Homophobia in Republic of India
To a large extent, the Indian context of Homosexuality seems to differ quite greatly from the Western notion, in the way that as opposed to the West where homosexuality continues to find increasing acceptance as a lifestyle choice, the concept is not even properly acknowledged in Modern India. Gay activist Ashok Row Kavi has proclaimed that the Indian gay movement-and Indian gay consciousness on the whole-can be compared to America in the 50s and early 60s. There is no "official" construction of gay identity with a large section of people simply denying that gay men and lesbians exist. He also talks about how, in the Republic of India, there is a generally blind eye kept towards sexuality of any kind, the reason being that the concept of marriage, child-bearing, and continuing caste and family lines is held onto strictly. This attitude is portrayed in the movie Bend it like Beckham, directed by Gurinder Chadha, in a scene where the lead protagonist's male best friend comes out to her. Bewildered, she wheels around to look at him, and implores : "But you're Indian !" The idea of homosexuality is, then, more confined to homosexual acts, which are indulged in by those who otherwise lead lives with a heterosexual preference. In author Vikram Seth's award-winning novel, A Suitable Boy, two male characters who are shown to be otherwise having female love interests and leading heterosexual lives, indulge in occasional acts of homosexuality, something which one of them comments in the course of the book, made more sense when they were younger, thus implying the thought that homosexuality is merely a phase which may be grown out of. We can thus observe how the very idea of a gay lifestyle is not shown much prominence in popular culture, an extension of the Indian atmosphere which continues to sweep homosexuality into the closet, and away from the facet of a lifestyle choice. For most citizens in Bharat, who have grown up in overtly homophobic communities that fail to understand a distinct and highly oppressed subculture. And the moral right-wing authorities in the Republic of India stage protests against anything that would “destroy their culture.” Cinemas that screened Fire, a film depicting a lesbian relationship, were ransacked. Ironically, the Kama Sutra, which originated in India, contains stunning images of this historically prevalent sexual practice.
The most common depiction of homosexuals in Indian cinema and television tends to centre on an array of crude stereotypes, attempting to squeeze out humour from mocking exaggerated characterizations. The common Bollywood perception about homosexuals is that gay men are more effeminate than girls, and lesbian women more masculine than men. On Indian television, perhaps the only depiction of homosexuality was that of a comically effeminate gay fashion designer in the soap Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin, a remake of the Colombian telenovela Yo Soy Betty La Fea. The character's exaggerated effeminacy was played for laughs, and the overall portrayal was extremely negative. A number of Indian movies have attempted depictions of gay and lesbian characters in more fleshed-out roles; however, the attempt to step beyond the trite only backfires as the same stereotype that they seek to banish is instead perpetuated. Mango Souffle, released in 2003, was among the first Indian movies to talk openly of gay men and feature an onscreen lip-lock between two men. However, the movie is guilty of mining many of the clichés associated with the gay community. It uses the very comfortable backdrop of the fashion world and the perceived normlessness as a foil. As The Hindu journalist Ziya us Salam states, the director tried to raise the issue of whether the individual should always be subservient and the society paramount. But the way he went about his task, rather than 'discovering' something new, the viewers were treated to the same old public parks, floundering youngsters and the like. The year 2004 saw the release of director Karan Razdan's lesbian-themed movie Girlfriend to violent protests with its explicit depiction of sexuality onscreen. The film portrays an obsessive, sexually abused and murderous lesbian character who attempts to prevent her female childhood friend from pursuing a relationship with a man. Lesbianism is misrepresented in a big way, with its roots being traced to the lesbian character's sexually abused past. The movie goes on to connect the character's homosexuality to her obsessive, even psychopathic nature. In doing so, as a member of the women's organization Forum Against Oppression of Women states, "it exploits a delicate issue that is hardly given proper coverage in the country, and converts it into a gross caricature, weaving a number of negative myths associated with lesbian women, and only serves to antagonize society even further."
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