Women Over Weekend

The long weekend was unexpected.  I didn't even know it was a holiday on Monday, until the last moment.  For a moment I rued over the fact that I wasn't in the mainland.  If I were, I could have planned for a nice getaway, were my thoughts (even though it hadn't happened in Bengaluru while being posted there, post-covid).  There were no friends to hang out with; two colleagues who used to be regular chums to spend time with, had moved away from the islands recently.  Another friend was away holidaying.  It meant I wouldn't have any company over the weekend.  

I looked at the things I could do - read, write, jog, workout, clean up the messy bedroom, etc.  I did some.  I wrote a story (which upset quite a few), I clocked some 25 km of walking and running, and read several articles.  The bedroom though, only got messier! Yet, there was still a lot of time on the hands (even after wasting many hours on the social media).  I surfed the multiple OTT platforms to see if I would want to watch anything.  I could not find anything exciting.  Then, I decided to fall back on the recommendations of friends (that were made mostly eons ago, but I was looking up them now).  Sathya had watched, 'Hidden Figures' (2016) and she wanted me too to watch and let her know how it was.  Everyone and her aunt was raving about 'Laapata Ladies' (plus some people were coming out of woodwork too, to claim that their work was plagiarised).  Then there was something I had forgotten to watch despite many recommendations and people going ga-ga over, 'Kaathal the Core'.  I decided I will watch them all.  I even threw in a Kannada movie for a good measure. And, a Jennifer Lopez starter, ‘Atlas’ into the melee. While 'Laapata Ladies' and ‘Atlas’ were on Netflix, the other three movies were found on Amazon Prime. 

One interesting fact about all the movies I watched was, they all either were women-centric (where a woman was the protagonist), or had a woman in a prominent role.  Not in my entire life had I seen so many women-centric movies together ever, over a weekend.  This was a first!

'Hidden Figures' tells the story of women in NASA and their role in putting the first American into space - not just any women, but black women.  It was the time of segregation and the kind of hardships these women - told through the lenses of Katherine Gobles, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, mathematicians and manual computers who dare to dream big - and how they overcome is a great tale of empowerment.  Even though the movie is based on real life people and events, it takes several liberties in tweaking the actual incidents to create drama.  Theodore Melfi has directed this drama that primarily focuses on the story of Katherine Gobles, and her contribution - and the trials and tribulations she faces for being a woman and a black woman at that - towards placing the first American astronaut in space.  

When a position of a computer (before the arrival of personal computers, people who excelled at computing quickly worked in the scientific organisations as computers) arises in the core team of the space mission at NASA, Katherine gets called in, and soon she becomes the indispensable one for the calculations need advanced knowledge of analytical geometry.  How she continues to stay relevant even after the IBM machine makes its presence felt forms the crux of the story.  Elsewhere, Dorothy who leads all the Black women computers is fighting her own battle of survival and progress; she wants to be officially recognised as the supervisor, a position that is reserved for White women.  At the same time, Mary is taking on the powers-that-be to break into the male bastion of 'engineers'; she wants to enroll into a degree and for that she goes to the court of law.  These are the figures that we do not learn about, and hence the word 'Hidden' in the title.  

The movie is heartwarming, uplifting, and devoid of needless drama, and focuses majorly on the story it wants to tell, without too many deviations.  The acting is competent, and so is the recreation of the atmosphere of the 60s.  What doesn't fit well in it is the saviour complex that the White Men suffer - and how Kevin Costner's role had to be enhanced to show him as the saviour of the Blacks and their dignity in a sequence or two.  It sure adds to the drama and makes for great viewing, but it does a disservice to all those women who truly fought for their rights and freedom.  Also, the lives of these women away from work looked too perfect to be true - everything rightly falling in place, and not a worry to fret about apart from their rights.  Regardless, I still totally recommend watching this movie.  It was just a little over 50 years ago that Blacks were still fighting segregation.  There would be lessons for those anti-reservation people of India too.

'Laapata Ladies' directed by Kiran Rao (Aamir's ex wife) and produced by Aamir Khan didn't last long in the theatres, but has been making a lot of right kind of noises ever since its debut on the OTT.  People have raved about it, the song 'O Sajni Re' has become very popular for making reels, and suddenly Kiran Rao is just more than Aamir's ex wife too.  

