Homosexuality and Gender Identity in Bombay Talkies

 Two of the four short films that comprise Bombay Talkies deal with issues surrounding homosexual acceptance and gender identity in India – issues we’ve been discussing since our class viewing of Dostana. Obviously, both movies go about addressing these complicated and sensitive issues in very different ways, and I want to discuss that in this paper.

First, I will address homosexuality. Though it was sometimes hard to determine amidst all of the flashiness, sexualization, and gender stereotyping, Dostana’s treatment of gay people was interestingly powerful through its comedy. By presenting exactly the image of gay men that so many people hold in their minds, and proceeding to show how ridiculous that image is, the film underhandedly takes a stand against homophobic tendencies in India. The downside of this comedic, light-hearted approach, however, is that the problems gay people face never seem serious at any point in the film. Even when Sam’s mother is on screen spouting homophobic things and wailing, the conflict between mother and son does not communicate to viewers the tragedy such conflicts can actually involve in real life. This is largely because audience members know that Sam isn’t actually gay, but also due in part, again, to the film’s comedic approach to her entire character – it just never seems serious.

Bombay Talkies, on the other hand, shows the true seriousness of such parent-child conflict in its opening scene. The first state in which we see Avinash is grief and rage, soon made even more significant in comparison when we see how jovial he usually is. It is not until later that we see the event we knew had to have occurred beforehand – a directorial choice to make the beating scene that much more powerful just because the audience has been imagining it the whole time. By the time it is shown, the audience has been made familiar with the son’s personality and struggles as well.  By displaying realistically-crafted characters with realistic emotional reactions to the familial strife, the entire scenario leaves a drastically more serious impression upon viewers. Despite Dostana’s presentation of a very similar scenario in terms of the events that are occurring, the related scenes from both films seem incomparable in terms of style and tone.

A debate could be had over which strategy – comedy or seriousness – is better for dealing with the amount of hate that exists out there towards homosexuality. I suspect a good case could be made for and against both approaches. However, one interesting thing to note is that Bombay Talkies does not fully avoid the gay-stereotyping either. Avinash is decidedly focused on matters of sex throughout the first short film. It actually comes across as somewhat empowering, as if he has become comfortable with and proud of his sexuality. It definitely echoes the traditional hyper-sexualization stereotype for gay people though, albeit much more subtly than Dostana consistently does.

In terms of gender identity and expectations, Bombay Talkies dives in with its third film, featuring Vicky as a young boy who wants to be a feminine Bollywood dancer. With a final message that seems to be “hide your differences from those who disagree with them and celebrate your differences with those who appreciate them,” this third film takes a more cautious, perhaps more realistic approach to the social stigma faced by people like Vicky in India. Would Avinash have benefitted from hiding his homosexuality from his father as Vicky does by lying to his father? Dev certainly did not benefit from lying about it to everyone in his life. At first glance, the first and third films seem to present somewhat contradictory messages to be taken away. However, I think they can be seen as complementary. Due to the comparatively happy and hopeful ending of Vicky’s story, one might be inclined to say that the “lie a little until it’s no longer necessary” strategy might be a wise one. However, the first film warns of the dangers of maintaining that lie in all contexts and for too long of a time. It is suggested that Vicky will remain happy by lying to his father, but culturing his dream of dancing on the side. Dev, on the other hand, had lived his lie far too completely and for too long by the time of the film’s events – this is what led to the emotional turmoil.