NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY ODISHA

SUBJECT : SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL ISSUES AND DEBATES

IMPACT OF REPRESENTATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN

POPULAR MASS MEDIA V. ART HOUSE MEDIA (INDIAN
PERSPECTIVE)

[INTERNAL ASSESSMENT : SEMESTER II]

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF :

DR. UPASANA BORTHAKUR (VISITING FACULTY – SOCIOLOGY)

SUBMITTED BY :

PREETAMONA DE (22BALLB072)

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The project was successfully completed because of the aggregate efforts of a number of people
and the efforts need to be acknowledged, appreciated and expressed gratitude to.

I would like to express my heartiest gratitude to Dr. Borthakur for providing me with right as
well as ample guidance and support. I am indebted to her for her constant presence, availability
and prompt response without which, the successful completion of this project would not have
been possible.

I would also like to thank the library department which expressed their unconditional support
and also provided the required resources and materials and made this project successful. To
end with, I would like to thank myself, my parents and my friends whose constant support and
my efforts have maintained my enthusiasm to complete this project.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................................................... 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS ...................................................................................................... 3

1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 4

I. Research questions .................................................................................................. 4

2. PARAMETERS FOR DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN POPULAR AND ART

HOUSE CINEMA............................................................................................................. 5

3. REPRESENTATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN CINEMA .................................... 6

4. IMPACT OF POPULAR AND ART HOUSE CINEMA ............................................ 9

5. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................ 10

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 1. INTRODUCTION

According to Britannica, homosexuality may be defined as sexual interest in/and attraction to

members of one’s own sex1. Generally, the term, ‘gay’ is used synonymously for homosexual
people, however, female homosexuals are referred to as ‘lesbians’. Homosexuality has been
perceived differently by different cultures in different time periods. Even though this has
gained momentum and recognition in the recent past, it was not unheard of in ancient Greece
and Rome. Some cultures centered around religions like Islam, Judaism, Christianity consider
homosexual behaviour ‘sinful’ or forbidden as per their faith.

India and homosexuality have also been in tandem since the ancient times and the discussion
is still on in the modern times. The prominent instances in the ancient times where
homosexuality has been mentioned, discussed, or represented maybe seen in Vatsyayana’s
Kamasutra, where an entire chapter has been dedicated to erotic homosexual behaviour 2, or the
temples of Khajuraho where there are images and sculptures of women erotically embracing
other women as well as men exhibiting their genitalia to each other3. Homosexuality has also
been portrayed in 20th century gouache painting. However, despite these instances and there
being texts advocating modern LGBT causes in ancient times , Indian culture has still
“ ”

considered homosexuality as taboo and treated it as a sin.

In terms of modern India, there has been repeal of draconian and archaic laws like
criminalization of homosexuality. People, in fact, may be said to be having a shift in their
perspectives towards the LGBT community as well. There has been much more awareness and
acceptance of homosexual people and how mass media, mainly movies, have shaped that is the
study of this paper.

I. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the parameters of differentiating popular cinema from art-house

cinema?
2. How has representation of homosexuality varied in both the styles of cinema?
3. What has been the impact of such representation?

1
‘Homosexuality | Meaning, History, & Facts | Britannica’ (16 March 2023)
<https://www.britannica.com/topic/homosexuality> accessed 18 March 2023.
2
‘Homosexuality in India’, , Wikipedia (2023)
<https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homosexuality_in_India&oldid=1143960079> accessed 19 March
2023.
3
‘Homosexuality in Ancient India: 10 Instances’ (India Today) <https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/10-
instances-of-homosexuality-among-lgbts-in-ancient-india-1281446-2018-07-10> accessed 19 March 2023.

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 2. PARAMETERS FOR DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN POPULAR AND ART
HOUSE MEDIA

In this paper, we have chosen two styles of cinema to gauge, study and determine the impact
cinema can make on thinking and perception of people regarding important societal norms and
issues. Our objective is to understand how it has shaped how people perceive and what they
think about homosexuality in India. We have further divided cinema into two styles – popular
and art house. Our vision of popular media is films that are watched and liked by more people
(declared, at least, a hit by Box Office India) and that have successfully stirred a conversation
around homosexuality and created a dialogue amongst not only the urban population, but also
the rural and conservative households. As for art house media, the films that are made
independently, irrespective of Box Office collections and that cater to a niche audience have
been considered for this paper.

The movies we have considered as popular media for this project are Dostana (Hindi), Kapoor
and Sons (Hindi), Badhaai Do (Hindi), Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan (Hindi), Ek Ladki
Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (Hindi), Margarita With A Straw (Hindi), Bombay Talkies (Hindi),
Mumbai Police (Malayalam). The central theme of these movies is homosexuality and the story
of a homosexual individual or couple. All these movies were made by big banners and starred
prominent and popular actors. The art house movies we have picked are Fire (Hindi),
Sancharam (Malayalam), Aligarh (Hindi), Memories In March (Bengali). Some of these
movies, even though were not accepted initially, received recognition and were embraced over
the years. However, some were shunned for their subject and probably close-to-reality
portrayal of homosexuality and such relationships.

