The web is finally experiencing a boost in visibility for LGBTQIA+ representation, which has been limited for decades. But the more important question is: Is it sufficient?
The digital platform is swiftly establishing itself as a vehicle for telling queer stories, whether through major characters or subplots. While everyone applauds the attempts to remedy the biased portrayal, the filmmakers insist that there is still much more work to be done.
“It is great that LGBTQAI+ stories are being met with so much warmth by the audience, and that actors, filmmakers, producers and studios are going out there to Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020) director Hitesh Kewalya feels that “we need to work on our own biases as we go along creating narratives representing queer community”.
“From pathetic characters who were used for humiliation, laughs or villainous purposes, the LGBTQAI+ characters today have a larger purpose in the scripts. They have an identity, they have beating hearts… We are no longer criminalised and the stories of oppression are slowly becoming stories of celebration of the community” says Filmmaker Apurva Asrani.
