Though
the Supreme Court has scrapped Indian Penal Code’s draconian Section 377,
decriminalising same-sex love, but hate crimes and discrimination against
homosexuals are still rampant. Indians may be more aware now but they still
sneer, bully, call names, make jokes and ostracise. Even today, the deeper you
penetrate into the country’s heartland, the worse gets the mental, emotional,
physical and sexual violence targeted at people of varying sexual orientation.
At a time like this when India is
struggling to translate its apex court’s landmark judgement in its people’s
psyche, everyday actions and behaviour, a mainstream Bollywood film celebrating
lesbian love can go a long way in sending the message across—that awareness in
itself can’t achieve much if not coupled with empathy and the willingness to
accommodate.
Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is
therefore seminal in several ways. For one, it is the first time stars as
popular as Anil Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Sonam Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, and a
producer as big as Vidhu Vinod Chopra are backing a film on a subject like
this. The fight for LGBTQ rights could not have got a bigger or more mainstream
stage.
Two, the film does not exoticise homosexuality. Its people
are not NRIs living in London or Los Angeles. They are not even Mumbaikars or
Dilliwalas. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is
set in Punjab’s Moga. With this movie, the makers intend to tell small-town
India a story of one of their own, thereby heightening its relatability and
demystifying the taboo that homosexuality is a ‘big city fad’.
Three, despite dealing with a sensitive issue, the film is aware of the audience it wants to reach out to and hence does not make the mistake of looking too artsy or cerebral. It has all the trappings of a masala entertainer—A-list stars, a big banner, rejigged versions of popular songs and a love story. Cautious of not wanting to repel cine-goers who are too quick to label and reject everything, leave alone films, the makers have not used any tags or boxes to define the film.
Though the trailers make it apparent that the film celebrates romantic love between two women, none of its cast or crew are saying it out loud before the film’s release. Because it isn’t just about right timing and intent. Right packaging is as important.
Four, the story is not uninformed. It hasn’t been written by someone who doesn’t know. The film’s screenwriter is Ghazal Dhaliwal, a transwoman. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is the product of her lifelong angst, her suffocation of living in a world where not confirming is not an option.
Five, because we’ve known Raj-Simran and Rahul-Anjali and spent money on their poor rip-offs for too long now. We sure can do with fresher love stories, especially the ones that challenge our notions of what should and shouldn’t be.
Three, despite dealing with a sensitive issue, the film is aware of the audience it wants to reach out to and hence does not make the mistake of looking too artsy or cerebral. It has all the trappings of a masala entertainer—A-list stars, a big banner, rejigged versions of popular songs and a love story. Cautious of not wanting to repel cine-goers who are too quick to label and reject everything, leave alone films, the makers have not used any tags or boxes to define the film.
Though the trailers make it apparent that the film celebrates romantic love between two women, none of its cast or crew are saying it out loud before the film’s release. Because it isn’t just about right timing and intent. Right packaging is as important.
Four, the story is not uninformed. It hasn’t been written by someone who doesn’t know. The film’s screenwriter is Ghazal Dhaliwal, a transwoman. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga is the product of her lifelong angst, her suffocation of living in a world where not confirming is not an option.
Five, because we’ve known Raj-Simran and Rahul-Anjali and spent money on their poor rip-offs for too long now. We sure can do with fresher love stories, especially the ones that challenge our notions of what should and shouldn’t be.
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