Yes, we lost Anjana Harish to homophobia. Many must have by now come across the death of Anjana, a bisexual girl from Kerala. Upon knowing about her sexual orientation, her family took intense measures to cure this ‘illness’ only to lead to her untimely demise.

Though homosexuality has been legalized in our country under Section 377 of the Indian Constitution, LGBTQ+ is still an enigma in a middle-class conservative Indian household. The homophobic community, which comprises the majority of our population, considers homosexuality as a disease that can be cured.

 It is this loophole that the film Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan tries to address.  Taking Allahabad as a representation of all those small towns suffering from homophobia, this movie takes a quirky take on same-sex love. Same-sex love is indeed a serious subject, but at times, serious subjects do not need serious treatments.  The film offers genuine peals of laughter, not at the sexuality of a person (which was once the source of humor in most Indian films earlier), but on the family who is unable to accept the sexual orientation of their son.

The Characters

The disgust on Sankar Tripathy’s (Gajraj Rao) face when he sees Aman and Kartik together is symbolic of the very thought millions of Indian families have on homosexuality.

 Aman Tripathy (played by Jeetendra Kumar), on the other hand, resonates with those umpteen homosexual people who dread the thought of confronting their families with their sexuality. However, he does not let this dread reduce his love for Kartik by any amount. Though skeptical of society, his affection for Kartik is firm and unharmed by societal notions.

 Kartik (played by Ayushmaan Khurana), however, may seem a bit unrealistic because of his carefree and confident nature as a gay man. He does not overrule the fact that it is people like him who are going to be a harbinger of change for the homosexual community. 

 While some fret and hide their sexuality, Kartik embraces his sexuality with utmost love and acceptance. What other people think of him never bothers him, and he is ready to fight as much as possible for his love. The scene where he questions the lyrics of the famous nursery rhyme Jack and Jill and asks why can’t Jack go with Johnny has a scope of becoming the gay anthem in the coming times. 

 Another important character to be noted is Aman’s cousin sister Goggle (Maanvi Gagroo). She was aware of Aman’s truth since childhood and never judged him for being different. Goggle is that one family member who does not let the social norms and prejudices take over one’s identity. 

The success of the movie lies in how entertainingly this subtle matter has been captured. We don’t feel Aman and Kartik as an exclusive gay couple, rather they romance like any other couple madly in love, and anyone who has seen the film will find it cute and beautiful. 

They share stunning chemistry and their moments together are endearing. In an attempt to normalize same-sex love, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan has made its first step.

It will take time….

To suddenly change what you have believed all these years (made to believe would be more accurate) is not an easy thing. To accept the genuineness of a subject that was once considered a crime can be a tough job. It will take time to come to terms with the truth. This is exactly how the film concludes. 

The Tripathys don’t change their attitude towards homosexuality all of a sudden. They are left to take their own time and contemplate it. As Kartik and Aman head back to Delhi, Sankar Tripathy’s eyes reeks of guilt and acceptance in mild quantity for the couple, probably suggesting a hopeful future.

It is not the first time a film has been made about homosexuality. But in mainstream cinema, Shubh Mangal Zyaada Saavdhan has pushed boundaries and conveyed the message without being much preachy. 

Watch on Amazon Prime Video