Abhimanyu Mathur (BOMBAY TIMES; February 20, 2020)

Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan sees Ayushmann Khurrana play a homosexual character for the first time. He is paired opposite a relative newcomer, Jitendra Kumar, in the film (and also reunites with Badhaai Ho co-stars Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao). But the actor is quick to point out the film is not another ‘Ayushmann film’ about a non-mainstream topic. It is different from anything he has done before, he maintains. We sit down with him to let him elaborate on that difference, why this film needed to be a family entertainer, and how he made sure to not let his character become caricature-ish. Excerpts:

When it comes to LGBTQ characters in Hindi films, there are two kinds of stories — either where they are comic relief or caricatures, or serious films that talk about homophobia, like Aligarh. In that, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan has taken a new approach – a romcom with a gay lead pair...
It’s progressive. Let me first state that it is not a message-oriented film or some in-depth look at same-sex relationships. It is a comedy film. It is a family entertainer and we have primarily made the film like that because we want the families to watch the film with their kids. They will not feel iffy about it when they watch it. That’s the aspiration of the film, which is why it is more of comedy and less of romance between these two boys. The homophobe is the target audience here.

You say it is not a message-oriented film or an in-depth look at same-sex relationships, but a comedy. Is entertainment a better way of getting a message across as opposed to sermonising?
I think that’s the correct approach. We should not be preachy. At the same time, we have to normalise the same-sex relationship — the love story between two boys. More than the love story, it is about the reaction of the parents and the family, and how they react when they find out that their son is gay. I am playing the instigator in the film while Jitendra is the son. So this is a crazy comedy from the eyes of that family that is regressive but ultimately they have to accept things. This was the right time to make this film and send this message, too, particularly after the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377.

Has the verdict changed how the Indian society sees homosexuality? Is it easier to make mainstream romantic films on the issue now?
It was difficult to make such a film before the verdict. In the 90s, there was a film called Fire and right-wing activists tore down posters and burned the theatres. Today, the kissing scene (between the two leading men) is also a part of the film. Otherwise it was impossible. But yes, the sanction of the court has nothing to do with the sanction of the society. There is little acceptance for same-gender relationships. But this is definitely a step up. That’s why the film needed to be from the family’s perspective. Just like Badhaai Ho, in this film, the whole family is the hero.

The kiss between your and Jitendra’s characters in the film is being talked about a lot. A kiss in a heterosexual love story does not receive the same spotlight these days.
This was important for the film because we have to normalise it. I recently saw two boys kissing in a mall and then I realised, we are ready for it. We normally don’t see PDA between same-sex couples, but that happens abroad. That will happen in India also. It’s about basic human rights. People think that it is unnatural, abnormal because they are wired like that. So, acceptance is importance. Probably, this is the introduction to homosexuality for an average Indian homophobe. Right now we are discussing the same-sex kiss, and I think the next step will be that nobody will ask this question again when it happens in a film. Just like nobody asks a question about a heterosexual kissing scene anymore. Back in the ’90s if there was a kissing scene, there were a lot of questions, headlines, kitni kisses hain iss film mein and all that. In fact, just ten years ago, Emraan Hashmi ko lekar kissing scenes ke bare mein kitni baat hoti thi. Ab hoti hi nahi hai. Toh aisa hi hoga, jab same-sex relationship ko lekar film banegi aage, nobody will be asking about the kiss.

The film is shot in Varanasi and not a Delhi or Mumbai. Is that a conscious call to show that a same-sex relationship is not something that happens only in the metros, as it is still perceived by a large section of the society?
Most of my taboo-breaking or stigmabusting films are — by default — based in small towns and middle-class families. There is a reason behind it. For instance, my last film (Bala) was on baldness. People in urban India are already confident. They have ten other means to feel confident about themselves. The same is with sames-ex relationships. They are still acceptable in Delhi and Mumbai. We have gay pride parades in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. But you never see that in a Kanpur. That’s the reason. There is no conflict in the urban city because we are aware, we are woke. There is lack of awareness in small cities. When there is no conflict, there is no story. The conflict only arises in the small city in the middle-class.

You said you are the instigator here. Be it Bala, Badhaai Ho,or Dum Laga Ke Haisha, you have played victims or people who happen to face some tough situations. Here, we see you taking charge and making things happen.
(Laughs) They had given me a choice of picking up one of the characters. I chose this one because I thought I don’t want to be a victim anymore, let me be an instigator. This is a guy more confident about his sexuality and Jitendra’s character is still in the closet. He is the parallel lead and he has got a great arc in the film because he is the one who comes out and fights the family. It was a conscious decision to do this character, to have something different to do. He (Jitendra) is the subtle one and I’m the more flamboyant one.

In playing a gay character that you describe as ‘flamboyant’, how do you make sure that the portrayal is fun and yet does not become a caricature like the LGBTQ characters we have seen in mainstream films in the past?
See, one character in the film has to imbibe certain stereotypical features also. Like he (Jitendra) looks like a ‘regular’ heterosexual male, while I am the one with certain nuances to the character that are perceived as effeminate. I have a nose ring for example. But that is important for the masses to relate because unhone aisa bhi dekha hai. Relatability bhi chahiye and for that you have to use certain stereotypes, but without going over the top. You have to take the middle path.