A New Indian Short Film Attempts To Normalize The Act Of 'Coming Out’

Queerness in cinema often boils down to the moment of the protagonist’s ‘coming out’ with all moments leading up to this moment of wanting acceptance. While for many individuals ‘coming out’ can be a daunting task and one of utmost importance, many in the community have also argued time and again that queer experiences don’t have to be limited to this moment of revelation. That there is a certain absurdity in expecting young individuals to ‘come out’ and proclaim their sexual orientations when in this largely heteronormative world ‘straight’ people aren’t expected to make any such proclamations.

It is in this context that Gaurav Gupta’s directorial short film ‘Chhoti Si Baat’ offers tenderness and normality to this act of ‘coming out’. In the short film, we see a young boy building up the courage to tell his father that he is gay. He tells him ‘main gay hun’ (I am gay) to which his father engaged in his work nonchalantly says ‘Haan to?’ (so?). Thinking that the father has not understood what this means, he tells him ‘Mujhe ladke pasand hai’ (I like boys) to which his father gives the same reply. The father then walks up to the son and tells him about his love for his mother and says how he’s never had to walk up to him and proclaim that and that hasn’t changed the love between the father-son duo. It is this moment of nonchalance, comfort, and tenderness that the film boils down to and one that holds the viewer in its warmth.

The film is made for Sweekar The Rainbow Parents, an NGO that helps parents navigate the coming out journeys of their children and accept them with open hearts. The film was released on September 6, 2022, to not just commemorate the anniversary of the revoking of article 377 but also to launch the day as the first Indian Coming Out Day. With the film, the NGO and the filmmaker wish to encourage people to accept their truth and empower them to speak it loudly while encouraging parents to make the coming out conversation easier.

You can watch the short film here.

Short Film Credits

Directed by: Gaurav Gupta

Script by: Gauri Mangla Gokarn

Produced by: Kashif Memon in collaboration with Mothership Productions

Music: Khwaab

Actors: Shubhrajyoti Barat, Vishesh Bansal, and Shivangi

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