Sec 377 Verdict: It’s All About Rainbow Love in Bollywood

Everyone from Alia Bhatt and Karan Johar to Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone welcome the verdict.

Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar and Alia Bhatt are among celebs who reacted to the Section 377 verdict.

(Photo: The Quint/ Divya Talwar)

The Supreme Court delivered a historic, landmark judgement on 6 September as it partially struck down the archaic, oppressive Section 377 of IPC, decriminalising homosexuality. While reading his judgment on Section 377 of the IPC, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra noted, “I am what I am. So take me as I am. No one can escape from their individuality”.

B-Town reacts to this jubilant news. Karan Johar, Sonam Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt and many others reacted to the verdict.

Aamir Khan

Priyanka Chopra

Karan Johar

Karan  Johar welcomed the verdict on social media. (Photo: The Quint/ Divya Talwar)

Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor tweeted: “Crying tears of joy for the lgbtqi community. One day there won’t be any labels and we will all live in utopia.”

Vidya Balan

As did Vidya Balan:

Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh on the other hand showed his support in his usual flamboyant way.

Anushka Sharma

Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan managed to club the joy of the verdict with the promotion of their upcoming film, Sui Dhaaga.

From Abhishek and Shweta Bachchan to Alia Bhatt and Deepika Padukone, celebs are taking to social media armed with memes to laud the landmark verdict.

Alia Bhatt

Abhishek Bachchan

Shweta Bachchan

Deepika Padukone

Farhan Akhtar

Fatima Sana Shaikh

Check out how Katrina Kaif, John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sidharth Mahotra and others are celebrating.

Katrina Kaif

Sidharth Malhotra

Twinkle Khanna

Jacqueline Fernandez

John Abraham

Andhadhun star Ayushmann Khurrana told The Quint:

I’m glad we’re born in this era, seeing this side of a progressive Indian society and our judicial system. We have a lot of battles left because we have a certain section of society which is regressive, that may not appreciate any PDA by the LGBT community. Now the community is free and that’s a great step. The bigger battle is to include those regressive minded people in this contemporary mindset and change our society completely. That’s the challenge.

Ayushmann Khurrana, Actor

It’s been raining rainbows on celeb Instagram today.

I think it’s a proud moment for India. It’s a kind of freedom that everyone should have and live with, to make your own choices. It’s excellent and I am proud of my India. Well, this landmark decision by the Supreme Court. The court has clearly and finally stated that sexual orientation is a biological phenomenon and states that any discrimination on this grounds is a violation of fundamental rights.

Manish Malhotra to <a href="https://www.misskyra.com/celebs/exclusive-manish-malhotra-on-section-377-verdict-i-think-it-is-a-proud-moment-for-india/articleshow/65698705.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=TOI">Miss Kyra</a>

When we reached out to Onir, the My Brother Nikhil director had this to say:

It’s been a long struggle for a lot of people, but for me it means a lot because I’ve been one of the few people who have been open in the industry. Also because I make films which deal with LGBT stories, I have faced a lot of problems. I’m hoping now I will not face that discrimination. I hope the satellite channels who refused to show my films because of the content will open up. It’s a long journey towards civil liberties but at the same time today is the time of celebration. I hope that all the people who hide their identities on fake profiles on Grindr will be able to put on real faces. Not only be proud of their identities, but be proud of who they love and do not feel threatened. The way people think in India won’t change overnight. It’s baby steps but it’s a step forward.&nbsp;

Onir, Director

Bandit Queen director Shekhar Kapur had this to say to The Quint:

I think it’s amazing. It’s time for the state and law to get out of people’s bedrooms. It will certainly take fear out, and take a lot of trauma out. The mindset of people is already changing over time.

Shekhar Kapur, Director

Apurva Asrani, the writer of Aligarh, told The Quint:

The tears haven’t stopped flowing since I heard the news. 71 years after a majority of Indians achieved complete independence, the LGBTQ community is finally free. It’s been a lifetime of suppressing true desires and then living in fear of criminal prosecution. Finally the good judges of the SC have spoken of us with respect and dignity. Now the law is with us. While it will take time for society to change its mindset, at least we will have access to legal recourse incase we are harrased/discriminated against. I feel much gratitude towards all the rainbow warriors who have been relentlessly fighting for this day.

Apoorva Asrani, Screenwriter

He also tweeted:

Hansal Mehta, the director of Aligarh reacted to the verdict.

My reaction is full of joy but it comes with a rider. The SC has done its duty, its job. It has abolished this archaic law or this archaic section from our constitution. But as a society we need to reflect and understand how symbolic the SC’s verdict is. We need to reflect upon that and look at our attitudes as a society, you know, towards same sex relationships. Because until societal change and an attitude change does not take place we will not see this battle as complete. But yes, this is a new dawn. I’m not a legal expert, but I believe that marriage is a separate legislation. One, every religion has its own marriage act. So I mean there’s no talk about those acts being amended to allow same sex marriages. Even if you remember in the US, gay sex was not criminalised. When the SC of the United States legalised gay marriages, gay marriages were illegal, gay relationships were not. I think that legislation is the next step. But for now I think we as a society need to reflect. I mean marriage by itself is a redundant institution as long as relationships are within the ambit of the law, we have to respect that.

Hansal Mehta

(With inputs from PTI)