Set in a fictional place (somewhere in the Hindi heartland where all possible Hindi dialects, accents, practices mix and make a heady cultural mix) in the early 2000s, the movie tells the tale of a mix-up of newly married brides, and one of the brides arriving wrongly at one destination, while another frantically trying to reach where she is supposed to be at! Along the way it sheds light on the regressive practices of ghunghat (veil covering the face), denial of education to women, and denial of agency.  

Rahul is getting back to his village post his marriage with Phool.  It's the big wedding season and there are several similar newly-weds in the train, and he gets off in the dead of the night with the wrong bride - discovered only when she lifts her veil and says she's Pushpa.  This leads to a frantic search for Phool by Deepak and his friends.  Meanwhile, Phool who discovers that she's been left behind makes railway station her home and finds kindness among those other inhabitants, and hopes to find her way back to her sasural.  The protagonist though is 'Pushpa' who has wrongly entered the household of Deepak. Who is she and what are her motives? These are slowly laid bare by the time we reach climax.  

'Laapata Ladies' is an absolute feel-good movie that tells the essential story of the need to empower women in India. And, the story-telling is first-class, and so are the acting chops by most of the cast.  Even though 'Pushpa' does not look the part as a rural girl, she does a commendable job, and so do Deepak and others. Of course, the movie is far from being realistic. Hardly anyone is evil or bad here (save for one); even the corrupt police want to be helpful and play the 'good samaritan' role. It is a movie where the girls on the run find protective people to shelter with, and do not have to face any of the brutal circumstances that might happen in reality.  Barring that, this is a little gem that cannot be missed. 

'Kaathal - the Core' is a Malayalam movie that released last year and created waves - for the subject it handled. Jeo Baby has directed this movie.  He had made waves with his first outing, 'The Great Indian Kitchen' too, which dealt with patriarchy in middle-class Kerala households in a very Margaret Atwood-esque way (though of course the ending isn't like her books).  (Margaret Atwood because he didn't name any of the characters in the movie). Expectations from Kaathal were surely high because Mammootty not only acted as the lead, but also produced the movie.  

Mammootty is Mathew Devassy, a taciturn but affable man in his middle ages living in a small Kerala village.  He is a member of a Communist Party, and is asked by the party to contest a local by-election, as the ward seat falls vacant.  Jyothika plays Omana, his wife.  They have a daughter who is studying in the city.  The household is completed by Mathew's old father (who also is a man of few words like his son).  The director places the church at the very centre of the movie and it plays a very firm character; the songs in the movie take off from the choir.  Omana is shown as a devout Christian, regularly attending the masses, and lighting candles, and praying before every meal.  

The seemingly 'perfect family' picture is broken when the news spreads that Omana has filed for divorce, on the grounds that Mathew is a homosexual.  Is the accusation of Omana true? Even her own brother sides with his brother-in-law!

All the drama in the movie comes from the people around the household.  The party workers, the churchgoers, and the supposed voters.  The household though maintains its calm, outwardly.   The movie later becomes a court drama.  Several unpleasant questions are asked, and many marital secrets tumble out of the closet as the case unfolds at the Pala Municipal Court. Mathew tries to speak in monosyllables, Omana refuses to twist facts for the sake of an easy win, and just when she appears to be losing, she brings in a star witness that tilts the case in her favour. 

The movie is set nicely amidst an election, where the hero could become something bigger, and the court case comes as an embarrassment that could make his plans go awry.  When characters express Omana could have filed the case at another time and not now, even the viewer might side with that opinion, as someone rooting for the appealing Mammootty. But, the film hurtles towards the climax where Mammootty seeks forgiveness from Jyothika (and Devassy from his son for having forced him to marry).  

Kaathal surely is a landmark movie for treating homosexuality with compassion and not either as a disease or a condition to be pitied about.  It stays absolutely equanimous in its treatment of the subject and steadfastly avoids being melodramatic.  Some of the scenes hit home hard. Acting is first rate.  My grouse? A few for sure.  The movie treats Mammootty's character with kid-gloves, and tries to gloss over his follies.  It becomes even more evident when you hear Jyothika tell him why she fought the case. Nor does he once say the word 'gay' or 'homosexual' - that felt strange for a man who agreed to play the role.  And, not many emotions are visible anymore on Mammootty's face after too many facelifts and botox treatments.  If you haven't watched it yet, don't miss it.  

