REPORT
That unusual thing about
Fawad Khan's gay character in
Kapoor and Sons
Y
ou've already encountered this spoiler, but if you
want no more, stop reading now. It takes a lot for
Bollywood to not mess up a character or a setting
with any homosexual undertones. So it is no surprise
that Kapoor and Sons is making us cry out in joy for
getting it right. For a change however, it isn't just the
break from mediocre Bollywood depictions of gay characters that we are celebrating. In the (never-ending)
times of Section 377, here's a film that has a completely
self-aware gay character. One who is not the only point
of drama in the film. "Main thak gaya hun apka perfect
beta banke," says Fawad Khan's Rahul Kapoor after his
doting mother - played to perfection by Ratna Pathak
- snoops on him and discovers
that there is no girlfriend in his
life, and probably has never
been. Rahul tries hard to convince his mother to get away
from her crumbling marriage
and to move to London to live
with him. "Maa, aap aake toh
dekho. Kaise rehta hun. Kiske
sath rehta hun." He wants to
ease her into his reality, one that
she cannot even imagine as
she dreams of the perfect bahu
for her favourite son. Rahul's
relationship with each member
of the Kapoor clan highlights
his nagging need to come out to
them. But they are all grappling
with their own problems and
seem to be too self-absorbed to
notice his desperationRahul's
relationship with each member
of the Kapoor clan highlights his nagging need to come
out to them. But they are all grappling with their own
problems and seem to be too self-absorbed to notice
his desperation.His father, played by Rajat Kapoor, is a
frustrated middle-aged man who is always at odds with
himself for not being able to financially support his family. Rahul acts as his confidante, the only person he can
turn to. But the man barely knows his son. Rahul's strongest love-hate relationship is the one with his brother,
Arjun - essayed by Sidharth Malhotra - who sees him as
the sole reason why he always got the short end of the
stick. And yet, late one night after a particularly hilarious pot-smoking session with Grandpa Kapoor - played
by Rishi Kapoor in all his wrinkly, prosthetic glory - the
brothers find themselves opening up to one another,
sharing a bed after years. Rahul tries once again. "Ek
baat hai jo kisi ko nahi pata..." he starts. But his brother
is fast asleep by then. The family does not seem to realise that Rahul's visit means more to him than just a trip
planned around his 90-year-old grandfather. They seem
to have no idea of his conundrum as he mulls over how
best to come out to them. But is his personal turmoil
more significant than the problems the other members
face? The film doesn't judge. And that's the beauty of it.
Kapoor and Sons normalises homosexuality by portraying Rahul's character to be just as troubled as everyone
else's in the film. A cheating husband, a jealous wife, a
lonely grandfather, a lonelier young woman, a wronged
brother and a struggling artist, all come together in this
film to rid Rahul's story of stigma. We are all dysfunctional and far from perfect, the film seems to say, while
establishing that imperfection is okay. As is the case
with most families, the dysfunctional Kapoor clan too is
brought together by a shared loss. And when Rahul returns to face his emotionally-numb mother, she remembers to ask him about his "dost", the only direct reference that the film makes to Rahul's partner. Not once
is Rahul Kapoor called "gay" or "homosexual". And with
zero labels, Kapoor and Sons showcases his character
in the most human way. And yes, that is indeed a feat
worth celebrating.
17 | BOOM