Happy Together: 12 Essential LGBTQ Movies From India

Here’s a list of 12 notable Indian LGBTQ movies, some well-known & some obscure.

After a long fight, the draconian section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was finally read down by the Supreme Court of India, bringing smiles and relief to the LGBTQ community. Decades of persecution finally ended. But as one battle comes to an end, there are other battles, waiting to be fought.

The LGBTQ community in India has suffered in various spheres - be it emotional or physical. They have even been caricaturised and ridiculed in their depiction in films. But beyond this lampooning, there are some wonderful films that have tried to break the pattern to empathetically portray the lives of the LGBTQ community.

One of the first movies on the LGBTQ theme is the now forgotten Badnam Basti (1970), directed by Prem Kapoor. In a piece for Scroll, Manish Gaekwad writes that this movie was an 'unconventional love triangle between two men and a woman' adapted from a book written by Kamleshwar. Unfortunately, there is no copy of this movie. After Badnam Basti, barring a few films, there was a serious lull in movies dealing with LGBTQ themes, till 1996 when Bomgay happened. Directed by Jugnu Sethna and Riyad Vinci Wadia, it was an anthology comprising six short films, all based on the poems of R Raj Rao.

The same year also saw Fire (1996), directed by Deepa Mehta and starring Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi. The film became controversial because several right-wing groups deemed its portrayal of lesbianism alien to Indian culture, with protests against it in several Indian cities.

But over the years, the cinematic medium has tried to shine a light on the LGBTQ community through movies offering a window into a world seldom visited and rarely understood. Here's a list of 12 Indian LGBTQ movies, some well-known and some obscure.

Daayra (1996)

Amol Palekar's critically acclaimed movie, about the relationship between a transvestite dancer (Nirmal Pandey) and a gang rape survivor (Sonali Kulkarni) broke the traditional mould of portrayal of the man-woman relationship, going beyond the boundaries that were seldom crossed in Indian cinema. Laced with humour as well as masala moments and replete with beautiful songs, the movie was critically acclaimed.

Gulabi Aaina (1997)

Gulabi Aaina's greatest strength lies in its deliberate presentation of a love triangle involving a gay teenager and two transgenders that goes haywire. The movie boisterously uses Bollywood tropes, producing a campy flavoured narrative that is funny and self-deprecating at the same time. Directed by Sridhar Rangayan, it was banned in India but since then has gained a cult status.

Darmiyaan (1997)

Directed by Kalpana Lazmi, this movie is about Immi (Arif Zakaria) born to a Bollywood actor (Kirron Kher). To her shock, she discovers that her son is a 'eunuch'. She has difficulty accepting this and neglects her son. Immi is raised by his grandmother and grows up to be a thoughtful, caring person but gets targeted by a group of eunuchs led by Champa (Sayaji Shinde), who wants him to join their ranks. Darmiyaan tries to connect two worlds, as seen from the eyes of Immi for whom these gender brackets make no sense. In one of the most touching scenes, when grilled by Champa about his sexuality, Immi says that he is an aadakara (performer), thus defying social mores and coming out as an independent person, beyond the shackles of gender classification. The movie also stars Tabu in an important role.

Mango Soufflé (2002)

Playwright Mahesh Dattani, who turned director with this movie, adapted it from his play, On a Muggy Night in Mumbai. Mango Soufflé talks about homosexuality in the upper echelons of the society. A gay designer throws a dinner party which is attended by his friends as well as his sister and her fiancé. Secrets are revealed, humour overflows and pathos ensues during the course of the party and beyond it. Starring Atul Kulkarni, Rinke Khanna, Ankul Vikal, Heeba Shah among others, it deals with the trials and tribulations of gay Indian men, with utmost sincerity.

