DOSTANA: Has homosexuality become the in-thing in India?

The first attempt from Indian cinema at a sympathetic outlook towards gays. The Mira Nair film Fire was perhaps the first Indian film to deal with homosexuality, though the lesbian couple featured were married to men and probably were bisexual. Homosexuals being forced to suppress their nature and get married 'straight' is not a rarity in India. Anyways I can't say much about Fire as I am yet to watch it. Karan Johar brought in the cocept of gays to popular cinema with the Shah Rukh - Saif 'couple' in Kal Ho Na Ho. Going the tongue-in-cheek way and being slapstick at times, the scenes were meant to be funny only and nothing else. Most of the depictions of gays in the subsequent films like Masti were mere rework of the original Kal Ho Na Ho idea. Films like Life in a Metro and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. did feature real gays, but the films had them as 'closeted': having straight life and having to 'cheat' to satisfy their you-know-what. Those two being what is called as multiplex films, Dostana is the first popular Indian cinema to orient predominantly on homosexuality, though the major cast only poses as gays to get an apartment for rent! This Karan Johan (The KHNH Connection!) produced film didn't do too much escapism which most other films flirted with. Even without the title characters played by Abhishek Bachchan and John Abraham being gays, the film throws a flash of light over the aspect of homosexuality in a very sympathetic way. This includes the female lead star's sentimental take on gay love to one of the 'gay' person's mom and depiction of a conservative mother who comes in terms with the fact that his son is a 'gay'! Kudos to the makers of the film for taking up such a risky subject and delivering an out and out entertainer with a message. And hats off to Abhishek and John for taking up the roles and even going upto the extreme of acting in an intended gay kiss scene! Homosexuality is certainly the in-thing in Indian cinema, but it might no be so about the Indian soceity.

The success of the film might not immediately raise demand for gay rights in the country, but it is a good start. I myself belong to the soceity which considers homosexualty as a taboo and like many others me too feel awkward while watching a gay kiss scene in films. The estimated number of gays in India is around 2.5 million and proper number of lesbians is unavaliable. Homosexuality is a crime in India with punishment upto life sentence. I am not sure if anybody was punished for being gays, though. Most of homosexuals in India live a 'closeted' life fearing the soceity's wrath. Compared to homosexuals, transsexuals known popularly as hijras in India are more apparent, but generally they too live a life away from the main course of the soceity. Its high time we Indians understand that homosexulaity and transsexuality are natural phenomena or say the act of the naughty God.