The Queer Rhetoric of Bollywood: A case of mistaken identity

Abstract

The paper addresses the queer representation of fictional characters and gay framing, analyzing the concept of "dosti" and "yaarana" and the trope of the homo-social triangle in Hindi cinema. This film trajectory presupposes the existence of homosexuality but relies on the inevitability of heterosexuality. This strand explores traditional social themes such as love, family, tradition but within this builds up an alternative "invisible" queer narrative. By acknowledging the slippages between "real identity" and "mistaken identity" the films usher in a new queer cinematic discourse within popular Bollywood. In this paper I will chiefly look at Nikhil Advani and Karan Johar's Kal Ho Na Ho (If Tomorrow Never Comes, 2004); and Tarun Mansukhani and Karan Johar's Dostana (Friendship, 2008) and see how Queer Representations in Indian Cinema address the invisibile queer politics through a case of mistaken identity(ies).