The month of June is designated as Pride Month, during which people of diverse sexual orientations march in parades to expressing one’s sexual orientation. Bollywood has often depicted several inspiring and distinctive LGBTQ films that have had a huge influence on viewers.
On the occasion of Pride Month this year from June 1 to June 30, let’s have a look at 5 Bollywood films that depicted homosexuality with pride!
1. Badhaai Ho
Directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, ‘Badhaai Do’ starred Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead roles. It depicted the little-discussed topic ‘lavender marriage’. A narrative about two homosexual persons who decide to marry each other, it demonstrates how gay people must make difficult “compromises” in order to please conservative sections of society and avoid being discovered.
2. Aligarh
Helmed by Hansal Mehta, the film was released in the year 2015 and was based on the actual incident of Professor Ramchandra Siras, played by Manoj Bajpayee, who was banned from Aligarh University for moral reasons after being caught having intimate relations with a rickshaw driver. Following the event, he was violently humiliated and mocked by society. The film received enormous awards for depicting this topic in a sympathetic and realistic manner. Rajkummar Rao, who portrayed the roles of a journalist Deepu Sebastian and battles for Siras’s justice, also gave an outstanding performance.
3. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga
This was one of the first times a major film depicted the narrative of a same-sex love relationship. Helmed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, the film starred Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, and Rajkummar Rao. Sweety Chaudhary, an innocent cheerful girl born and raised in a traditional Punjabi household, always wanted to be a bride since she was a young, but as she grows older, she finds she doesn’t want a husband on the other side. The film showed Sweety’s family and society’s strong rejection to her homosexuality. Sweety is reunited with her love Kuhu at the end of the film.
4. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan
Starring actors Ayushmann Khurrana, Jitendra Kumar, Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta in the lead roles the film was released in the year 2020. The film also highlighted the topic of same-sex marriage. In the film, Aman’s family attempts everything to keep them apart; nevertheless, Kartik does not back down and fights against all difficulties to marry Aman.
5. Margarita With A Straw
The film ‘Margarita With A Straw’ highlights two crucial issues: homosexuality and disability, both of which frequently provide challenges in the lives of individuals affected. Kalki Koechlin has done an amazing job as Laila, who has cerebral palsy and is still exploring her sexuality before discovering she is a lesbian. Discrimination in the society due to her disability and sexual orientation are the main highlights of the film.
