Bollywood Goes Gay With Latest Blockbuster
March 6, 2010
In a culture where kissing on the big screen is considered a taboo, a new movie depicting a gay romance is about to spice Bollywood up.
The promotional poster for ‘Dunno Y … Na Jaane Kyun’ features two shirtless men in a sensual embrace and is being touted as India’s answer to Brokeback Mountain.
Few details have emerged about the script and, curiously, the dialogue is in English – a tactic perhaps to satisfy strict Indian censorship.
The Times Of India reports that well know director Anil Sharma’s brother Kapil Sharma, a fledgling actor who plays the lead, was ‘warned’ against taking on the role, accepting the offer after other stars declined.
“I feel today’s audience is mature enough, and they don’t want to see typical run-of-the-mill kind of films. Look, at Hollywood, Hasn’t Tom Hanks played a gay character? An actor should be open to playing any character conventional or unconventional.
“The only thing I was particular about, was that this character should not come across as a caricature or just as an object of mockery. I am truly happy with what I have chosen.†said the young actor.
Sharma plays a wannabe model from a small town who begins a relationship with another man as a shortcut to success. His character ‘Aryan’ works both as a gigolo and performs at private parties for rich gay socialites – something that is ‘quite common’ among aspiring models in Mumbai according to the actor.
Bollywood has rarely depicted homosexuality even though a thriving gay culture exists in the country.
“I took inputs from my gay friends and also went to gay parties in a group just to get the feel of their lifestyle. I even got hit on by a gay,†smiles Sharma.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in India only last year however convictions were extremely rare with no convictions at all in the last 20 years.
There is currently no legal recognition of same-sex couples under Indian law.
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Links for this story:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/news-interviews/Kapil-Sharma-gay-act/articleshow/5142286.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Indias-answer-to-Brokeback-Mountain/articleshow/5416589.cms
Gary Cosby writes for social networking sites.