Six Bengali films that presented queer love with care

Nil Nirjane (2003): Subrata Sen’s film showed a nuanced understanding of non-heterosexual relationships. It took a bold approach with its depiction of a lesbian relationship between the characters played by Raima Sen and Mou Sultana. Also starring Moon Moon Sen, June Maliah, Rajatava Dutta, ‘Nil Nirjane’ was also the “first digitally made Indian film”.

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Nagarkirtan (2017): Directed by Kaushik Ganguly, the National Award-winning film had Riddhi Sen as a transwoman and Ritwik Chakraborty as the love interest. With its sensitive take on queer relationships and the sordid reality of transphobia and other societal stigmas, the film was an eye-opener.

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Chitrangada, The Crowning Wish (2012): Rituparno Ghosh’s pathbreaking film had the filmmaker playing the lead role of Rudra Chatterjee, who is male by birth but a woman by choice. Jisshu Sengupta’s Partho, Rudra’s love interest, was seen constantly battling an inner struggle to understand his gender identity through his relationships with Partho and Raima Sen’s Kasturi.

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Arekti Premer Golpo (2010): Based on the life of Chapal Bhaduri aka Chapal Rani, known for playing female roles in jatra, Kaushik Ganguly’s film captured the essence and reality of queer relationships in two eras. Rituparno Ghosh played the dual roles of Abhiroop Sen, a filmmaker, and Chapal Bhaduri. Indraneil Sengupta played Basu, Abhiroop’s cinematographer and his love interest who is also married to Rani (Churni Ganguly), as well as Kumar (Chapal Bhaduri’s love interest, also married to Churni’s Gopa). The song ‘Banomali tumi’ depicted the agony of living in shackles and the exhaustion of fighting against the tide.

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Samantaral (2017): Parambrata Chattopadhyay took cinephiles by surprise with the portrayal of an intersex man oppressed by the family and having to hide his gender identity. Riddhi, who played nephew to Parambrata, tries to break the mystery around his supposedly mentally ill uncle, unknowingly setting him off on a journey of self-exploration.

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Memories In March (2010): Rituparno Ghosh essayed the role of a homosexual man grieving the death of his colleague and lover in an accident. Deepti Naval portrayed the role of a mother who is not only left to come to terms with his son’s death but also his sexual identity.

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