Though India has repealed Section 377, the new frontier challenging homophobia is television. MTV India aired a recent episode of Big F featuring a lesbian plotline. The central couple kiss and act like regular folks without the shrill crying and evil villains of the saas-bahu dramas from the Ekta Kapoor K factory.
Although portrayals of same-sex couples are prominent in shows like Modern Family, Empire, Will and Grace and so many more western programs, they're a complete first for Indian television. This is rather telling for the ecstatic editorials on this particular episode. And rightly so!
It's historic to see this on Indian television, since even though the saas-bahu dramas contain women who are feisty and resist some aspects of the patriarchy, a lot of the self-serving and dutiful traits in every good heroine uphold patriarchal tendencies. There's no sanskaari turn of events in this romance. The couples are mostly chaste and then marry men and realize the "error" of their sexualities.
Since this is only one episode in a series where the F stands for "forbidden," "firsts" and "fantasies" that has covered the sexy neighbour fantasy, the curvy-with-a-fit-boyfriend fantasy, the sexy teacher and more, it's disappointing that this lesbian romance is coded as "forbidden." Host Gautam Gulati chimes in every once in a while to surmise what just happened and poses lots of questions about "what would happen if Sharmishta felt this way about Madhurima?" These kinds of questions are likely supposed to allow the audience to feel progressive and accepting, but they come off a bit like, "Oooh, what could these lesbians do next?" with this delivery.
Yet despite these critiques, I admire the show for legitimizing the fact that desire is a huge factor when you've got a crush on someone. So many Indian television shows keep romances sanskaari, so lots of hand brushing past each other that sends the heroine into a tizzy. It's just not realistic. Thankfully, MTV India is honest enough to show that not every gesture sends someone wild. So when fashion student Sharmishta looks at pictures of Madhurima wearing her clothes or when she is physically close to her, we can see she's crushing and turned on too. It's these small gestures that make this episode so refreshing because they make the mundanities of love so universal — whether it's freaking out over sending the next text or wondering whether to make the first move.
The episode does keep things realistic in that Sharmishta is stigmatized by her peers. One remarks bluntly, "I'm straight and I'm normal!" These moments might hit home for many viewers who've felt shunned and ashamed of their sexuality, and the topic is handled well despite the didactic tone at times. Yet it's still a bit of a cop-out to insert the unnecessary male influences, with Sharmishta's friend also crushing on Madhurima. Hello, it's 2015, and we don't need the insertion of heteronormative story elements to sanctify any same-sex love story! Alas, despite these annoying moments, the episode remains rooted in the real and universal things that happen in relationships, so kudos for that.
Yes, the couple do make history and kiss, which is what much of the fanfare has been about. It's an amazing change from the tropes that were abundant in Maryada: Lekin Kab Tak, which featured a gay man married to a straight woman whose story quickly eclipsed his storyline. Yet there's still hope for Indian TV to further break the mould, with Anil Kapoor buying the rights to Modern Family and claiming that he'd be okay playing Mitch or Cam, which would be unbelievably great to see.
While this episode sets a huge precedent, let's hope that the new wave of Indian television, whether it's this show or the many great web series coming out, challenges the status quo and ruffles some feathers in the process in depicting the frankly normal occurrences of many couples in love.
Main Image Photo Credit: MTV India
Rumnique Nannar
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Rumnique Nannar is a new journalist with a passion for all things pop culture, film, and art. Rumnique was born in London, with a predilection for devouring English chocolate with her Vogue, ANOKHI, and Glamour magazines in tow. She is currently in her Journalism Masters at UBC. Connect ...
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