I also said I watched two other movies.  'Atlas' of Jennifer Lopez, and a Kannada movie called, 'Dauther of Parvathamma'.  Both totally forgettable, and avoidable fare.  Now, I am wondering what to watch next.  Any suggestions?

Justice Denied

The excitement started with the debate on Times Now.  Someone posted it on Facebook, “There’s a discussion happening right now on TN; watch!” A few friends called in too.  And, for the first time Sanjay and I even liked Arnab Goswami (“He is on our side!”).  Yesterday it was confirmed that the judgment would be delivered today at 1030 in the morning. 

I had not even thought of the alternative to a verdict that would uphold the Delhi HC judgment.  As we packed our lunch, I even clicked the picture of our lunchboxes in many colours (like a rainbow, as Sanjay quipped).  I wore a pink shirt to work too so I would be in an appropriately celebratory mood to welcome the much-awaited decriminalizing verdict.  And, all hell broke loose thereafter.

With just one swish of the pen the Supreme Court today has decided to declare that over 60 million people of this country are criminals.  For their sexuality.  For a choice they didn’t make.  For having been born that way.  In the process, the honourable apex court has set aside the Delhi HC judgment as ultra vires, said that decriminalization can only be done by the legislature and Article 377 does not violate the constitutional rights of anyone – the fundamental rights of liberty and freedom. 

The day that was supposed to be of joy, celebration and freedom had suddenly become sombre, dark and oppressive.  Tears welled up without a signal on hearing the news.  Today’s judgment has nullified the struggle that had some ups and a lot of downs to a marginalized community and pushed an entire country backwards by a few centuries in terms of civil liberties. 

The anger within the community is palpable – especially among those that are more vocal and/or also living away from India.  But, what would a regular average Joe/Jane do who’s gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender now?

I certainly see a long phase of bleak, dark days for the community unless this judgment is challenged before a division bench of the Supreme Court and it overturns the current ruling.  That’s the only hope as at least for many years to come our Parliament would not make homosexuality legal by way of legislation. 

Expect police to become more strident in their action against the community; there can be more arrests under Sec. 377 especially now that this has been national news.  There will be more (and publicised) crackdown on gay parties, gay assembly and possible denial of permission to even congregate peacefully – either to protest this judgment or for a Pride march later.  More harassment for certain for many gullible men (and women).  There would be a larger social backlash too.  Expect hate-crimes which hitherto were rare or unheard of in India to raise their ugly face.

(I wonder if the gay dating sites that had sprung up merrily in the last decade or so would be forced to down their shutters in the country following this verdict.)

Most LGBT folks who had expected a favourable verdict and planned to come out to their near and dear ones will now have second thoughts.  A lot many will move back willingly (albeit sadly and reluctantly) into closets for safety.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I see a surge in marriages too (not the gay marriages, silly).   

Those that can afford may think of even moving out of the country – to better places.  Even Nepal or Bhutan sounds like a great plan.  But, what about those many millions who are ordinary citizens and not privileged and yet homosexual? Will they reconcile to their fate, marry a woman/man and meet people on the side surreptitiously (and hope they don’t get caught either by the police or the moral brigade)? Or, will they fight back and say, ‘Enough!’?  Will this be our very own Stonewall or will this be just another unsavoury event/epoch in the drudgery of LGBT in the country?

I am certain the honourable court didn’t think of what it was doing.  Had it, this certainly wouldn’t have been the outcome.  I also know I’m talking like a doomsday prophet.  But, that’s how precisely I feel.  I want to think that it is a nightmare and I would wake up to discover that the judgment is in our favour.  However, I am painfully awake.

AT Cross Roads of Change

Today can turn out to be a momentous day.  The Central Government is going to 'decide' on its view on certain arcane law and this decision can have far reaching effects, including liberalising the society from its colonial hangover and push it towards more individual freedom, liberty and choices.

I'm talking about the Section 377 and the opinion of the Central Government so far in view of the PIL pending (and being heard) at the Delhi High Court.  For the uninitiated, Sec.377 deals with the criminalisation of a range of sexual behaviours.  It states, "Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine".  The law also goes on to state that "Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section".  

