5 LGBTQ+ movies from the Indian film industry that you should watch during the Pride Month
As we celebrate the Pride Month in June, below are five outstanding LGBTQ+ movies from the Indian film industry that you should watch during this month.
Badhaai Do (2022)
Badhaai Do, directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni (Hunterrr), stars Rajkummar Rao (The White Tiger) and Bhumi Pednekar (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan). The comedy-drama follows a gay police officer (Rajkummar Rao) and a lesbian teacher (Bhumi Pednekar) who enter a sham marriage to pacify their families, however things gets complicated when the teacher’s new girlfriend (Chum Darang) moves into their house.
Badhaai Do opened to positive reviews from critics upon its release in the cinemas in February this year. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
Sheer Qorma (2021)
This 30-minute short film, directed by Faraz Arif Ansari (Dulha Wanted), starring Shabana Azmi (Fire), Divya Dutta (Irada) and Swara Bhasker (Nil Battey Sannata), is a story of belonging and acceptance, identity and family told through courageous, queer women who have chosen to embrace love that exists beyond their personal beliefs and social moralities.
Sheer Qorma won Best Short Film Audience Award at the Frameline Film Festival in 2021, becoming the first Indian film to achieve this feat.
Aligarh (2015)
Directed by Hansal Mehta (Shahid) and starring Manoj Bajpayee (The Family Man) and Rajkummar Rao (The White Tiger), critically-acclaimed drama Aligarh follows a gay, linguistic professor living in a small orthodox city who must deal with the aftermath of a sting operation that puts his sexual orientation in front of the entire nation.
En Magan Magizhvan / My Son Is Gay (2017)
This Tamil-language film, directed by Lokesh Kumar (N4), starring Anupama Kumar (Sarpatta Parambarai), Ashwinjith in his acting debut and Abishek Joseph George (Chhichhore), is a tale of a gay man (Ashwinjith) coming out and the impact it has on his relationship with his mother (Anupama Kumar) and other people around them.
Moothon / The Elder One (2019)
This critically-acclaimed Malayalam film, directed by Geethu Mohandas (Liar’s Dice), starring Nivin Pauly (Premam), Sanjana Dipu (Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam), Shashank Arora (Titli) and Sobhita Dhulipala (Made In Heaven), follows the journey of a transgender teenager (Sanjana Dipu) from Lakshadweep who sets off to Mumbai in pursuit of Akbar (Nivin Pauly), his mysterious elder brother who left the island due to his sexual orientation.