Gay
is
suddenly
the
buzzword.
And
nobody
is
shying
away
from
saying
it
loud
and
clear.
Producer
Karan
Johar
and
director
Tarun
Mansukhani
can
take
a
bow.
Bollywood
men,
while
they
have
always
played
footsie
with
blurring
the
gender
lines
-
every
superstar
has
at
least
one
cross-dressing
scene
-
have
rarely
crossed
the
lakshman-rekha.
Dostana,
in
the
mainstream
entertainment
space
is
a
giant
leap
that
just
about
stops
short.
Films
such
as
My
Brother
Nikhil
or
Fire
(if
you
were
to
include
lesbians)
have
tread
that
path
before
but
were
perceived
as
movies
for
a
niche
audience.
Not
quite
so
with
Dostana
which
has
got
off
to
a
good
start
what
with
everyone
headed
for
a
dekko
at
John's
derriere
and
of
course,
the
liplock
(implied
of
course)!.
What's
interesting
is
also
the
debate
it
has
sparked
off
on
gays
and
lesbians.
Director
Tarun
Mansukhani
said
that
they
had
tried
to
convey
the
idea
of
homosexuality
as
an
acceptable
choice
in
a
manner
that
was
funny
and
not
preachy.
"Youngsters
often
respond
better
to
an
idea
that's
not
conveyed
from
a
pulpit
and
therefore
the
story
is
told
in
a
funny
vein."
Some
are
of
the
opinion
that
by
resorting
to
stereotypical
gay
representation,
the
film
does
the
community
great
disservice.
However,
the
fact
that
it
is
a
mainstream
film
with
two
mainstream
heroes
taking
the
plunge
to
the
extent
of
even
showing
a
prolonged
smooch
and
courtship
should
have
the
pink
brigade
cheering.
Add
to
that
the
acceptance
of
this
relationship
by
Kirron
Kher,
who
plays
Abhishek's
mother
in
the
film,
in
keeping
with
Dharma
Productions
philosophy,
it's
all
about
loving
your
family.
As
per
the
buzz,
producer
Karan
Johar
has
made
a
neat
over-the-table
profit.
Going
by
the
response
to
the
film,
the
distributors
should
also
be
satisfied.
What
will
emerge
over
the
next
few
days
will
be
interesting
-
is
the
movie
as
acceptable
in
small
towns
as
it
is
in
the
urban
centres?
If
yes,
then
this
could
well
be
another
sign
that
things
are
a
changing.
And
yes,
the
government
may
please
consider
doing
away
with
the
archaic
Section
377
of
the
Indian
Penal
Code,
known
as
the
"Anti-Sodomy
Law".
Story first published: Thursday, November 20, 2008, 15:20 [IST]