We have tried to incorporate all the relevant and important movies made across languages and
regions, trying to write this paper truly through the lens of Indian perspective and making it
inclusive. The other languages, besides Hindi, that have made impactful and crucial films are
Malayalam and Bengali.

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 3. REPRESENTATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY IN MASS MEDIA

Throughout the years, there has been a lot of discussion on homosexuality. There have been
people dismissive of its existence to considering it outright taboo or unnatural. The homosexual
people have had to deal with all the malicious remarks from not only the society, but also from
their own families, most of the time. Besides all of this, there was another matter of concern
for them, that is, the representation of LGBT sections in mass media, or, movies, to be specific.
There have been varied sorts of representation of homosexual people in movies over time. The
gay people have been used as comedic relief or have been portrayed as a caricature, as in,
overtly effeminate with garish sense of clothing and men who could not control themselves
upon seeing other men, irrespective of the other person’s orientation and/or consent. However,
there have been movies that were made to depict homosexual relationships and not use them
as a trope or a joke. The first instances of such depictions may be traced to two unreleased films
of Hindi language, Badnam Basti (1971) and Adhura (1995). Both the movies touted to be
‘India’s first gay film’ by analysts, did not get to see the light of the day, owing to prejudiced
censor boards. Upon research, it was found out that the movies had close-to-reality portrayal
of homosexual relations. Other noteworthy mentions in this regard may be made of two short
films, Bomgay (1996) and Omar (2010 – part of an anthology, I Am).

Dostana (2008), a popular film, may be considered a ‘pioneer’ of sorts when it comes to
depicting homosexuality openly and representing the homosexual community and their
relationships. However, the “tongue-in-cheek”4 kind of homour did not sit well with the people
of the society in general, especially the people of the concerned community. In fact, the movie
went overboard with its portrayal of the people belonging to the community with the characters
being absolutely outlandish and the portrayal being perceived as mockery of the homosexual
people rather than being an apt representation. The primary characters pretended to be gays for
a rental accommodation and did all sorts of activities that would make any sane person, gay or
otherwise, ‘face-palm’ and wonder whatever were the makers thinking while making the
movie. Even so, the film cannot be discredited in its entirety as it did spark up a conversation
around gays and gay relationships. A contrast may be drawn to this with reference to an art
house film, Fire (1996). Even though the movie created an uproar and stirred up controversy
with vandalism and violent protests being the go-to resort of the dissenters, the movie depicted

4
‘Before Badhaai Do! These Bollywood Movies Explored LGBTQ+ Relationships’ (WION)
<https://www.wionews.com/photos/before-badhaai-do-these-bollywood-movies-explored-lgbtq-relationships-
281580> accessed 20 March 2023.

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lesbian relationship with portraying the lesbian couple as two individuals who are as sane and
as ‘normal’ as heterosexual people. Their sexual orientation does not make them different or
act differently.

Other popular media may be mentioned, however, which did not massacre the characteristics
or the characters of a person belonging to the LGBT community, rather attempted to give them
proper representation. The characters were depicted like any average heterosexual characters
have been presented so far, that is, character quirks not being based on the sexuality or the
sexual orientation of the character. Movies like Kapoor and Sons (2016), Badhaai Do (2022),
Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan (2020), Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2018),
Margarita With A Straw (2014), may be considered to be flagbearers for normalising the
existence of homosexual people and homosexual relationships as well as homosexual
orientation to the majority of the masses in the country. Kapoor and Sons had the story of a
closeted gay man belonging to a dysfunctional family, who did everything in his stride to be
the ‘perfect’ child of the family. Badhaai Do had two very different people of the opposite
sexes but very similar orientation, that is, they both were homosexuals – one being at a position
of power and the other being a teacher – and both making an arrangement so as to keep their
families out of their business and to protect themselves from the prying and judgemental eyes
of the society. Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan was the story of two men in love fighting to
be together. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga represented a closeted lesbian from a small
town and her journey. Margarita With A Straw depicted a specially abled girl having a same-
sex relationship while being bisexual and navigating through life with her condition. All these
movies, primarily, had a common thread and a common theme – coming out to the parents and
the struggle for their acceptance. Eventually, in most of the popular movies, the parents
understand and accept their children and things end well. This, not only gives representation to
the LGBT community, but also hope that their parents, family and people close to them would
be as understanding and accepting as it is generally shown. It must be noted that the more the
conversation, the dialogue around homosexuality and how it does not make a person any
different, the easier it becomes for the people coming out. This is where proper representation
comes into play in making the society a little more accepting towards people who are perceived
to be ‘different’ by virtue of their sexual orientation and identity.

