5 films depicting queer community

Here are some films from south India that grabbed attention

Many films in the international and national diaspora have explored the lives and the nuances of the LBQTIA+ community. June is observed as Pride Month.

Metrolife lists out movies from south India that depicted denial to family rejection, facing fears to breaking barriers, in the community.

Kalpana

Language: Kannada

Written by Raghava Lawrence and directed by Rama Narayanan, ‘Kalpana’ was a remake of the much-acclaimed Tamil film ‘Kanchana’. The comedy horror film starred Upendra, Saikumar and Lakshmi Rai in lead roles. It saw an impressive performance by Saikumar, who portrayed the role of a transgender, originally played by Sarath Kumar in the Tamil version.

Raghava (Upendra) is a jobless yet fun-loving youngster who loves playing cricket with friends.

He is afraid of ghosts and stays at home with his mother (Umashree) at night. He and his friends go in search of a ground to play cricket at and come to an abandoned field, which is haunted. Some spooky incidents happen at his home and Raghava is seen acting weird.

The film goes on to reveal, how he is possessed by the ghost of ‘Kalpana’, a transwoman who was killed.

The film depicts how people from the trans community are often ostracised and rejected by their own families and struggle to make their dreams come true.

Where: YouTube

Super Deluxe

Language: Tamil

Directed and co-produced by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, ‘Super Deluxe’, which released in 2019 was lauded for its many elements, its cast, and storyline. However, Shilpa (played by Vijay Sethupathi), one of the characters of the film, will remain on your mind.

A transwoman, Shilpa who was Manickam earlier, returns home from Mumbai to fix her relationship with her son and wife. The story sensitively depicts how her son doesn’t mind that his ‘father’ is a woman now, as their love remains the same.

Vijay Sethupathi bagged the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in it.

Where: Netflix

En Magan Magizhvan

Language: Tamil

Directed by Lokesh Kumar, ‘En Magan Magizhvan’ (My Son is Gay) is said to be Tamil film industry’s first feature film that depicted a queer love story with its hurdles and in its true sense.

The film is about Varun (Ashwinjith), who comes out to his mother, the struggles she faces to understand his sexuality, and the impact this revelation has on people around them. The film put the spotlight on the acceptance and rights of the marginalised community.

It won the Best Film award at the Indian World Film Festival-2018.

Where: YouTube

Njan Marykutty

Language: Malayalam

The 2018 drama film, written and directed by Ranjith Sankar, treated the protagonist, a transperson with much respect and portrayed all her struggles in an empathetic manner.

Mathukutty, born a man, aspires to be a woman and work in the police force. A transsexual, Mathukutty wants to undergo surgery to align her gender to her body. She becomes Marykutty. Her family disowns her but the parish priest, gives her confidence to achieve her goals, and she joins a coaching institute. The story unfolds to depict the hardships faced by Marykutty to achieve her dream.

It won the Kerala State Film Award for best actor and best makeup artist.

Where: MX Player

Awe

Language: Telugu

Featuring Kajal Aggarwal, Srinivas Avasarala, Nithya Menen and Eesha Rebba, the psychological film directed by Prasanth Varma, touched varied topics like child abuse, mental health, sexuality and more.

Of those, its treatment of its homosexual characters was done with dignity and respect and brought much attention to it. Krishnaveni, a psychiatrist (Nithya Menen) and Radha (Eesha Rebba) are lesbian characters in the anthology.

The film won National Film Award for best special effects and best make-up artist.

Where: Netflix

(Compiled by Tini Sara Anien)