Sancharram (2004)

Based on a true story, Sancharram, this Malayalam movie is about Kiran and Delilah, a Hindu and Christian girl who love each other. For a while, things go well but then circumstances prevent them from coming together as their relationship is exposed and Delilah promptly forced to get married. The movie explores how difficult it is to break out of the shackles of societal norms and be with the person you love. Directed by Ligy J. Pullappally, Sancharram tries to deconstruct a relationship that's considered taboo by the society.

Arekti Premer Golpo (2010)

Directed by Kaushik Ganguly, this movie is a complex exploration of gender and sexuality where the past meets the present, as a transgender documentary filmmaker (Rituparno Ghosh) starts working on a documentary on Chapal Bhaduri, a legendary jatra actor who was famous for playing female roles and finds parallels between her life and that of Chapal Bhaduri. Complexities of love and life are revealed as trajectories are switched, showing the agony the characters go through as they are subjected to societal pressure and discrimination.

Memories of March (2010)

Going beyond the paradigms of LBGTQ issues, this movie deals with the idea of acceptance and opening up. A mother (Deepti Naval) comes to collect her son's body and discovers that her son was gay, having no clue about this. After initial misgivings, her son's lover (Rituparno Ghosh) becomes her friend and confidant as she finally comes to terms with his death and his sexuality. The movie mainly works because it tries to depict an interaction between two tormented souls, who have lost someone close as they try to work out their differences and get closure. The movie was directed by Sanjoy Nag and also featured Raima Sen.

Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish (2012)

In one of his last directorial ventures, Rituparno Ghosh tackled several issues. Be it gender politics, sexuality or an unforgiving society, Rituparno fleshed out a character, Rudra (played by him) who goes beyond the norms in every possible way. A choreographer by profession, he comes across Partho (Jisshu Sengupta), during his adaptation of Rabindranath's Chitrangada. As their relationship blossoms, they decide to adopt a child but same sex couples are barred from doing so. Rudra decides to undergo a gender confirmation surgery as he tries to break down the barriers that stop him from discovering his true self, as the movie pushes the audience to answer several questions it raises.

Loev (2015)

Loev is an urban tale about two friends and their feelings for each other that suddenly finds its way, during a weekend trip, with consequences beyond control. But what's gotta happen will happen and possibly for the best. Directed by Sudhanshu Saria, and starring Shiv Pandit and Dhruv Ganesh as friends as well as lovers, Loev is a jazzy and spirited treatment of that eternal cliché of romance, when sparks fly and hearts break. This was also Dhruv Ganesh's last film appearance as he died of tuberculosis shortly after the film was completed.

Aligarh (2016)

Hansal Mehta tries to unravel the mysterious death of Aligarh Muslim University professor Ramchandra Siras, who’s privacy is invaded and he’s thrown out of his job, till a crusading journalist takes up his story and fight for justice. Aligarh explores many dimensions, and asks questions like what it is to be homosexual in India and the ill-treatment meted out to the LGBTQ community in the name of morality and sanctity of the society. With terrific performances from Manoj Bajpayee as Siras and Rajkummar Rao as journalist Deepu Sebastian, Aligarh heralded a new era for Indian cinema when dealing with LGBTQ themes.

Kapoor and Sons (2016)

Bollywood has forever made a mess when it comes to portraying homosexuality. But Shakun Batra's family saga starring Rishi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor, gets it right. In the rigmarole of family bonding, we see Fawad Khan as a gay writer vying for acceptance and approval. Batra manages to do the unmanageable by bringing homosexuality in the mainstream sphere and lending it a mature treatment, thus creating an example for others to follow.

Njan Marykutty (2018)

With Njan Marykutty, Indian cinema tried to take one more step towards maturity while dealing with LGBTQ themes. Directed by Ranjith Sankar, Jayasurya plays a transsexual. The movie, though flawed at times, had its heart in the right place, with Jayasurya giving one of his career-best performances as Marykutty, who wants to be a police officer and knows how difficult it is. But she struggles and keeps fighting. The critics raved about Jayasurya's performance. The film eschewed the usual stereotypes by portraying the character with sensitivity.