A-Listers blatantly refused to play gay role on screen in My Brother Nikhil: Onir
Mumbai: India may be a progressive nation but for some, like filmmaker Onir, it is still not ready to embrace the LGBTQ community, which he finds ‘disgusting’ and ‘regressive’.
Before Fawad Khan’s homosexual role in ‘Kapoors & Sons’ in 2016 and Randeep Hooda’s steamy kiss with Saqib Saleem in ‘Bombay Talkies’, portrayal of gay characters on silver screen was not in fashion.
Not to forget, Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao’s film ‘Aligarh’ was an act of rebellion in itself that was frowned upon by many.
Gay Bollywood director Onir says 'I won't be invisible'
One of the first films in Bollywood that dealt with the subject of same-sex relationship was Onir’s 2005-released film ‘My Brother…Nikhil’. Talking about casting woes, the director reportedly said, “For Purab Kohli’s role in My Brother Nikhil, I had approached a few A-list stars who I don’t wish to name. They blatantly refused to play a gay character on screen. This has happened to me, too, so I know. There are very few actors who would be willing to portray such characters on screen. I have immense respect for them. But that again is a rare quality.”
According to Onir, Bollywood is still not comfortable with the LGBTQ community. He said, “These films (on homosexuality) are too few to even count. Bollywood still portrays the LGBT community in the same stereotypical way, and that’s disgusting. It’s so regressive.”
Watch: Trailer of Onir's Shab has a gorgeous Raveena and a lot of sizzle
Onir’s next, ‘Shab’, starring Raveena Tandon, is about dreams and aspirations, with India’s fashion industry at its heart. Speaking about the plot, Onir reportedly revealed, “This film is not about fashion industry. In this film, only one character wants to get into fashion industry. This film is about dreams and relationships. Through this film, we have tried to show different background of people and how their life i¬¬ntersect with each other’s life. This film is about one city where people from different background stay together and fashion industry is only one part of this film.”
