre.

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A Love To Hide

Last night, I cried myself to sleep. Those scenes kept on playing in my mind and I could feel the trauma that they must have experienced. I thought, how could man be so barbarous, how could anyone even have the nerve to think such sadist deeds. And before I knew, tears came rolling down my face..

I usually don't cry after seeing a movie. Even if I feel down, it is very rare that I cry thinking upon it. But this one, I couldn't just pass it off as another emotional story. I know though the characters were fictious, the events weren't. Un amour à taire (A Love To Hide) deals with the gay holocaust during the Nazi era. This is one truly amazing, heart wrenching and powerful film and as one viewer rightly puts it, "conveys much of what is worst and best of humanity set in 1942 during the upheaval of Nazi-occupied Paris."


Honestly, I didn't know what this movie was all about because I never read the summery of movies fearing that I might bump into a spoiler and wreck the whole experience. All I knew was, this was something concerning gay people and could be emotional. But then as the scenes started coming alive, I wasn't prepared for what I was seeing. I could feel my heart becoming heavy, my eyes becoming wet and hoping for that silver line in the dark clouds.

Not to sound all preachy here, but do we realize how lucky we (some of us) are to be born in this time and place, where people have begun to realize that homosexuality is not a disease, and we are not sent for "re-education" to become straight and we are not exterminated to "cleanse" the race. A Love To Hide is a must-see for everyone no matter what you think you are. The language is French, but with the subtitles, the touching storyline, the excellent direction and the wonderful performance by the actors, this movie could shake you to your core.

Did you choose your blue eyes?? Same here. I didn't choose to love men.

Trust me, don't wait to read the reviews. Just grab a copy and watch it!

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