Mumbai-based filmmaker and gay activist Sridhar Rangayan was surprised when he was told that he has been selected by a worldwide nomination to be part of British Council’s first five Films4freedom Global List of 33 inspiring people who are changing social perceptions about LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) communities throughout the world. But considering he’s been actively making films based on queer subjects for over a decade, to find him in the list is not as surprising after all.
“And I’m not too sure who all nominated me but yes, I am very happy that I’m one of the persons to be part of the global list. I was quite excited because what happens with this list is it puts together people from different countries. Being an LGBT culture producer or an activist is not very easy because of the prevailing laws and social taboo. I think it is important that through this list, there’s a sharing and transmission of ideas with a special focus on culture,” he says.
His films are intended to raise awareness about Indian LGBTQ community in mainstream platforms. While his film Purple Skies was telecast on Doordarshan, his latest film Breaking Free has been selected to be part of the Indian Panorama 2015.
For Sridhar, his chosen medium, cinema is tool to spread awareness. He says, “As an activist you continue to speak in different forums but it is also important to produce cultural outputs like films, books and art. They definitely have much longer shelf life and it can reach out much farther. Especially the audio-visual medium, that I work in. It communicates immediately to the audience, what the issues are.”
Talking more about the role of his films as catalyst rather than a solution, Sridhar says, “I know for a fact that my films are being utilised in various ways, whether it’s a conference or a parent’s meet. Whether it’s a film festival or a community screening. So films have the potential to raise dialogues.”
Sridhar is also the director of the Mumbai International Queer Film Festival – Kashish. Taking the debate further on the welfare of LGBTQ community in the country, Sridhar points out, “Of course we need a legal change for which we need a political will by the political parties to come together and say this is what our stand is. That can actually allow us to strategise how we want to take it further.” But it’s the society that needs to change before anything else. “I strongly believe that more than legal and political change, it is important to enable social change first, and the most impactful way is to use films, art and culture to create awareness and sensitise people.”
