Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aesa Laga has finally hit the screen. Exploring the lesbian love story, the movie is grabbing eyeballs and for the right reasons. Sonam Kapoor said in an interview “Labelling things is an issue. Being gay is a non-issue. Some of the people in entertainment industry and fashion are gay and there is nothing but pride.” Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga maybe about the same-sex relationship but actor Sonam Kapoor believes it should be seen as a coming-of-age romance without any labels.
It is a very welcome change that subject of LGBTQ is being highlighted for the first time in Bollywood mainstream movie. But, truth to be told, the entertainment industry has kept their door open and appreciated LGBTQ people for their work for a long time. We have a list of 5 LGBTQ stars who made it big in the industry on their own.
Onir
Image courtesy – dnaindia.com
The very talented filmmaker Onir’s alternate sexuality is no secret. He directed My Brother…Nikhil and Shan. At a time when the other gay filmmakers of Bollywood are still struggling to get their pedicured feet out of the closet, Onir came out some years ago, with the disarming blessings of his parents and family. Onir, who has spearheaded movies with LGBTQ+ narratives, says the industry is full of homophobes. Onir laments that the percentage of such films being made in India is abysmal. He said in an interview, “At the end of the day, it took Fawad Khan to come from Pakistan and do a film here. And it is wonderful but India is the largest film producing country in the world but the percentage of such films is minuscule.”
Gazal Dhaliwal
Image courtesy – thereviewmonk.com
Not many people know but the scriptwriter of Ek Ladki Ko Dekha to Aisa Laga, Gazal Dhaliwal is actually a transgender. some of you may also recognize her from an episode of Satyameva Jayate titled ‘Accepting Alternate Sexualities’ where we got to hear her beautiful singing voice. In this interview with Aamir Khan, Gazal along with her parents discussed the story of her transition on national television.
Gauri Sawant
Image courtesy – oddnaari.com
Gauri Sawant is a 37-year-old transgender social activist. Her popularity rose after the tear-jerking Vicks ad that went viral on the Internet. The ad revolved around the powerful real-life story of a trans woman and how she is seen raising her daughter. Gauri who featured as a mother in the commercial, partnered with crowdfunding website Milaap to raise funds for building a dream home for kids of sex-workers.
Sushant Divgikar
Image courtesy – india-forums.com
Sushant Divgikar is a versatile personality who has set an epitome of brilliance in the field of art and drama. He has worked in Indian theatres. He is a popular name in the television and modelling world and is a well-known VJ and choreographer. He had represented India in the glamorous platform of Mr Gay World 2014 and was anointed as the winner of the competition. He also was also featured in the 8th season of Bigg Boss and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, in 2018.
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Manish Arora
Image courtesy – indiatoday.com
Creator of international fashion labels ‘Manish Arora’ and ‘Fish-Fry’, his success has been exceptional and is often called ‘Attitude Arora’ and ‘ Irreverent Arora’. Manish e is edgy, unchained and his fashion knows no boundaries. At Lakme Fashion Week, 2003, in one of his interviews Manish said, “Some are open about their sexual preferences, some hide it. I don’t go around announcing, ‘Hi, I’m Manish Arora, and I’m gay’. But if you asked me, I wouldn’t deny it.”
Source – feminismindia.com, indiatimes.com, bollywoodhungama.com, youthdevelopers.com, india.com, news. Yahoo.com, ndtv.com
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