#as a child my family always skipped to the end of the song when salman khan takes over as the 'proper man'

[pariaritzia]

Queerness in Indian Media

↳Film: DIDI TERA DEVAR DEEWANA from HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN (1994, Hindi), dir. SOORAJ BARJATYA

Sooraj Barjatya films are known for their (often unintentionally comedic) portrayals of traditional family values, which is why it was so surprising that a song like Didi Tera Devar Deewana somehow made it into what was, at the time, the biggest Indian blockbuster. The character Rita (Sahila Chaddha), who has no prominent role in the film otherwise, crossdresses to role-play as Prem (Salman Khan). She teases the women, romances Nisha (Madhuri Dixit) and conducts herself with a confident masculinity that was, and still is, virtually unheard of in mainstream Indian cinema across all languages.

Commentary on this song by Professor Gayatri Gopinath, from her book Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures, was posted by Desbian Herstory here.

This song was only the beginning of Madhuri Dixit's involvement in queer media, as she would go on to feature in multiple gay and gay-coded media, both as a supportive character and as the gay character herself. She has also been supportive in real life of the LGBTQ community.