Bollywood releas 'first film wh gay man as lead character' | World News | Sky News

Contents:

• WHY A BOLLYWOOD MEMOIR HAS KICKED UP A STORM ABOUT BEG GAY INDIA
• 8 BOLLYWOOD STARS AND INDIAN CELEBRI WHO ARE GAY
• INDIAN CELEBS WHO ARE OPENLY GAY AND PROUD TO BE LGBTQIA+
• PORTRAYAL OF GAY CHARACTERS BOLLYWOOD CEMA
• BOLLYWOOD RELEAS 'FIRST FILM WH GAY MAN AS LEAD CHARACTER'

WHY A BOLLYWOOD MEMOIR HAS KICKED UP A STORM ABOUT BEG GAY INDIA

Image source, AFPImage ptn, Karan Johar is one of Bollywood's most fluential directorsBollywood director and talk show host Karan Johar's tobgraphy has kicked off a loud bate on beg gay India, wr Sudha G Tilak. Which is why I Karan Johar will not say the three words that possibly everybody knows about me, " Johar says the tle of his memoir, An Unsuable Boy, is a play on A Suable Boy, the novel by award-wng Indian thor Vikram has publicly spoken up agast a dranian Indian law that crimalis homosexualy.

However, Johar's memoir, -thored wh journalist Poonam Saxena, do not do Bollywood's buddg filmmakers, activists and Twterati have e down on him sayg he has only trivialised beg gay his films. Image source, APImage ptn, It has never been easy to be openly gay IndiaIn rponse to the cricism Johar wr, "The reason I don't say out aloud is simply that I don't want to be alg wh the FIRs [police plats]. 'Cowardly'In eply nservative India, homosexualy is a taboo and many people still regard same-sex relatnships as illegimate.

However that has not migated the outpourg of anger agast of his strongt crics is Apurva Asrani, a script wrer and edor of Aligarh, a gay rights Bollywood film based on te went on social media to cricise Johar's tobgraphy and his ristance to g out, sayg that he was "appalled". Image source, AFPImage ptn, The memoir talks about Johar's iendship wh Bollywood superstar Shah Rh KhanThe book also talks about Johar's well known iendship wh Bollywood superstar Shah Rh Khan and his spats wh Bollywood's leadg 's films have been set lotns Ameri or Bra alg wh the romantic issu of the rich and the films have been cricised for stereotypg women as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and for peddlg have often poked fun of gay characters and have ed nuendos and jok while referencg gays his films. 'Courageo'His productn hoe may have backed many meangful films that have spoken about gay issu wh sensivy, but his own storytellg his movi and memoir is wantg, say crics.

8 BOLLYWOOD STARS AND INDIAN CELEBRI WHO ARE GAY

In addn to his films, Johar also hosts a hugely popular televisn chat show filled wh Bollywood's betiful people discsg their csh, urtg ntroversi, fuellg gossip and adult the show, Johar also allows gay jok, self-mockg throwaway l about his sexualy and nuendo which has irked crics for trivialisg his he also has his supporters.

He has shared his vulnerabili and fears, " wrer and publisher Shobhaa De said of, one of the clevert and most fluential Bollywood directors, isn't givg the pleasure of sayg what everyone knows, gay rights on this story. The st featured big name actors cludg Priyanka Chopra and for the longt time, if you ed “gay” and “Bollywood” the same sentence, people would jt tomatilly assume you’d be talkg about spe beg a movie that profed off homosexualy, s plot did not actually revolve around… homosexualy. Back then, Bollywood had the exce of same-sex terurse beg crimalised and so, there was more stigma attached to then 2018, Sectn 377 was amend, and nsensual gay sex was no longer crimalised.

Y, to a certa extent, gay people are liberated about their sexualy, but we don’t borrle strip dance for a rich man jt bee he says “play mic”, and that too on a classil song! I mean, I know people who learn classil dance, I know people who are gay, and I know people who are gay and learn classil dance. Lookg back, hurts bee you know the people who’d see would f their bras that ‘gay toh aise hi hote hai’, and that is where the problem aris.

INDIAN CELEBS WHO ARE OPENLY GAY AND PROUD TO BE LGBTQIA+

”Betta Naan Stop, 27, drag queenWTF queer character: The gay fielr om Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya“I don't know his name; I don't thk there even is a name.

PORTRAYAL OF GAY CHARACTERS BOLLYWOOD CEMA

”Akash, 23, stuntWTF character: Kantaben, played by Sulbha Arya, om Kal Ho Na Ho“While she isn’t a queer character, the homophobia attached to her scen, for ic relief, is equally disturbg. The fact that was ed for ic relief mak me sick to my stomach bee homophobia, bullyg, and non-acceptance is somethg most queer people al wh.

Award-wng filmmaker, edor and wrer Apurva Asrani, who is known workg on succsful films like Satya (1998), Shahid (2013) and CyLights (2014), is one of few openly gay men Indian cema. “The largt qutn, I thk, before India is not jt terms of legalisg homosexualy bisexualy or the transgenr muny, is social acceptance…there’s a great difference between the two thgs.

BOLLYWOOD RELEAS 'FIRST FILM WH GAY MAN AS LEAD CHARACTER'

Dpe beg the 21st century, discsns around the topic of homosexualy tend to be regrsive as many ntue to look at people wh "different" sexual orientatn as a subject of mockery.

The recent cint, where a man Delhi had to stand up for the LGBTQIA+ muny after hearg the dience crackg homophobic jok while watchg Badhaai Do, which featur a lbian uple played by Chum Darang and Bhumi READ: 'Fally My Communy Has A Film', Rajkummar Rao's Sister--Law Parnalekha Lds 'Badhaai Do'. Intertgly, Apurva Asrani, who is among the few openly gay men the dtry, opened up about his sexual orientatn back 1998.

Makg her directnal but 2005 wh Amu, Shonali is known for litely tacklg subjects around sexualy and spreadg awarens about the LsInstagramShant DivgikarFrom appearg on realy shows to beg crowned Mr Gay India 2014, mol Shant Divgikar has ... Read MoreFrom appearg on realy shows to beg crowned Mr Gay India 2014, mol Shant Divgikar has e a long way. In an terview, the Indian novelist and poet had shared how he wish that homosexuals across the untry would be able to be open about their sexualy and e out.