Sridhar Rangayan
Encyclopedia
Sridhar Rangayan (born 2 April 1962)) is an India
n filmmaker who has made films with special focus on queer
subjects. His queer films, The Pink Mirror
and Yours Emotionally
, have been considered groundbreaking because of their realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the largely closeted Indian gay community. His film The Pink Mirror
remains banned in India by the Indian Censor Board because of its homosexual content.
Rangayan was born in Mandya
, Karnataka
. As a gay activist, he has been one of the front-rank leaders in the LGBT movement in India and has contributed immensely towards the growth of awareness about sexual minorities in India,
He is a Founder Member and Trustee of The Humsafar Trust, the first gay NGO in India, along with Ashok Row Kavi
. He also designed and edited India's first gay magazine Bombay Dost between 1999 - 2003.
In 2006, he was awarded the South Asian Achievers Award for his contribution to global mainstream media by Triangle Media Group (TMG), UK.
In 2010, he has served on the prestigious Jury for the Teddy Awards at the 60th Berlinale (Berlin, Germany), Jury for Matter of Act awards at the Movies That Matter film festival (The Hague, Netherlands) and also as Jury for SATO-48 (USA) competition.
He is the Festival Director of Kashish Mumbai Queer Film Festival that was held in Mumbai, India from April 22–25, 2010 showcasing more than 110 queer films from 25 countries at two venues. For the first time ever, a queer film festival was held at a mainstream multiplex venue - PVR Cinemas.
He has been elected as Regional Director (region 19) of Interpride which is a network of more than 160 Gay Pride organizations from more than 35 countries in 162 cities, dedicated to LGBT Pride parades and other events.
He is also the Festival Director of Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival
that was held in Mumbai, India from December 8–10, 2010 at Alliance française
de Bombay and screened 8 documentary films on human rights issues along with panel discussions on several topics like 'human trafficking and the law', 'violence against women' and 'religious intolerance'.
and has a Post-graduate in Design from Industrial Design Centre
, IIT Bombay
, specializing in Visual Communication. Sridhar Rangayan worked with the National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped as Mass Media Officer and then for a while as a textile designer for an export firm, designing tapestries and carpets.
In 1994 he attended a short course in film appreciation at the FTII
, Pune. Thereafter he apprenticed with eminent Indian directors like Sai Paranjpye
on the film 'Papeeha' and TV serial 'Hum Panchi Ek Chal Ke' and Dev Benegal
on his feature English August. He wrote the screenplay and dialogues for Kalpana Lajmi's serial 'The Awakening' (Doordarshan) and was the Associate Director for the serial 'Dawn' (Star Plus). Both these were produced by Dr.Bhupen Hazarika
, the legendary Assamese music director and singer.
From 1999 to 2002, Rangayan scripted and directed several television series like 'Rishtey' and 'Gubbare' for (Zee TV
), 'Kagaar' for (Sahara TV) and 'Krisshna Arjun', 'Kahani Jurrm Ki' for (Star Plus
). His serial 'Pyar Ki Kashti Mein' for Star One
(2004) was the first Indian serial to be entirely shot on a cuiseliner (SuperStar Virgo
) and also in Singapore
& Malaysia.
In 2001 he founded his production company Solaris Pictures
along with his partner Saagar Gupta, a writer and art director. The company is perhaps the only production company in India to specialize in production of gay themed films. For his company, Rangayan scripted, produced and directed ' India's first film on drag queens' - 'Gulabi Aaina'The Pink Mirror
which came 9 years after India's first gay film - Riyad Vinci Wadia
's bomGay. The Pink Mirror
has screened at more than 70 international film festivals and won several awards. This film, which is a sensitive portrayal of the marginalized community of Indian transsexuals, has become part of libraries and academic course work in US Universities.
His first feature 'Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo (The Sensational Six), produced by the Children's Film Society of India, CFSI
is a children film that combines breezy fun-filled adventure with social values. It won the Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest
, Houston and has been screened at several children film festivals. The film is written by noted playwright
and screenwriter
Vijay Tendulkar
based on a story by noted writer and MP Shakuntala Paranjpye
.
