CBFC Gets Liberal With Gay Subjects

Legendary gay singer-musician Elton John is  pissed  off  with the Russians. Their country has just cut  off  some portions  of  the  homosexual content in the Elton John  bio-pic  Rocketman.

 The  Indian censor board has shown  exemplary tolerance  with Rocketman, snipping off none  of  the more colourful aspects  of Elton John’s personality.

A  very reliable source  from the Cenral Board Of Film Certification informs that post the de-constutionalization  of  Article 377,   that there is a definite wind  of change  regarding films with a homosexual  content.

“We are   most certainly not looking at  obliterating such content. Some very fine films on  alternative sexuality are being made out West.We will be viewing and re-viewing such films  to ascertain how much of the content is  relevant and  topical.And we at the  CBFC are  not shy of dealing maturely with  homosexual content,” says a well-placed source at the CBFC.

One  of  the primary beneficiaries  from this new liberal attitude at  the CBFC would be  2017’s  multiple  award-winning Call Me  by Your Name. This Italian  masterpiece directed by Luaca Guadgnino  stands  unreleased in India as  its  same-sex romance  was perceived  as unpalatable for  the audience.

“They  haven’t gone to the CBFC with Call Me  By Your Name, so where is  the  question of a  ban? The  prevalent perception about the  Indian censor board is  that it clamps down  on all gay content without a second thought. This  is  just not true. Not any more Last year a Hollywood film Love, Simon had been certified  by  the CBFC .When it didn’t make  it into theatres, the blame was  put on the CBFC when in fact it is the producers/distributors who  are  fearful of releasing films with gay subjects  so as to not  anger  conservative audiences,” says a source close to the CBFC.

While Bollywood remains  largely closeted about gay subjects in  films, with  most if not all major actors refusing to play gay characters  , director  Onir , who is the only uncloseted  gay filmmaker in  Bollywood thinks  actors in India need  to  stop fighting shy.

“It is just a role like any other. Audiences are  no more so naïve as  to believe that  if  an actor plays a gay character he is actually gay in real life. No one  believed Shah Rukh Khan was  a psychotic killer  just because he played one inDarr,” says Onir.