Bollywood shaken

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Lesbian-themed film in India stirs anger

Ben Townley, Gay.com U.K.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 / 05:17 PM

 

 

The Bollywood film industry was shaken on Monday after a cinema in

the Indian city of Bombay was attacked for showing a new lesbian-

themed movie.

 

Far-right Hindu extremists protested outside the cinema after it

showed "Girlfriend," the first Bollywood film to deal with lesbian

issues.

 

The angry members of the Shiv Sena party, mostly students, smashed

windows and burnt effigies in the street, press reports claim, saying

they were disgusted at the film for depicting a relationship between

two women.

 

While India's film industry is the biggest in the world, it mainly

shows straightforward love stories that are tame by Western standards.

 

"What one does in the bedroom and bathroom should not be displayed

publicly," Shiv Sena leader Arun Pathak told the Reuters news

agency. "We'll not allow such a film to be screened."

 

However, Indian authorities have deployed police Tuesday to ensure

those wishing to view the film are not restricted. They hope that

such a presence will stop any more protests from taking place.

 

Gay cinema has had a turbulent past in India, where issues

surrounding sexual diversity are still taboo. Earlier this year, an

Indian film depicting gay men and drag queens premiered in the United

Kingdom, after it was banned in its home country.

 

Sridhar Rangaihn, director of the banned film, "Pink Mirror," said he

hoped the U.K. showing of the film would help expose the "contract of

silence" that the country's lesbian and gay population are forced to

endure.

 

Nearly six years ago, the Shiv Sena party held similar demonstrations

against the film "Fire," the first Indian film in wide release to

depict lesbian relationships.