7 Powerful LGBTQ+ Themed Films To Watch This Pride Month
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The month of June is here, and it is finally time to fly out rainbow flags and celebrate with our fellow allies and queer folk! Pride month is all about acknowledging the struggle that was (and still is) faced by the LGBTQ+ community and celebrating them for who they are. In early September of 2018, section 377 was finally decriminalized in a landmark verdict, and LGBTQ+ folk all across the country could breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to this verdict, people who identify as members of this community can live in peace and not worry about being arrested for simply being with their partners. Of course, despite the landmark judgment being passed, many in this country do not support the community. To illustrate some of the struggles faced by LGBTQ+ folk, here are seven powerful films you must consider watching:
1. Fire (1996)
Fire is a story about two Indian women, Sita (Nandita Das) and Radha (Shabana Azmi), who are trapped in loveless marriages. Sita is stuck in a relationship with her authoritarian and unfaithful husband, Jatin, while Radha is married to Jatin’s older brother, Ashok, who doesn’t believe in getting intimate with his partner. Since the two women are in a similar predicament, they start to go closer. Soon, however, their relationship involves from friends to much more than friends, and they become lovers.
2. Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
We all know that every true love story out there deserves to have a happy ending. However, for Aman (Jitendra Kumar) and Kartik (Ayushmann Khurana), the road to that ending is not all smooth sailing. While Aman is still stuck in the closet, his quirky boyfriend Kartik will stop at nothing to prove his love for Aman and is even ready to battle Aman’s homophobic family that plans to marry him off to a woman.
3. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Brokeback Mountain follows the tale of two young men, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger), who are hired to tend to sheep in 1963 Wyoming. Although the two are initially just friends, they begin to fall for each other and begin a love affair. Despite both of them getting married to two women, they continue with their intimate relationship for many decades. Although, the fact that they can’t be together starts to drive a rift between the pair, and soon tragedy strikes.
4. Aligarh (2015)
Aligarh is a movie that is based on the real-life tragedy of Professor Ramchandra Siras (Manoj Bajpayee). The professor was an esteemed faculty member at Aligarh Muslim University and was the head of the Classical Modern English Languaged Faculty while teaching there. Things go awry when a local news channel barges into his home unannounced and catches him in a compromising position with a rickshaw puller. This incident has a massive impact on his life, and he is fired from his university. He ends up suffering from severe mental health issues, until journalist Deepu Sebastian (Rajkummar Rao) walks into his life and offers him help.
5. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga (2019)
Mainstream Bollywood rarely showcases the troubles that LGBTQ+ folk have to endure and tries to showcase a more glamorous side. This movie is not like that. Sweety Chaudhary (Sonam Kapoor) comes from a fun-loving but very orthodox Punjabi family. Sweety had dreams of being a bride since she was a little girl; however, things change once she has grown up. She rejects any suitor picked by her parents, and they have no clue why she is doing so. Soon, she reveals that the reason for her rejecting these potential suitors is because she is madly in love with a woman.
6. Carol (2015)
Carol (Cate Blanchett), a wealthy socialite, is unhappy in her marriage and finds herself pursuing an affair with a young sales girl named Therese (Rooney Mara). Set in the 1950s, this film is set in an era where love between two women was highly condemned and considered unnatural. The young lovers take an impromptu road trip that finally gives them the freedom to sleep in the same bed together and be united. Carol takes you on a zig-zag journey of twists and leaves you rooting for the two women. The last lingering shot proves just how good the film is.
7. My Brother Nikhil (2005)
My Brother Nikhil is set in 90s Goa and showcases the story of state champion swimmer, Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri), who is the apple of his family’s eyes. Unfortunately for Nikhil, he gets diagnosed with HIV, and everyone except for his sister, Anamika, and his boyfriend, Nigel, turn their back against him. During those days, the laws were so disgraceful that Nikhil was arrested under the Goa Public Health Act and placed in isolation. Since HIV was still relatively new in the country, many had misconceptions about how it was spread. Anamika and Nigel managed to get him released and start an organization to help those afflicted with the condition. Nikhil is eventually accepted by his parents, and after he passes away, they begin to see his boyfriend Nigel as their own son.
The truth is that we have a long way to go until we become a country that is, if not accepting, at least kind to those who come from the LGBTQ+ community. It’s better to let your loved ones live their lives as their authentic selves than to cage them. Do let us know which of these movies will be on your watchlist in the comment section below!
