Be the Gay Bollywood Wants to See

Written by Sanah Malik

Knock on their doors and beg them to choose you, a gay guy playing a gay character. He gets chosen nonetheless, dressed in pink and white flamboyant shirts and eccentric-looking pants. His role is to run after the male lead, raising his sex quotient…the lead is preferred by both males and females.

People couldn’t even come out of the closet until 2018, as they risked getting arrested because of the Indian Penal Code. Disgrace to those who violate the Dominant Gender Schema! The society mocked their ways, they threatened and thrashed them- ended every scene showcasing a loser who had no say. An “Abnormality” needed to be represented in all platforms, they had to come forward and tell their stories- they required a REVOLUTION!

A change did come about, and it was no less than a miracle. A revelation must’ve dawned upon the ones opposed to the sheer bigotry. After India revoked the Penal Code and decriminalised homosexuality, we saw shows and movies with proper portrayal of those in the LGBTQ+ community. They were teachers, professionals, students- normal people living normal lives. Some were subtle in nature, others liked some spice, but they were all there on the big and small screens, educating the audience about their preferences and breaking derogatory stereotypes. I was astounded when I saw their raw portrayal on online media platforms, and I wondered, why did we create these heteronormative societal blocks in the first place?

This third world country brought about an ounce of change, forcing us to think about what is normal and what isn’t. Media is powerful, what we see is what we believe and if we see the shackles of indifference being broken- we’d like to think that they did. Today, we know more about gender and are willing to learn further. It took a long time for us to be more accepting. I hope these closets that bind parts of our soul break down, that we pick up parts of each other, wipe away our tears- and show up with our crowns.