Will homosexuality come out of the closet, into the mainstream?

Undeterred by dismal reviews and poor box office collections, the Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyun team is trying to take its film to as many
people as it can. A special screening was held for the gay community at a Juhu multiplex late on Tuesday night. The event was attended by prominent members including gay rights activist Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil.

“Popular media has the power to influence mindsets. A film which portrays the gay community and its issues realistically is indeed commendable,” Gohil told DNA. Pointing out that society
and the film industry still has a long way to go when it comes to sensitivity towards issues pertaining to homosexuality, the Prince added that the process of change seems to have begun. “It will be a long and slow journey for the community but at least the first
steps have been taken,” he added.

Meanwhile, a few multiplexes in the city, including Cinemax and Fun Cinemas, have refused to screen the controversial film. “They said that that the homosexual content was inappropriate for their family audiences. Others who decided to screen the movie gave it only one slot during the day,” lead actor Kapil Sharma said.

Sources at Cinemax and Fun Cinemas confirmed that they did not want to screen the film since it was “too explicit”. However, PVR Juhu, where the film is currently running, has decided to increase the number of shows. “We’ve had nearly 80 % occupancy since the film was released a few days ago. Hence, we decided to
add a late night show to make it convenient for audiences,” a PVR official said.

Though the Censor Board has made sure that the film was passed only after several love scenes were deleted, Dunno Y… Na Jaane Kyun was able to retain a smooch and several intimate scenes between Sharma and the other lead actor, Yuvraaj Parashar.

“It was uncomfortable getting intimate with another man on screen but I am glad we didn’t let our awkwardness get into the way of making India’s first gay love story,” said Parashar who had a fallout with his family when his parents learnt that he was playing a homosexual character in his debut film.

Sharma claims that despite the controversies surrounding it, the film is fast becoming popular in gay circles. “There are mass
messages and emails being circulated by those who have seen and liked the movie. A lot of gay people are also urging their straight friends to watch the film,” he added.

However, the film has few takers amongst the general audience in Mumbai. “I only watched the film because I wanted to know what the fuss was all about. But I found it to be a shoddy product with bad acting and absurd dialogues,” said Suhana Sharma, a cinegoer.

Ravi Rai, who also went to see the film out of curiosity, admits that he did not enjoy the experience. “There was just too much tittering and rude name calling in the theatre every time an intimate scene flashed on the screen,” he pointed out.

Homosexuality should be a secondary theme
Though more people are being sensitised through films, we will  triumph in our quest  when homosexuality is a secondary issue in a Hindi film. Imagine a film has two gay lovers whose parents are opposing their marriage not because they belong to the same gender but but because one is poor and the other is rich.
Harish Iyer, gay rights activist

Such films don’t do much for gay rights
While it is a good thing that homosexuality is now being talked about freely in the media, films on the subject do very little for the cause of gay rights. A lot of those who are going to watch Dunno Y...Na Jaane Kyun are going only for cheap thrills. It was annoying when there were catcalls after the gay protagonist is shown crying into his pillow.
Naeem Shirazi, call centre employee and homosexual ‘not out to society’

Will introduce the issue in daily conversation
Mainstream films with gay content such as Dunno Y..Na Jaane Kyun will come into a lot of criticism from several quarters and may even provoke protest. But the good thing is that they are opening up room for dialogue about an issue that is mostly never discussed in polite conversations.
Manvendra Singh Gohil, gay rights activist