The art house movies may be said to have already been ahead of popular movies in the portrayal
of the LGBT community. The movies like Sancharam (2004), Aligarh (2015), Memories In
March (2010) depicted the struggles of homosexual people in a society that is so prejudiced

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against a natural phenomenon that tends to make their life harder than it needs to be. Sancharam
is the story of two school girls in love, belonging to conservative society, and how adulthood
and family pressure determines their fate. Aligarh is a biographical story of a former professor
of Aligarh Muslim University whose privacy was invaded, following unpleasant consequences.
Memories In March shows the story of a bereaved mother’s discovery about her son’s
orientation post his death due to an ill-fated accident. These movies do not paint a rosy picture
for the LGBT community rather depict the grave realities that they have to face and deal with.

While the popular movies have had quite a problematic representation of the characters in the
past years, the newer filmmakers and films have become more aware and conscious of their
social responsibility. The representation is more accurate and characters are characterised as
any other person and are not given special ‘quirky’ attributes only by the virtue of their sexual
orientation and identity. The popular movies even provide a ray of hope to the people of the
LGBT community while trying to normalise their existence and making it more mainstream as
popular movies are watched by more people and they even tend to penetrate to the rural areas
of the country as well. On the other hand, art house cinema may boast about always having
portrayed the LGBT community in the accurate light and treating the characters the way they
should be treated, all the while trying to encourage the society to do the same. However, in the
movies we have discussed for this paper, it may be seen that there is a sombre tonality to the
story and more often that not, the characters seem to be met with an undesirable fate. It may be
argued that, generally, the real people are usually given the similar treatment by the family as
well as the society as the reel characters portrayed on the screen. Despite the reality being
shown, albeit to a niche audience, in terms of representation, art house media has been doing a
far greater job than the popular medium. However, there is still the issue of representing them
as by-the-way characters as are generally there in the society rather than portraying them just
as main characters who need saving.

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 4. IMPACT OF POPULAR AND ART HOUSE MEDIA

In India, movies are quite impressionable. Common people get swayed quite easily by what is
portrayed on screen. In such a scenario, movies depicting homosexuality and homosexual
relations is bound to leave an impact on the people of the society. While art-house cinema could
have impacted the society positively almost over a decade before from now, its limitation of
being appealing to a certain sect of audience only, hindered the impact it could have had. On
the other hand, it may be said that the representation of the popular media, up until recent times,
delayed the cause of the LGBT community by heaps and bounds. The portrayal of them just as
objects of mockery and the abject dehumanization of their existence, gave the society also the
leeway to act a certain way towards them. Indian cinema, especially Hindi-language movies,
may be blamed to stoke the already existing homophobia and the abashed cracking of
distasteful jokes at their expense.

Things, however, are somewhat changing in the present times with makers being more sensitive
and responsible about the community and their standing in the society. The fact that a lot of
homosexual people themselves are being a part of the creative process is helping them get their
points across and to present a somewhat first-hand viewpoint and experience. The cognizance
of people not belonging to the community may only help in steering their cause and reduce the
stigma and misconceptions about homosexuality.

In recent times, the movie to have the most positive impact on the movement and cause of
homosexuality is Badhaai Do. The characters of men in the position of power being
homosexual provided a positive representation. The fact that it was a popular movie made it
reach the rural corners as well while creating more awareness and a positive impact. Most of
the movies of recent times are indeed attempting to make a positive impact. There are more
positive conversations about the community. It may also be said to be providing strength to
closeted homosexuals to come out to their parents, family and the world. There is a sense of
hope and positivity. However, there is still a long way to go as a society to be completely free
from homophobia.

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 5. CONCLUSION

The paper attempted at understanding what homosexuality is and how it has evolved over a
period of time in India in terms of it perception, acceptance and understanding. This was done
from the perspective of cinema – popular and art-house. We attempted to study how
homosexuality has been represented in both the varied styles of cinema and how such
representation has impacted the society and its thinking.

In terms of representation, there has some sketchy portrayal of the homosexual community in
the popular kind of cinema. It may be understood that human beings have their own quirks and
every person is different. The issue arises where they are shown to act differently because their
sexual orientation is different from what is perceived usual, and not because they are
individuals with a colourful personality. However, it can be seen that rectifications have been
made in that respect with passage of time. Art-house cinema has always had an accurate
representation and portrayal. However, it could not create a desired impact for the lack of reach
and acceptance of such cinema by a broader audience. Popular cinema has been generating
some positive and healthy impact with its conscious portrayals and mass appeal and reach. The
society may be said to be changing for the better and homosexuality being accepted widely,
however, there are still homophobic people whose perceptions need to be changed.
Entertainment can be the hope for such people.

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