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dav-ina · 6 years ago

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EK LADKI KO DEKHA TOH AISA LAGA // REVIEWED

Hi guys, so it’s been a very long time since I’ve put out any content and for that I apologise but I hope to be making more use of this blog soon. I decided to review a Bollywood film I recently watched called ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ - so here it is!

The recent decriminalisation of homosexuality in India had the nation in a state of joy and empowerment and it truly was something to celebrate, however I was taken by surprised when I saw the film industry jump on the bandwagon. Directed by Shelly Chopra Dhar, ‘Ek Ladki Koh Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ is the first Bollywood film about same sex relationships. At the forefront of the film, we see Anil Kapoor and daughter Sonam Kapoor taking the lead roles as the father-daughter roles onscreen.

The film follows the narrative of a shy, young woman in Punjab: Sweety Chaudary, who seems reluctant to be married. She crosses paths with failing playwright Sahil Mirza (Rajkummar Rao). The narrative depicts a romantic relationship blossoming between the pair before Sweety reveals she is a lesbian, and in love with the confident, bold Kuhu (Regina Cassandra). Sweety faces the standard rejection and disownment, that many queer people face, from her father Balbir (Anil Kapoor) and older brother Babloo (Abhishek Duhan).

This film is a massive leap for Indian cinema; Sweety’s harsh reality is embedded into a familiar Punjabi family setting that an Indian audience will be familiar with. The Chaudary family does have the conventions of a traditional Indian family as depicted in Bollywood. Babloo filling the archetype of the ‘Bada Bhai’ (big brother) who is obsessed with protecting the family’s izzat (honour), Sweety being the quiet, ‘Damsel in Distress’ and even Sweety’s Biji (grandma) acting as the overemotional, wailing stereotype. The film uses the Chaudary family as its centrepiece to tackle plenty of social issues as well as same sex relations, but seeing as it is an LGBT film, let’s dive into that first!

The representation of Sweety’s navigation of life as a queer woman seems fairly accurate and the film depicts how it often is an incredibly dark experience for LGBT Indians dealing with the toxic elements of our culture. Her acceptance of living this extreme secret life and just marrying a man and burying her true desires is an idea that many queer Asians seriously consider – we are conditioned to think that being authentic is selfish to our families after everything they have done for us. We are conditioned to think that society will look down on our homes and that our parents will face defamation and the film depicts this really well. Sweety’s isolated childhood illustrates the struggles that our LGBT children face daily – self-doubt, self-hate, realising you are different and if that isn’t enough, there’s always bullying and harassment. Shelley Chopra Dhar’s dark but heart-warming of this journey is not patronising in any sense, but overall realistic and gives the public a good glimpse into the struggles of queer youth.

The film also touches upon Balbir Chaudary’s chef dream being dashed by his mother, who would not let him cook as she claimed it emasculated him. We see him sneaking into the kitchen in his own home, constantly walking on egg shells as not to be caught by his mother at his grown age. This obviously does echo certain aspects of Indian society. This type of toxic masculinity is also echoed in Babloo’s character and his fixation for misogyny under the rouse of the defamation of his family. However, Babloo is part of the queer experience as this is often one viewpoint that South Asian LGBT+ people are often faced with.

As mentioned previously, the centrepiece of the film is the Chaudary family itself and how they respond to Sweety’s sexuality and as a result does not focus on the love story between Sweety and Kuhu – which I personally felt was a little disappointing. Kuhu’s character was much downplayed. The scenes between the pair were very endearing but it was clear that both Kapoor and Cassandra just did not have the right chemistry, as well as their scenes together being extremely limited. But honestly, I’m not mad and I understand that neither actress has played a queer woman, as for the limited scenes, it could be argued that perhaps the Bollywood audience is simply not ready for a full-blown mainstream lesbian love story. However, the response definitely suggests otherwise! Even though there has not been as many responses as a traditional summer blockbuster, the film appears to have been received and welcomed by modern India.