The law surely packs quite a punch.  In one sweeping statement it makes homosexuality (of the male kind), heterosexual behaviours of anal sex and oral sex criminal.  It does not provide any kind of respite to the practice of sex even within our own private spaces!  Largely the law has been used by policemen to harass people, straight or gay.  The law was drafted by our colonial rulers in 1860.  This law has disappeared from the British courts since the 1960s but stays here and is even largely supported by the Government!

(Of course, I've to explain this before I forget that lesbianism, i.e., homosexuality among women is NOT a crime as per the law because it does NOT involve penetration.  Now, all the men who enjoy watching pornography of this kind - and lesbian women - can heave a sigh of great relief that they're spared).  

An NGO filed a PIL in 2001 against this Section of IPC.  The courts dismissed the PIL on technicality.  However on the advice of Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court is hearing the case filed.  The PIL requests the Courts to decriminalise homosexuality.  Right to Equality and Right to Freedom are some of the fundamental rights the petitioners are quoting the section violates.  Apart from this they also contend that this section ensures that gay men who are more prone to HIV and AIDS do not get the necessary medical treatment as they fear discrimination.  Statistics are being quoted too to support the claim.  

The Government on the other hand is a divided house.  The Law Commission wanted to decriminalise homosexuality in 2001.  The Ministry of Family and Child Welfare proposed the same in 2006.  In Mexico this year, Anbumani Ramdoss, the controversial Health Minister spoke against the law and said it must go.  However the Government's counsel in the Court said, "The Health Minister's views may be ignored" and the Court must only consider the views of the Home Ministry.   The Government is opposing the scrapping of this piece of colonial (shameful) legacy on the grounds of 'morality'.  It also quotes extensively from Christian and other evangelical websites to substantiate its views.  It also states that many Countries like Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Nigeria and the like still continue to view homosexuality is undesirable and have banned it in their countries.  What examples to emulate one might wonder when smaller countries like even Nepal have taken the step forward and today even have an MP who is openly gay!  

India has had a pluralistic tradition - in every area of activity.  Be it cultural or political.  The country and its people have always been known for tolerance.  Of the various kinds - political, religious, cultural.  Sex is no different.  We find our own mythology strewn with examples of same-sex couplings, including that of Vishnu (in the form of Mohini) and Shiva.  Same-sex panels of architecture can be found in Khajuraho.  Poets of the Sufi era have celebrated their same-sex love.  We even had a completely women-only state during the Mahabharata!  However it's also true that in the last few decades we are fast losing all those 'liberal ideals' that we have held dear for several millennia!  

In view of the cacophony of several voices emerging from the Government and in view of the advice of the Honourable High Court, the Central Government is meeting today to decide its 'One Voice' on the entire controversy.  What the Government chooses today can epitomise the direction the society as a whole takes from here.  If it chooses to stick to its conservative stand, the Government will NOT lose anything but the society as a whole does, not just the homosexuals who are eagerly looking forward.  Sure it makes the lives of gays a little easier though it's not their deliverance.  A gay man suddenly will not come out of the closet just because homosexuality is decriminalised and declare his sexuality.  Nor would the society suddenly open its arms and say, 'Welcome'.  But these 'necessary' changes CAN take place provided the Government today realizes the importance of its choice.  

The developed and the democratic world has changed in the last few decades towards progress.  South Africa which recently has thrown away the yoke of Apartheid has provided equal rights to people of not just all ethnicities but also of various sexual orientations.  Many countries, including an otherwise conservative Spain, have approved laws that allow gay-marriages.  Some of the states in the US too have initiated similar legislation.  India is still a far cry from these nations.  What is astonishing though is it's lagging behind even its neighbours like Nepal and Bhutan!  The countries that used to look to India for guidance today are charting their own new courses and even teaching a lesson or two to their 'Big Brother'.  

In these dark times of strife, deep communal divide and schisms of all kinds, we certainly do not need another divide to hive our society.  We are creating a new class of 'untouchables' in homosexuals by criminalising their sexual orientation.  If only the Government wakes up to the fact that one's sexual orientation is not something one chooses or changes at convenience - like political parties!