My story is brilliant.
I have to say it myself, cos noone else will. But it is really one of my better ones and here it is. For posterity since Chennai doesn't uplink Bangalore anymore. My blog story
This evening went to watch Sancharam as part of Lankesh anniversary celebrations. It's a film about two young school girls who fall in love with each other. By an NRI filmmaker called Ligy Po-something.
Very sensitive, if slightly simplistic. Sat down to interview her later but gradually more people joined us and it became a large gathering and there were real 'grassroots' type people there who took serious umbrage asking her, quite belligerently, "What was the point of that?", "How can you show two women like that?" Don't think she'd ever been exposed to this kind of audience before, cos she looked slightly stunned although she took it well and justified herself. Lots of women's groups, Kavitha Lankesh and Sangama standing up for her.
But everyone's attitude was summed up by what happened in front of me. The man fell asleep and just as the first intimate scene between the girls began, his friend (most considerate) woke him up to witness the kissing. And as people filed out of the theatre, they complained about there not being 'enough action'.
Listening to people talk to her, i don't think she managed to achieve any of the honest things she set out to. I don't think anyone went back a more sensitive and tolerant person. And I also wonder how powerful theatre or film can be in actually changing people's mindsets. Sancharam might be able to reinforce gay confidence though, since it ends positively. And that would be great in itself since it is a very honest film.