Visually, the film is very pleasing. Not too many grand, dramatic shots as splendid visuals are not the focus of this film – it’s a simple story about a simple girl. However the positioning of characters onscreen was something I was particularly pleased about as I believe it was very symbolic and well orchestrated, it was very subtle and in the background yet in plain sight and blatant. The soundtrack is also very catchy and definitely fills its purpose, featuring vocals from the iconic Navraj Hans, Harshdeep Kaur and other notable musicians. Overall, for India’s first LGBT movie, ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ finally brings forth key social issues in an understandable, serious and important manner.

#bollywood #lgbt #sonam kapoor #regina cassandra #anil kapoor #film #review #media

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bharatiyamedia-blog · 5 years ago

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Konkona Sensharma, Tanuja Chandra, Gazal Dhaliwal on their brief A Monsoon Date, and telling extra LGBTQ stories- Leisure Information, Firstpost

http://tinyurl.com/y5of3eko Rains and romance have loved a relationship like no different. Each of them share the facility of drenching an individual utterly, typically making them embrace their our bodies, their circumstances and their imperfections. However within the metropolis of Mumbai, rains are welcomed yearly solely until they arrive in full bloom. The monsoon, which frequently serves as a befitting setting for all issues romantic, finally ends up making life tough for a lot of. A Monsoon Date, the brief movie launched on Eros Now earlier this week on 5 June, explores the rain in an ironic mild. Directed by Tanuja Chandra, the 20-minute-long brief stars Konkona Sensharma within the function of a Mumbai lady, who’s on her method to meet her boyfriend and confess to him a life-altering part of her previous. Konkona Sensharma in a nonetheless from A Monsoon Date “Rain offers a form of pressure right here. Konkona’s character is on her method to meet the boy she loves. She’s all dressed up and the rain clearly ruins that. The rain truly is available in the best way of the romance. It is an obstruction in her journey however for me, as a filmmaker, it offers magnificence to the story. So the rain does play a job right here, however not within the anticipated method,” says Tanuja, in an unique interview to Firstpost. Author Gazal Dhaliwal has one other layer so as to add to using rain as a cinematic instrument in A Monsoon Date. “The rain is metaphorical. It is raining closely however there’s additionally a storm rising inside her. It’s a very essential date. There’s some romanticism with the rains right here as nicely however it’s extra of a distinction. By the point she reaches the place, she is totally drenched. It nearly says the storm inside her has utterly drenched her.” Gazal confesses it was surreal to have Konkona on board as a result of that transported her to the climax of Ayan Mukerji’s 2009 movie Wake Up Sid. “It is considered one of my favorite movies. The rain sequence was out-and-out romantic there and there was a buildup to the drenching.” In A Monsoon Date, nonetheless, the drenching is itself a buildup to her date, the place she is meant to make a nerve-wrecking confession. Konkona Sensharma in a nonetheless from A Monsoon Date One other fascinating alternative of the setting for the ‘monsoon date’ is a espresso store. Made widespread by American TV present F.R.I.E.N.D.S., the espresso store has emerged as a super mixture of intimacy and order. This fascinating mixture serves as an efficient atmosphere for churning out confessions (keep in mind, the breakup scene from Queen?). “Whether or not it is a date or work, espresso retailers are crucial for conferences. Particularly within the final 10 years, espresso store has turn out to be a social necessity. And it is simpler to obtain the opposite particular person’s response within the managed public place,” factors out Tanuja. *Spoiler alert* The makers of A Monsoon Date have revealed in earlier media interactions, most prominently on the premiere in the course of the Jio Mami 20th Mumbai Movie Pageant, that the movie chronicles the id disaster of the LGBTQ group. Konkona performs a transwoman, who desires to disclose her previous to her boyfriend after a month of relationship. Having witnessed a number of boyfriends stroll out of the espresso store (and even throw up) prior to now, she could be very skeptical of dropping the present one (Priyanshu Painyuli) as nicely. The inspiration behind the story comes from Gazal’s personal experiences. She agrees that it was an “out of physique expertise” to observe Konkona play the lead half. “Konkona is extraordinarily clever, proficient but additionally a really form and delicate particular person. She spent quite a lot of time understanding the place the character got here from. We spent lengthy hours over wine and dinner simply speaking about my very own experiences. It was only a two-day shoot however she got here so ready that it went clean. Penning this movie was emotional however once I noticed her acting on set, typically I could