Queer Media: Bollywood and Beyond

It’s been really encouraging to see increasing representations of queerness in our mainstream media. As grateful as we are as queer folk to have queer stories in our own languages, it's important to admit that some stories have been told with more consideration than others.

As queerness becomes more marketable, it becomes even more necessary to not just celebrate the movies that come out but also question them. Is it a culturally sensitive portrayal? Is it a nuanced representation? Is it simply queerbaiting?

For this episode, we decided to take on movies that show the diversity of queer identities such as Margarita with a Straw, Geeli Pucchi, and Naanu Avanalla Avalu (I am She..not He).

We also decided to watch some recent Bollywood hits such as Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhaan and Ek Ladki ko Dekha toh Aisa Laga.

There are some great examples of queer joy in the cinemas above. And almost all of these movies attempt to depict unique queer experiences, unfortunately, some of them still fall prey to perpetuating homophobic stereotypes about the queer community.

Through this episode, we hope to talk about not just how our media represents queerness, but also how this media impacts queer and trans communities as a whole.

To know more about our discussion, read the extended show notes on our website with additional resources and content!

More available on SareesOnScreen.com

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[Music Prod. By LuKremBo]

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