O’Neil, the filmmaker, recently attended the Kashish International Queer Film Festival and said he was completely disappointed to see none of his so-called “community allies” in the industry come to his aid. “There were no OTT programmers, no studio heads… no one from that world actually came to see the film with the community,” he laments.
What makes O’Neill even more irate is precisely how these people try to talk about the LGBTQIA+ community from their perspective and discuss their rights. “If you can’t support us when you need us, who is going to sit in that creative space and decide what stories need to be told about us?” he said. Ask and continue: And some closed-minded people are writing this from a very heteronormative perspective. ”
O’Neil points out that while telling the LGBT narrative, the narrative followed by most Bollywood projects is “about accepting us, forgetting that queer people’s lives are not just about acceptance and imperfections.” do.
In a recent conversation with an actor, the 54-year-old shares the industry’s perception of the community. “I recently called the actor for a role and his immediate response was ‘I’ve already played a gay role.’ Would he say the same for a heterosexual character? Of course not,” O’Neill says, citing Bollywood’s easy reduction of the lives of the queer community to their sexuality. “Being gay is just part of who we are,” asserts the filmmaker, known for award-winning films like “We are gay.” my brother… Nikhil (2005) and I (2011).
That’s why O’Neill said all this talk about inclusivity by the industry is “just a way for the heteronormative world to celebrate itself for doing the bare minimum.” In fact, they are fighting homophobic ideas. ”
But the filmmakers don’t hesitate to criticize the film industry’s double standards. I feel like I will never forget to ask for help if the queer community needs it for selfish reasons.
“When their films come out and the community needs to support and celebrate them, they will remember us, otherwise we will be forgotten. No one talks about movies made by or casting queer actors,” he continues, adding, “When there is an event that the community needs help with, they are completely silent. I’m not talking about Marriage Equality or Pride Month, these are the so-called standard-bearers of change, industry people who are trying to rewrite the narrative of the LGBTQIA+ world and work towards our inclusion. .”
That said, Onir is quick to say he doesn’t need help to be accepted by himself or his community, when in fact the opposite is true. “The industry is short-sighted and needs help. They’re basically homophobic, fighting their own problems, and glorifying their acceptance. We can do more than what is doing, and if we can’t, at least we can empower people who are serious about making a difference,” he concluded.
