Entertainment / Twitter Trashes “Dangerous” The Latest Film By Ram Gopal Varma

Twitter Trashes “Dangerous” The Latest Film By Ram Gopal Varma

Entertainment Sep 08, 2020

by Mrinalini Sundar

The new marketing promos for Dangerous was announced on twitter by the film’s director, by the Ram Gopal Varma. The series of seductive images immediately received backlash for the apparent fetishization of lesbians. What gives? We take a closer look at this tone deaf approach by the Bollywood director.

Ram Gopal Varma's latest LGBTQ movie, Dangerous — **Twitter Trashes Ram Gopal Varma’s Latest Movie, “Dangerous”: Ram Gopal Varma’s latest LGBTQ movie, Dangerous gets trashed for it’s extremely sexual posters.** Picture Credit: www.imdb.com

It is 2020. We live in a world where LGBTQ is no longer a taboo word, where same-sex marriages get support from their families, where people are fighting for gender equality, where governments are decriminalizing LGBTQ people, and Bollywood has made movies such as Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga and Margarita With A Straw.

And then we have Ram Gopal Varma, a Bollywood movie director best known for movies during the 90s. So, what about him? The 58-year-old recently took to Twitter to release three posters of his next film Dangerous, which is not just any film, but “India’s first lesbian crime action.” the director tweeted, “DANGEROUS is a darkly passionate high-intensity lesbian love story between two women Apsara Rani and Naina Ganguly.”

https://twitter.com/RGVzoomin/status/1292371327056138241

He also went ahead and said this his film will be the “first in India to culturally elevate the stigma of LGBT after the honorable Supreme Court repealed section 377 … My hearty congratulations to both actors Apsara Rani and Naina Ganguly for them pioneering a new age in Indian cinema.”

But the director has been questioned and trolled online for the posters that have clearly been designed for the male gaze and contribute to fetishization. One tweeted, “why do men think that showing hot scenes are the epitome of boldness in lgbtq+ community. you’re doing nothing but pandering to male gaze & contributing to fetishization of lesbians without leading to any progress in eliminating stigma towards lesbians & lgbtq+ comm.”

One of them has also questioned the director and asked if this is the LGBTQ empowerment of soft porn?

Why is showing sexual content on the poster so important for a lesbian film? Why does it have to have women sticking their tongue out or kissing?

We have international LGBTQ activists such as Billy Porter, Jonathan Van Ness, Sam Smith, Alok V Menon, and Laverne Cox constantly bringing awareness about the LGBTQ issue across the world. We also have South Asian activists like Vikram Seth, Akkai Padmashali, Karpaga, Riyad Vinci Wadia, and Harish Iyer creating awareness in Indian society.

And then there is the poster of Dangerous that truly voices the concerns of the LGBTQ community.

I don’t think so.

https://twitter.com/RGVzoomin/status/1292355101743431680

Having said all this, the saving grace is the comments under these posters. With social media, the responses have been quick and blatant sending a straight message to the director.

Twitter users and activists haven’t taken well to the posters and have delivered their verdict, trashed the director, and accused him of misguiding the public on the pretext of LGBTQ activism. One must also make note that it has been 12 years since Ram Gopal Varma delivered a hit film. One must wait to see what else the director has in store for the viewers.

https://twitter.com/RGVzoomin/status/1292338957405966336

If you are falling under the bracket that says, why such drama over a movie poster? Here’s why …

The LGBTQIA+ community has been facing hate crimes for several years now. For example, Indian activist, Jayhree Bajoria was arrested under section 377 and was made to spend 47 traumatic days behind bars. All this because he was gay. “Being denied drinking water … being beaten up every day just because of my sexual orientation was a really horrible experience. It took me almost 17 years to even talk about it,” he said during an interview with the BBC.

A similar incident forced a lesbian couple — Payal and Kanchan seek protection form their own families. “Our families are against our relationship. They are threatening us,” they said.

The condition of the LGBTQIA+ community gets worst in rural India. We have had cases like Rajesh Yadav, 25, who identifies as a gay cross-dresser and lives in Bilaspur, in central India. She was gang-raped multiple times and beaten with a brick because of her sexuality, reports The New York Times.

Unfortunately, the number of LGBTQIA+ youth committing suicide because of harassment has also increased. According to a report in India Today, a 19-year-old Chennai boy committed suicide after he was ridiculed for being homosexual. The same report says that transgender youth are at the highest risk, nearly six times as likely to attempt suicide as heterosexual peers.

LGBTQIA+ activist and founder of Queer Chennai Chronicles, C Moulee, said, “Every queer person faces harassment. Section 377 may have been struck down, but it remains a judgment. It has not changed people’s mentality or our everyday lives.”

With the community facing discrimination and harassment on an everyday basis, Bollywood has the chance to bring more awareness and change in the mindsets of people. However, Ram Gopal Varma chose a different path and we wish he takes a cue from the comments on Twitter and releases a new poster and has great content in the feature film.

And his fans wasted no time to express their outrage:

Featured Image Photo Credit: www.twitter.com

Mrinalini Sundar

Author

Mrinalini Sundar (new_girl_in_to) has worked with various Indian national, international publications including Times Of India and is currently based out of Toronto. She's constantly in search of high adventure, exotic food, and new experiences. She is the happiest amidst mountains, with no wi-fi.

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Twitter Trashes “Dangerous” The Latest Film By Ram Gopal Varma

by Mrinalini Sundar

Mrinalini Sundar

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