Aligarh, Indian population and Section 377
By Cynthia Roli Gupta
A brave film tackling the illegality of homosexuality in India, Hansal Mehta’s Aligarh released worldwide on 26th February. Based on a real story of a 64 year old university professor who was suspended in 2010 for being gay, even after the Delhi High Court had decriminalized homosexuality the previous year, the movie showing the man’s loneliness and exclusion by society tells an impactful story. It has resonated strongly with cinemagoers who pondered over the subject as they left the theatres. However, is it the same story when it comes to small town audiences and single screen audiences? A movie taking on such a controversial topic and one that a large part of India still refuses to understand even today, it is debatable whether the film will be successful in holding the attention of a major part of the audience, deeply enough to make them understand Dr. S. R. Siras, the professor whom the story is based on.
Section 377 of the Indian constitution that criminalizes homosexuality is being reviewed by a bench of judges of the Supreme Court that has said it is willing to reconsider it one last time with new eyes, taking into account newer factors. This development came about on 2ndFebruary, 2016, 24 days before the release of Aligarh. Section 377 states a law that was formed in the Victorian times when India was under British rule. The British themselves have moved beyond it. However, as the film also shows, it is not merely about homosexuality being decriminalized. Although it will no doubt be a huge leap towards personal and societal freedom for the LGBT community, whether they will receive complete acceptance in the Indian society is still a question that looms large. As the film also shows, for Dr. Siras, it was not so much about winning the case and being recognized legally to be on the right side of the law and the university on the wrong side. It made little difference to him. He committed suicide a day before the university was to receive the court order after which he would get back his job and accommodation. It was about the loneliness and lack of understanding in society. His character in the film says, “Koi meri feeling ko teen aksharon mein kaise bayaan kar sakta hai?” It translates to, ‘How can someone put my feeling into three alphabets?’ Here of course, he is referring to the word ‘gay’.
Audiences in single screen theatres found the film boring, serious and not entertaining enough. They laughed at scenes that meant to reflect the stigma related to homosexuality. Despite ancient Indian texts mentioning homosexuality to be completely normal and natural and despite this issue having an immensely strong understanding and backing from India’s youth today, the Indian mindset is still averse to it. It is debatable whether upon returning to the university, Dr. Siras would have received the same acceptance at the university, as he had before two reporters secretly filmed him and revealed to the world that he was a homosexual, whether he would still be looked at as a normal man like anyone and everyone else. Homosexuality in India, is about a person being stripped of his respect. Not only is section 377 about the criminalization of a person loving another person just because he or she is of the same gender, but also consequently about the person being perceived as inferior or incapable in some way in comparison to others around him. There was nothing wrong in Dr. Siras’ professional performance or conduct and he received equal respect for 64 years of his life. That was until someone announced to the world that he was homosexual. And audiences are missing a very big point the film conveys and that is nobody has any business looking into another person’s bedroom, homosexual or heterosexual.
In opposing section 377, the young India bats not only for the decriminalization of such people, but in it, also for their acceptance in society as equal and capable individuals who do not have any sort of a mental or medical condition. For this youth, abolition of section 377 will be a much needed start. Another dialogue of the film says, “Iss ‘love’ ko kabhi smajhne ki bhi koshish karo. It’s a beautiful word.’ It means, “Sometime, try to understand this what you call ‘love’. It’s a beautiful word.”
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