In time of Pride Month, which runs from June 1 to June 30 this year, let’s take a look at 5 B’wood films that portray gay pride.
Posted on – Thu, 01 Jun 23 at 03:55pm
Mumbai: June has been designated as Pride Month, during which people of different sexual orientations march to express their sexuality. Bollywood often portrays several inspiring and distinctive LGBTQ films that have had a huge impact on audiences.
On the occasion of Pride Month from June 1st to June 30th this year, let’s take a look at 5 Bollywood movies that celebrate being gay!
badhaai do
“Badhaai Do” directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni stars Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar. It describes the little-known topic “Lavender Marriage”. About two gay men who decide to marry, it shows how gay men have to make difficult “compromises” in order to please the conservative sections of society and avoid detection.
Aligarh
Directed by Hansal Mehta and released in 2015, the film is based on the true events of Professor Ramchandra Siras, played by Manoj Bajpayee, who was banned from Aligarh University on moral grounds after he was found to have an intimate relationship with a rickshaw driver. After the incident, he was violently humiliated and ridiculed by society. The film won a huge award for portraying the topic in a compassionate and realistic way. Rajkummar Rao who plays reporter Deepu Sebastian and fights for justice for Siras also gives a solid performance.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha to Aisa Laga
It’s the first time a major film has depicted a same-sex love relationship. Directed by Shirley Chopra Dhar, the film stars Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Rakumar Rao. Sweety Chaudhary, a naive and cheerful girl who was born and raised in a traditional Punjabi family, wanted to be a bride since she was a child, but as she grew older, she found that she didn’t want a husband on the other side. The film shows Sweety’s family and society’s strong rejection of her homosexuality. Sweety is reunited with her lover Kuhu at the end of the movie.
Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
The film stars Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta and is out in 2020. The film also highlights the topic of same-sex marriage. In the film, Aman’s family tries to keep them apart; despite this, Katik does not back down from marrying Aman against all odds.
Margarita with straws
The film “Margarita with a Straw” highlights two key issues: homosexuality and disability, two issues that often create challenges in the lives of affected individuals. Kalki Koechlin is excellent as Laila, who suffers from cerebral palsy and is still exploring her sexuality before discovering she’s a lesbian. The social stigma she faces because of her disability and sexual orientation is a major focus of the film.
