Stories beyond love
Two Bengali women, one Hindu and one Muslim, drift apart as one of them is forced to marry; a youngster lives with the memories of her partner battling the grief of death; the gruelling journey of the first openly trans woman in Kerala finally changing her name and gender in the government documents — this year’s Chennai International Queer Film Festival ‘Reel Desires’ showcased many such narratives, unearthed layers of themes and unlatched many windows of perspectives presenting an emotional journey to the hinterlands of India. Undoubtedly, embracing love in all forms has been the cornerstone of queer community. But this love and emotions are deeply entrenched in the social and political realities of the country, this fierce love is entangled with the rigid religious and moral institutions.
Far from the happily-ever-after endings and rudimentary plots, the filmmakers are using their lens to zoom into the reality of queer people’s lives — the ostracisation, the angst and anger, the bullying, the taunts and threats, and the losses and grief, are as real as the queer love, and most of all, they chose to celebrate queerness.
Through the food politics in the rural pockets of Gujarat, an innocuous love story blooming in the fields of Tamil Nadu, the resolute queer voices of Punjab exuding pride, the storytellers ushered us to the deeper issues that are usually effaced by the general misconception that queer films are only about love and romance.
While earlier there were many foreign queer films interspersed with very few Indian ones, there are many Indian representations to be seen now, which are melded with intersectional themes. Dr L Ramakrishnan from the public health NGO SAATHII, who also volunteers with the Orinam collective, says, “We encourage filmmakers to submit films that not only focus on sexuality and gender but also the intersection of caste, religion, urban-rural, HIV status etc. We get a lot of films on intersectional themes, incidentally, or very significantly tackling these other themes. We have had films that focus on the experiences of religious minorities, on people who sought asylums in different countries because of the fear of persecution and death in their home countries.”
As Naveen Vox, one of the audience members, rightly says, the concept of queer existed back then also, but was rarely portrayed in the Indian cinema. Alex M, a software engineer, says, “There were stories of refugees escaping their transphobic and homophobic countries, there were black representations in European films. But today, we can see intersectionality budding in Indian queer movies.”
Undeniably, there has been a tremendous shift in representation in Indian narratives. There have been many submissions from young people across the country. Ramakrishnan says, “The topic is less of a taboo than it used to be when students don’t even make such films because it is stigmatised. That has gradually gone away. But today, many movies are coming from the film schools — KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts had two submissions this time.”
A peek into the themes
It was only through movies like Katlaa Curry, a love story of two men in Gujarat, that also touched on the slight discord on food choices, that the audience came to know Gujarat is not an entirely vegetarian state. Alluding to this film, Alex says, “The current political sentiment is drawing towards who is correct. Everybody wants to find a place. But where is the place of expression?”
Hinting at the varied themes the movies explored, Alex says that the film on HIV holds a lot of importance in the stigmatised society. This stigma tethered to HIV+ people towers over their entire lives. As opposed to the notion that HIV+ people’s lives are short-spanned, the movies chose a love-positive approach, emphasising acceptance.
The subtle portrayals and strong messages nudged the audience to introspect on the intrusive judgements one could harbour about people who love make-up. A Marathi movie, Make-up Majhi Dhaal Ga, rebuked society for weighing down their unsolicited opinions on people’s choices. Alex stresses, “In India, the drag culture is slowly picking up. Many people feel comfortable in a certain dress and make-up. It is the person who is comfortable with the make-up. No one has the right to judge the person. Strong make-up is a choice.”
There are many takeaways from foreign movies. However, the movies strike a chord with the Indian audience only when the language is familiar.
Arun Sankar, another audience member, mentions that he is against the bias based on the intellectual capacity of the people, often used as the yardstick for judgement. He says, “Different subjects are popping up. People are ready to pick up the late to the latest and discuss the future. It’s like a feast — It is sweet, it is spicy, it is bitter, too. Here, anyone can come and watch the films.”
A young participant Abhinav says, “The portrayal has changed. Many queer movies were only about intimate scenes. I wouldn’t have been comfortable watching them at home when my parents are around.” Underscoring the diversity in themes and the realism in emulating the society, Abhinav says, “But today, the portrayals are such that I can show them to my parents, too.”
Mainstream portrayals
Rohit Prajapati, the writer, director, and producer of Katlaa Curry, says that the scenario of queer portrayal in mainstream movies is also changing. Referring to the Malayalam movie Kaathal — The Core, he says that superstars are donning the roles of queer people, which is quite encouraging. While Alex echoed the idea that mainstream depictions are improving, they say, “The representations can be problematic sometimes. One of the main suggestions is that when one is making a movie, one must talk to the people from the community. One cannot hetero-wash everything.” The question of who is narrating the story is an important one here.
The movies also upend the notion that ‘queer’ is just an urban concept. Showcasing rural Gujarat, Rohit says, “Even if the word is urban, the feelings are the same.” Filmmaker Mohan Singh Aulakh, the director of Samlingi, says that in cities, the concept of queer is no longer new, but it hasn’t seeped deep into the rural areas. He continues, “The state has been reactive when it comes to issues like farmers’ protests, and just like this, the struggles of queer people become a collective issue. It was important to delve into the terminologies and familiarise them through people’s narrations. Alex says, “This Punjabi documentary talks about the whole diaspora in Punjab. It is going to be a history for future generations. There is something beyond the terminologies that they are aware of. There were representations of they/them. Many are not aware of non-binary.”
With the poignant stories — of a 50-year-old woman coming out as a non-binary, the narration of a gay man who is in his 60s, the stories of queer people who have lost their lives, people who have given in to the rules of heteronormative society, the excruciating stories of trans people and society’s piercing judgements, the three-day festival this month was a “mixture”, as the audience says.
Shifting the spotlight to the audience, the space oozed colours — colours of diversity, the shimmering tones of pride in attire, the gleaming make-up reflecting the identity they have embraced, breaking every definition and gender construct. Like any other queer event, Reel Desires is a personal celebration for a cohort of people for whom the search for identity is as important as the meaning of life.
(Written by Anusree PV)