All rise for Rani-Ko-HE-Nur

One thing the rainbow community is known for is its determination to resist blending in, and that has seen them hold through a long struggle for dignity. When the country's highest court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on September 6, which earlier criminalised homosexuality, it led to the community erupting in joy. While celebrations took on more hues than the rainbow, the one at Kitty Su nightclub in Mumbai stood out as drag queen Rani Ko-HE-Nur took the stage with Dhak dhak karne laga following it up with Channe ke khet mein and Choli ke pichey kya hai on the Madhuri Dixit special night as the crowd began scorching up the dance floor trying to match her groove in energy and style.

Uproariously funny, razor-sharp witty and seductively charming, her comebacks are legendary and can dazzle everyone around. Her voice could serenade armies and stop a war, while the mean dance moves could start another. Rani Ko-HE-Nur has blazed a scintillating trail in less than a year across the length and breadth of the country and even in Bangkok.

Earlier, when we went looking for this drag diva (who now has a special cocktail named after her) at her Bandra home in Mumbai, we found model, actor, performer, singer, video jockey and Mr Gay India 2014 winner Sushant Divgikar ensconced in an easy chair. He was performing the night before but that hadn't stopped him from waking early to monitor what was happening at the Supreme Court. Both Sushant and his mother Bharati sat glued to the TV. "I tried to hold back till I saw my mother sobbing when the news broke. Then I couldn't stop sobbing," he says.

This industrial psychology post-graduate has come a long way from his occasional drag outings down the years. "It began with friends' parties and soon became a part of emceeing LGBTQIA+ events like the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival (South Asia's biggest and the country's only mainstream lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender film festival), for opening/closing nights and even bachelorette parties for friends." However, he hadn't thought of a signature name, personality streak, a colour theme for the costume or even the language/accent like many iconic drag divas, who have made a name for themselves internationally.

September 2017 changed it all when he was offered a chance by India's prominent hotelier family scion and owner of the Kitty Su nightclubs, Keshav Suri, to open for American drag queen, TV personality, and model Violet Chachki with a drag act from India at the sixth anniversary of the club. Today, Divgikar's drag avatar is a consistent feature at all of Suri's nightclubs across the country.

The search for a name for Divgikar's drag alter-ego also began. "We wanted something that would be catchy with a nice desi ring to it," remembers Suri, who suggested Rani Ko-HE-Nur. The name set the tone for both the look and the act. From making a grand entry in a palanquin in regal lehenga-choli to the burlesque and bhangra, Rani does it all. Even changing into a set of sexy fishnet tights and Victoria's Secret lingerie. The elaborate costume means that she takes a minimum of three hours to get her face made up to go with it and also travels with an entourage of six who help her get ready. "She's a diva and needs someone to help her out with everything".

Incidentally, Divgikar's mother Bharati is very particular about what he is wearing and an entire room at home has become Rani's de facto wardrobe. "It's stuffed with so much that I often feel lost, but not my mom. She remembers what outfit was bought with what accessories and fusses equally over what both Sushant and Rani look like when out in public."

Every gig has Rani unfailingly speaking about discrimination, exclusion and bigotry (largely tongue-in-cheek but every once in a while with a frank in-your-face openness). "My drag alter-ego often gives me the licence to stretch boundaries and speak even of those issues that the LGBTQIA+ community gingerly sidesteps," he says. While he wholeheartedly supports the community's inclusive equality demand, he finds its hypocrisy about its own exclusion within appalling. "It is shocking to see how much negativity based on preconceived notions, with no basis in reality, the community boxes some of its members into. Trans people, 'masculine women,' 'effeminate men,' cross dressers, bisexuals and intersex individuals have it worst." Instead of lectures on intra-community bigotry, Rani Ko-HE-Nur nights send out a signal for accepting diversity by keeping it open to all. "Not only are all the alphabets of L, G, B, T, Q, I and A are represented (in whatever form they like to articulate their sexuality) but we also have straight stags and couples. Since people are encouraged to come dressed the way they want, one can see everything from sari, skirts, shorts, to tuxedos and cowboy boots."

Rani-Ko-HE-Nur is now the first Asian to be on the panel for Mr Gay Europe and board of directors for Mr Gay World. As the youngest on the panel, he has plans for an international pageant of our own hosted in India by 2019 end. He laughs uproariously when asked if Rani and Divgikar talk to each other. "From the beginning, she has made it abundantly clear that she doesn't see me as an equal. She's like this diva who will curl her nose at someone like me," he giggles.

Queens of the past

Drag is seen as either a creative outlet, a path to self-exploration or a way to make cultural statements. India has had a rich history of the latter. Classical and folk dance/theatre gave a socio-cultural context to men who took on feminine roles. This distinctly pre-dates, by several centuries, the first female impersonators of the Shakespearean era. Whether the male dancers who take on female parts in Kathakali or Gotipua (the lyrical predecessor of Odissi), these forms have always had a place in the socio-cultural ethos and have been given sanction by tradition. This got furthered in theatre when legends like Bal Gandharva essayed some of the most iconic characters in the Marathi musical plays of the late 1800s and 1900s