Banned gay Indian film ‘Ka Bodyscapes’ finally shown in country after gay sex ruling
The Central Board of Film Certification overturned their ban and the film premiered in the state of Kerala this week.
An LGBT film that was banned for “glorifying homosexuality” in India will finally be shown in the country following the Supreme Court ruling that legalised homosexual sex.
Ka Bodyscapes has only been screened at international film festivals in Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The movie, which was made in 2016, follows the relationship of a painter and his boyfriend along with their mutual friend Sia who rejects the female gender identity.
Following the Supreme Court’s gay sex ruling, however, the Central Board of Film Certification, which had originally banned the film, overturned their decision and the film premiered in the state of Kerala this week.
In an interview with The Hindu, director Jayan Cherian praised the Supreme Court’s ruling, saying: “It’s heartening and significant that it’s reaching cinemas when the apex court has struck down the portion of the law that criminalised homosexual relations.”
Cherian also spoke about his two-and-a-half year-long fight to get the movie released. He said: “We do not want to sit in silence. An artist’s only weapon of resistance is [their] art practice.
“We need to tell the world that we are alive and refuse to be cowed down.”
The news comes after lesbian film Rafiki, originally banned in Kenya, was allowed to screen for seven days to be eligible for the 2019 Oscars. During the week it screened, the film managed to break Kenyan box office records.