• Censorship row as India army blocks film on gay army major

    National
    Censorship row as India army blocks film on gay army major
    Digital Desk: Despite the country's democratic status, Onir, a critically regarded Indian filmmaker, intended to direct a film inspired by a gay army major who resigned and came out in a blaze of publicity, but the military prevented it from being made.

    Since coming to power eight years ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist government has been accused of increasing censorship in a systematic war on dissent, including crackdowns on human rights activists, journalists, and NGOs.

    It issued an order in 2020 directing filmmakers to obtain prior approval for any military-themed script, a decision condemned by free speech activists as Orwellian and unlawful in the world's largest democracy.

    Onir, who only goes by one name, is gay and was one of the first prominent Bollywood figures to openly admit his sexuality.

    He's known for making films about the life of socially marginalised people, particularly the case of Major J. Suresh, a gay army major who made national headlines in 2020 after resigning from the army and declaring: "Out!! Proud!! Liberated!!”

    I’m gay -- and I’m very proud that I’m gay,” the ex-army officer -- who had served in some of India’s most turbulent regions including Kashmir -- wrote on his blog.

    Later, on national television, he gave a groundbreaking interview that went viral in the socially conservative country.

    "We Are," a script by Onir, tells the stories of a trans woman, a lesbian, a bisexual man, and a fictional love storey between a gay officer and a Kashmiri youngster.

    But when he approached the defence ministry for a “no objection certificate” -- which most studios, streaming platforms and producers now insist on to ensure there are no legal or administrative hurdles -- he was rejected.

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    “They told me... the fact that I have portrayed the army man as gay is illegal,” he told AFP.

    In a 2018 Supreme Court judgement, India decriminalised gay sex, however the Army Act still makes homosexuality and adultery punishable by up to ten years in prison.

    At the same time, India has a long history of post-production film censorship, and new social media restrictions last year sparked concerns about freedom of expression.

    Last week, Ajay Bhatt, the country's junior defence minister, told parliament that Onir's film had been denied permission due to "the portrayal of a romantic relationship between an army soldier serving in Kashmir and a local boy, which casts (the) Indian army in a negative light and raises security concerns."

    He argued that the pre-screening procedure was neither unlawful nor a restriction on free expression, and that the government took into account national security, public emotion, and the military's image to ensure that the military "isn't depicted in a manner that brings dishonour."

    However, Onir, a 52-year-old Mumbai resident, pointed out that films in which officers fall in love with ladies are never rejected.

    “Why is one’s sexuality being made the barometer for one’s patriotism or ability to defend the nation?” he asked.

    “Everyone seems to get offended over the slightest things but what about the artists’ creativity or sentiments?” he added. “We don’t matter.”

    Several of his films have addressed gay themes, including “My Brother... Nikhil”, the story of Indian swimming champion Dominic D’Souza who was arrested in the 1980s after testing HIV positive.

    "I Am" brought together four stories that looked at same-sex relationships as well as other taboo topics including sperm donation and child abuse.

    Even though it was named best Hindi picture at the 2012 National Film Awards, India's equivalent of the Oscars, satellite channels refused to show it.

    In his own life, he said, “I have always been out. I have never had any one moment of coming out or crisis about who I am.”

     

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