It is 2026, and every time such distasteful conversations and comments arise on LGBTQ+ issues, I shudder to think which way we are headed. The release of the Tamil film Dorothy , directed by Kartik Subbaraj, has triggered a wave of reactions on social media. And not all of it is exactly positive. Most of it is downright homophobic, which ultimately shows a mirror to the kind of comments that queer folks have to deal with on a daily basis. Till then, I have picked a few films and shows from Netflix that can be seen to better understand the range of representation that the canon of queer cinema can offer:
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (film)
Benedict Cumberbatch gets one of his best roles as a cruel and charismatic Montana rancher in 1925 who revels in psychological torture against his brother’s new wife and sensitive son, to devastating results. It follows Anand (Bhushaan Manoj), a 30-year-old gay call-centre worker from Mumbai who returns to his ancestral village in rural Maharashtra for a traditional 10-day mourning period after his father’s death. Viola Davis lends humanity and depth to legendary blues singer Ma Rainey in this Netflix musical drama adapted from August Wilson’s classic 1982 stage play. The film dramatises the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey and her band during a tense, high-stakes recording session in a Chicago studio in 1927.
Because this adaptation of the Spanish show Elite, really does well in representing the rich and rebellious young generation in the country’s capital, so many shows get greenlit for unnecessary seasons in the tip of a hat but not Class, which is unfortunate,. Jane Campion offers a breathtaking vision of toxic masculinity that can arise from the repression of their desire and identity. It is a masterclass of show, don’t tell. The Marathi feature film directed by Rohan P Kanawade tells the story of desire intermingled with grief. There, he meets Balya (Suraaj Suman), a childhood friend and local farmer, and an old flame arises. The show’s soul centres on the secret romance between Dhruv Sanghvi and Faruq Manzoor (played beautifully by Chayan Chopra and Chintan Rachchh). He is an introverted student besotted by this handsome local drug dealer, working to save money. What can go wrong? Well, everything does, but hey, we get our tender moments. Watch it only for them. It is the singer’s unapologetic, defiant attitude about her queerness that makes her story stand out during an era when being an openly queer Black woman was dangerous.
A rare Indian film that truly understands what it means to be gay in this country is last year’s Sabar Bonda .
