lgbt

representation
in
bollywood

'All the characters, incidents and

places in these films are fictitious.
Resemblance to any person living
or dead or any incident or place is
purely coincidental
Because most are
TOO STEREOTYPICAL to be true
anyway.

GAY MEN
IN

BOLLYWOOD

EVIL GAY

THE HEARTBREAKER

(OF THE STRAIGHT GIRL ONLY)

-Will seduce your

boyfriend
-Will seduce your
dude best friend
-Will seduce your
husband

OR

SHINING
EXAMPLES

Life..In A Metro
Page 3
Honeymoon
Travels
Pvt. Ltd.
Bombay Talkies

Marry you without

telling you he is gay
anyway.

*sizzle*

IM COMING
LADIES.......

PROFESSION

Any urban creative or

glamorous profession like
advertising professional
or RJ or model that allows
sexual
experimentation.

FUNNY GAY
Forever lusting
after the hero
inspite of heros rebukes

Provider
of crude comedic relief and
ocial butt of
jokes

Wears either
owery
Hawaian shirts
or an
excessively well
maintained
pink suit

Excessively
effeminate and
amboyant

PROFESSION
Either a loafer with no
purpose in life but to
hit on men or a
fashion designer

SHINING EXAMPLES
Dostana
Bol Bachan
Student Of The Year
Every second comedy
ick

the scandal
angle

aapka beta gay hain !

AND WHO DOESNT REMEMBER KANTA

BEN

WHY CANT THEY

BE GAY?

WHY CANT THEY GET

A SERIOUS BOLLYWOOD
ROMANCE INSTEAD OF A COMEDY?

WHY CANT MR.FLAMBOYANCE

ACTUALLY BE STRAIGHT AND GET
THE GIRL?

WHY COULDNT

kanta bai
THE DOOR?

JUST CLOSE

WHAT REALLY WAS SO SCANDALOUS ?

LASTLY WHY ARE GAY MEN ALWAYS FASHION DESIGNERS?

WHY CANT THEY BE...

POLICEMEN

TEACHERS

ENGINEERS

CEOS

WRITERS

from reel life to real life

STOP ACTING LIKE A

GIRL, DUDE! ITS SO
GAY!

THAT SHIRT IS SO GAY!

YOU ARE TOO MUCH OF A

MARD TO BE GAY. HOW CAN

YOU BE GAY?

THERE ARE GAYS IN OUR

MOHALLA ?!
THIS IS NOT A CITY. THIS IS NO
PLACE FOR PEOPLE LIKE THESE

lesbians
in

bollywood

...

1. NON-EXISTENT

2.
for
m
a
l
e
t
i
t
t
i
l
a
t
i
o
n
o
n
l
y

BECAUSE ACCORDING TO BOLLYWOOD

LESBIANS EXIST IN XXXVIDEOS.COM ONLY
AND NOT IN REAL LIFE. HENCE QUEER
WOMEN MAKE APPEARANCES ONLY IN
SOFT PORN THRILLERS OR LESBIAN KISSES
ARE INCLUDED PURELY FOR SENSATIONALIZATION THUS DELUDING AUDIENCES INTO
THINKING HOMOSEXUALITY IN WOMEN IS
OKAY ONLY IF IT IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF
OBJECTIFICATION BY MEN.

3.REALISTIC ON RARE OCCASSIONS

BUT

WHILE DOSTANA CREATED RIOTS OF

LAUGHTER AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LGBT
COMMUNITY.......

MOVIES LIKE FIRE THAT EXPLORED A REAL LESBIAN

RELATIONSHIP CREATED RIOTS IN THE COUNTRY.

LITERALLY.

WHY ARE THERE NO POSITIVE

REPRESENTATIONS
OF
QUEER
WOMEN AT ALL IN MAINSTREAM
BOLLYWOOD?
WILL THERE BE A DAY WHEN......

TWO

WOMEN

GET A
QUINTESSENTIALLY
BOLLYWOOD

HAPPY

ENDING?

from reel life to real life

YOURE JUST JOKING.

YOURE NOT
ACTUALLY LESBIAN

WHAT IS
A LESBIAN?

IM NOT
INTERESTED. I AM
A LESBIAN!

OH I LOVE
LESBIANS! SO
HOT *DROOL*

transgenders
in

BOLLYWOOD

THE EUNUCH
The butt of crude
humour and
humiliation

Aggressive and
prone to
harassing people

Claps hands
loudly all the
time

JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Sex Workers
Beggars
Professional Blessing
Givers
Pimps

BOLLYWOOD
TIPS
ON HOW

TO BE FUNNY
#1

GET AN ACTOR TO CROSS DRESS

OR
GET A EUNUCH TO MAKE FUN OF

OR

BOBBY DARLING

remember bobby darling?

Her humiliation was
not limited to her roles
only.

Translated excerpts from an interview with Bobby Darling on

Carry On Shekhar, a talk show hosted by Shekhar Suman in
2011 in which he (not so subtly in true Bollywood style) mocks
her transgender identity and proceeds to use a male pronound
for her throughout the show.

SS- Please welcome Pankaj Sharma as the hot sexy Bobby Darling!.....You are beautiful from every angle, from every corner but
I dont know whether ,in English, to call you beautiful or handsome! *cue laughter*
BD-Whatever.
SS-Whatever? Whatever will not do the work. You decide what I
should call you. But you are not actually Bobby Darling. This is a
different avatar of you. I know that in reality, you are Pankaj Sharma! *mocking voice*
SS-When people see you cross dressing in society, men will harass you, even women will harass you. How do you feel? Do you
like it? Do you want ME to harass you? *cue laughter*
BD- ....I want to enjoy my life. It is the only one that I have.....
SS- And you have turned your one life into two lives! *cue laughter*
The interview proceeds into a re-enactment of how Bobby Darling is harassed over the phone by men, done in standard Bollywood manner.
TRANSPHOBIA IN BOLLYWOOD IS NOT LIMITED TO
<!-- Generator: Adobe Illustrator 18.0.0, SVG Export

OH! I FORGOT
THAT BISEXUALS AND
TRANS-MEN EXIST.

JUST LIKE

BOLLYWOOD
DID.

BOLLYWOOD HAS HAD SOME

SENSITIVE AND NUANCED
REPRESENTATIONS OF LGBT CHARACTERS
IN THE PAST.
BUT THE QUESTION IS
IN A COUNTRY WHERE MAINSTREAM
CINEMA HAS SUCH INFLUENCE ON THE
PUBLIC .....
ARE SUCH REPRESENTATIONS, EVEN IF
PURELY FOR THE SAKE OF COMEDY,
ADDING TO THE STIGMA AND
STEREOTYPING OF THE ALREADY
OSTRACISED
LGBT COMMUNITY?
IS IT TIME TO CHANGE IT?

BY
DEBASMITA DAS