The following article contains some spoilers from 'Kapoor and Sons'.
I recently saw Kapoor and Sons and I must say it was a pleasant surprise. In an era of over-the-top heroes, item numbers and script-less formulaic movies, Kapoor and Sons stood out as a delightful film which walked the talk, unlike say a Finding Fanny. This story of a truly dysfunctional family was a delight to watch, as we got to see a realistic Bollywood family for once instead of the Sooraj Barjatya-esque perfect version that most of us have come to abhor.
The Kapoors were delight, each of them bringing their own unique strain of insanity to the table. Of course, the presence of lightweights like Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra does ruin the narrative a bit. When they are both on screen together it’s downright distracting. Frankly, no one in the audience can believe that Sidharth’s character is capable of writing a sentence, let alone a book, as he has trouble walking and talking at the same time. Meanwhile, Alia’s over-the-top bubbly character has been done to death and it takes a lot to care for her problems.
The others—Rajat Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor and Ratna Pathak— are all fabulous in their portrayals and you wonder how much more amazing this movie could’ve been if Sidharth and Alia were replaced by two people who can actually act. Maybe Ranbir (he is a Kapoor) and Deepika Padukone.
But the movie is entirely about one man, one who owns the film every single time he is in the frame and who is so gorgeous that it would even make heterosexual males wonder where exactly they lie on the Kinsey sexuality scale.
Sorry, I am not exaggerating when I say Fawad Khan is absolutely perfect, from his jawline to his brooding looks. Even if you are a dyed-in-the-wall Dawkinian atheist, his very existence will make you wonder if there’s a higher being. Surely, evolution, a random process, couldn’t come up with a creature this divine. It’s not just his acting in the movies. A female buddy described a chance encounter where she couldn’t stop gushing about everything Fawad, from his perfect sartorial sense to the way he pays attention when someone’s talking.
But this isn’t about Fawad the person, it's about his role in Kapoor and Sons. For too long Bollywood has helped perpetuate the worst clichés about gay people, as if a limp wrist and a career in fashion designing are prerequisites for homosexual men.
Speaking about Fawad’s role, filmmaker Karan Johar said, "His energy in Kapoor and Sons is so magnetic. I have to say that he took up a role which many actors were worried to do, but it takes a brave man to play a brave part and brave part to make a brave film.” Frankly, Karan’s statements are bit hypocritical as his movies have helped spread the stereotype of the effeminate guy, even though gay characters have evolved a little with time.
Kapoor and Sons comes just weeks after another path-breaking film on LGBT rights, Aligarh, in which Manoj Bajpayee steals the show as the victimised professor.
While Manoj Bajpayee’s portrayal of Professor Siras reminded us of how society targets homosexuality, Fawad’s portrayal will go a long way in reinforcing that being gay is just like any other arbitrary characteristic trait like our skin colour, hair colour, height or weight. That gay people are just people and that doesn’t make them any less of a brother or son.
While Aligarh reminded us of the persecution that society places upon those who are different, the latter reminds us that the one’s sexual orientation is just a trait. It's impossible for anyone who saw the movie to come away thinking that being gay is some sort of aberration or a crime, particularly in that scene where Fawad says to his mother when coming out: "How can I apologise for being me?"
Think of the impact this will have on every family which comes to the theatre. If nothing else, it will help start a conversation.
It is worth remembering that Fawad Khan comes from a nation where, like in India, it’s illegal to be gay, but looks far more harshly towards LGBT rights, refusing its existence and where a combination of Islamic and colonial laws make life very hard for the community.
In fact, the bigotry is so deep that the Pakistani version of the International New York Times left the front-page blank instead of showing a same-sex couple.
As Farman Nawaz wrote: “It is a fact that secular and liberal viewpoints are not given a space on the pages of newspapers and news channels in Pakistan and the liberals have to wrap their ideas in religion and customs to make them worth publishing.” Yet, Fawad Khan had the guts and gumption to play this seminal role and for that we all must be grateful.
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