Top 10 Homosexual Roles Played By Bollywood Actors

1) In no particular order, the first and the most recent name that comes to mind is that of Fawad Khan. Known for his handsome physique and romantic, charming roles Fawad broke a lot of barriers (and hearts!) by portraying a gay man in the movie ‘Kapoor and sons’. He is shown as a perfect son who is unable to come out of the closet to his family due to the burden of this very perfection. Although there are no explicit scenes, the pain of being shunned by his mother post the revelation of his sexuality, and the effect of that on the generally cheerful character’s life, are shown perfectly by the director.

2) Another pair that was much talked about for their portrayal of gay characters is John Abraham Like some of our sexy stars, John Abraham has had >> Read More... and Abhishek Bachchan Abhishek Bachchan, or Abhishek Srivastava, is a ve >> Read More... in ‘ Dostana Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. Though they did not play truly gay characters in the movie and very actually just pretending to be gay, Dostana was one of the first movies featuring homosexuality that was watched so widely and was not tabooed by our society. Hence giving other movies a stepping stone to make more serious films on the subject.

3) Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri is known as an actor in Bollywood. The >> Read More... and Purab Kohli Purab Kohli is an Indian model, Video Jockey (VJ) >> Read More... played each other’s love interests in the film ‘My Brother Nikhil’, a not much talked about 2005 movie about an Olympian swimmer who was ostracised by society upon the revelation that he was HIV+. Although not a central theme in the movie, the love between the men is subtly presented without making a mockery of the subject like in most Bollywood films that depict gay characters.

4) A deviation from the usually dark, violent, macho roles played by him, Randeep Hooda The strong macho image of Randeep Hooda graces the >> Read More... too, has had the courage to play a meek, timid and scared gay man in the movie ‘ Bombay Talkies Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. His role perfectly shows the psychological effects of being gay in a country where even the constitution does not consider you a normal human. Hooda plays a gay man who, despite knowing the truth about his sexuality bends himself; pretending to be heterosexual just to gain acceptance in society.

5) Saquib Saleem on the other hand plays the stark opposite of Hooda’s character. He plays a modern, confident man comfortable in his skin. He has no reservations about himself and shows himself to be exactly what he is. He is unashamed of being gay and right so!

6) Kayoze Irani Kayoze Irani made his debut in Karan Johar’s film >> Read More... played an openly gay character in the movie ‘Student of the year’. Although not a very central or serious character in the movie, and partly just there for the comical relief like most other gay characters shown in Bollywood, Irani gives a heart-wrenching speech at the end of the movie, pointing out all that is wrong with our society and it’s perceptions of homosexuality.

7) Even back in the 90s, when homosexuality was considered a major taboo, Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi is a film actress of Indian origin an >> Read More... and Nandita Das Nandita Das is an actress and director extremely p >> Read More... did not hesitate from taking up these extremely challenging roles of lesbian lovers in the drama film ‘Fire’ that released in 1996. The movie showed a much-nuanced depiction of the love between two married women who cannot hold back their true passion for each other.

8) By far the best, most well put and beautifully portrayed role played by a Bollywood actress in any movie is Kalki Koechlin Kalki Koechlin is a famous film actress, model and >> Read More... ’s role in ‘Margarita with a straw’. Playing a girl affected by Cerebral Palsy who falls in love with a blind girl in the US without the knowledge of her mother, Kalki shows with uncanny precision and gutting emotions the life, and thoughts of not just any homosexual, but a physically challenged, bi-sexual girl. The movie also shows something not often depicted by Bollywood: the search for one’s sexual identity.

9) Without a doubt, the most well directed Bollywood movie about homosexuality was the film ‘ I Am Click to look into! >> Read More... ’ by Onir. Unlike all the other movies mentioned here, this one paints a dark, sordid depiction of the harsh realities faced by gay men. Rahul Bose Rahul Bose, who is an actor, director, writer and >> Read More... plays the protagonist who is trapped in an exploitative situation with Arjun Mathur Arjun Mathur is an Indian actor and was born on 18 >> Read More... ’s character who is also gay. The themes of humiliation and societal pressure faced by gay persons are very crudely and effectively shown in this movie. It gives us a look at the sordid lives homosexuals are forced to lead even in today’s world, and how they are exploited by people for their gain. Special mention must be made of the actors (who are incidentally the first mainstream Bollywood actors to openly show homosexual engagements) and the director for being able to tackle such a serious issue with such class.

10) Due to a dearth of homosexual roles that are serious, mention can be made of the one lesbian instance between Kareena Kapoor and Shahana Goswami Shahana Goswami is an Indian artist born on 6 May >> Read More... in ‘ Heroine Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. Although nothing major in the movie and probably just thrown in for sensationalism, the scene still deserves a mention as it too helped break barriers due being performed by such a prominent actress.