not disassociate her with myself. It turned so overwhelming.” Konkona Sensharma in a nonetheless from A Monsoon Date Tanuja seconds that working with Konkona was “probably the most pleasurable experiences” of her directorial profession. “There is a stillness about her. She’s nonetheless but there’s something transferring inside, some feeling that is palpable. That high quality is what I actually maintain in excessive esteem. Even on the set, she absorbed the expertise. I normally get very controlling with my actors as a result of I push them. She by no means resisted that,” says Tanuja. Konkona brings a refreshing mixture of vulnerability and assertion to her character. “I believe she added a bit extra self-belief. The way in which she faces sure circumstances was with a bit extra shallowness than how I’d method them,” says Gazal. Nonetheless, Konkona claims that she drew that core energy from Gazal herself. “I believe she has a quiet dignity for the tough previous she has had. I talked to her simply to know what my character had confronted until the purpose she reaches the place she is proven within the movie. I additionally learn up on different accounts of transgenders and the way the method of transition is like. It helped me reside my half until I confronted the digital camera. I used to be simply lending my physique to it so I needed to do justice to what she had gone by already,” Konkona tells Firstpost. She provides that what appealed to her essentially the most in regards to the movie was the unwavering resolve to be happy with oneself and but be hopeful in regards to the quest for love. “All of us wish to be liked. All of us need relationships. However are we keen to bend for that to an extent that we cease loving ourselves? This battle and the inherent hope within the script actually made me conform to be part of the movie,” she says, including that whereas the core is emotional, the main target space holds super significance as nicely. “Conventionally, we have now set some very unfair guidelines of affection. Our widespread tradition has proven that there’s solely a sure kind of particular person — heterosexual, skinny, younger — who can love and be liked. However it’s time we acknowledge that all of us search love and are able to loving. A few of us are privileged that we determine with a selected gender. Many do not have that luxurious however that does not indicate they do not lengthy for love,” says Konkona. Konkona Sensharma and Priyanshu Painyuli in a nonetheless from A Monsoon Date A Monsoon Date releases 4 months after Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, the primary mainstream LGBTQ story of Indian cinema. Although Shelley Chopra Dhar’s directorial was unsuccessful on the field workplace, its author Gazal is glad that the digital premier on Netflix and the tv premier helped broaden its attain to a a lot wider viewers. “I acquired a number of tweets from LGBTQ people who they may begin a dialog with their mother and father. Shelley and I had all the time advised one another that even when it brings change to the lives of 5 individuals, it might be profitable. In hindsight, we might’ve taken some inventive selections in a different way, however it has been a particularly satisfying expertise, and a milestone in my profession,” says Gazal. The “inventive selections” she mentions weren’t a lot of a consideration in A Monsoon Date, due to the digital medium. “There is not any censorship in digital. You do not have to consider that it might be consumed by children. In reality, I needed to come to phrases with the unrestricted alternative that the platform gives. I needed to inform myself sternly, ‘Do not take into consideration preserving it kid-friendly’.” She admits although that provides from Bollywood movie producers to write down LGBTQ tales have been near nil. “Possibly if the movie had labored commercially then I’d have gotten extra gives. However I am glad that the trade is regularly opening to LGBTQ tales. I am conscious that some massive producers are growing tales on the LGBTQ group. We already learn about Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.“ The optimistic reception of A Monsoon Date solely proves that what’s drizzling now will quickly break right into a storm. One solely hopes that the rains make method for the solar to shine on those that search love, with out having to compromise with the love they’ve for themselves. All photos from YouTube. Up to date Date: Jun 07, 2019 16:51:21 IST Your information to the most recent election information, evaluation, commentary, reside updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Comply with us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook web page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming basic elections. !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function() {n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)} ; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '259288058299626'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9&appId=1117108234997285"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); Source link

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