Rangayan's next film Yours Emotionally
, a co-production with an UK production company Wise Thoughts portrayed the angst of a gay British Asian falling in love with a bisexual Indian man in a small town. The film is considered to be a bold exploration of the Indian gay milieu with its stark and naked portrayal of homoerotic desires. Termed as an 'intoxicating queer journey through India', the film also raises questions about racism and identity. The film has screened at several international film festivals including Tasveer - Seattle South Asian Film Festival and Prague Bollywood Film Festival.
His recent film '68 Pages' about stigma and discrimination faced by HIV+ people has been funded by DFID, UK and co-produced by his company Solaris Pictures
along with The Humsafar Trust. This film which premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in December 2007 is about a HIV/AIDS counselor and how she instills hope and a will to live, among 5 HIV positive people from marginalized communities. A transsexual bar dancer, a gay couple, a sex worker and a drug user form the five narratives in this film. HIVOS
has granted a fund to support screening of the film throughout India as part of its advocacy initiative. The National AIDS Control Organisation
(NACO
) has made the film mandatory for all counselor training programmes throughout India as part of their NACP III program.
He was named to the jury
for the Teddy Award
for LGBT films at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival
(Berlinale).
Apart from filmmaking, Rangayan is also actively involved with human rights
issues and the disability
sector. He has made short film on cancer
intervention and rehabilitation as well as several films on hearing impairment
.
Directed and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by The Humsafar Trust and Solaris Pictures
Coming from a country like India
that is still in denial, where being HIV+ is still a curse, 68 Pages
rips open the underbelly of its society to reveal how it stigmatizes and shuns those who are HIV+ or even those who just want to be what they are. Through 68 Pages of a counselors diary, we see the stories of Paayal, a sex worker
; Nishit, an ID user; Kiran, a gay
man and Umrao, a transsexual bar dancer - their stories of pain and fear, humiliation and rejection - not only by the society, but even by their loved ones. While these stories expose the shallowness of the system, it also offers hope and healing by trying to bring about a better understanding of their fight to live with dignity. The film is a tribute to the human spirit of optimism and survival. { Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151299/
Directed and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Wise Thoughts (UK) and Solaris Pictures (India)
Two Brits, Ravi and Paul travel to India where they meet Murthy and Anna an older gay couple that have managed to form a partnership and live together for over 20 years. When Ravi meets and falls for Mani an India
n national who is betrothed to be married. He turns to the older couple for advise and help but traditions die hard in India. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0818705/
Drama/Children Film / 35mm / 90 mins / India / 2003
Directed by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Children's Film Society, India
Written by: Vijay Tendulkar
An adventure tale of four mischievous children together with a dog and a monkey stumbling upon a dark secret - of a dangerous smuggler Don Douglas who is all set to destroy the peace of a small coastal town. Two of the boys are caught spying and taken away by the goons. How the rest of the team, with ingenuity and daring, rescue them leads to an exciting action-filled climax.
Set in a picturesque Konkan
village this entertaining story is also about the fight between the good and the evil and the truth that girls need not be any less than boys. Yeh Hai Chhakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo is all about 'The Sensational Six' who not only have fun, but also are true-life Samaritans. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0999927
Winner: Bronze Remi Award at 37th WorldFest 2004, Houston
Screenings -
Directed and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Solaris Pictures (India)
The Pink Mirror
pits two Indian drag queens against a westernized gay teenager in a battle to woo a handsome hunk. It's a clash of the east and west. The drag queens, who are expert in the art of seduction with their wit, innuendo and cunning or the young teenager who is saucy, slutty and sly? Underneath the campy humorous exterior, the film is an exploration of the India
n gay
landscape and understanding of the deep, humanly tender bondings that exist between drag queens in India who form unique, non-patriarchal families. Using the Bollywood
soap idiom of song, dance and drama and for the first time in the Indian drag queens' very own language, Hindi, the film also explores other veiled issues related to the Indian gay community: the lurking threat of HIV/AIDS. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386499
Best Film on Social Issues Award at Ahmadabad International Film Festival 2009, India (for film "68 Pages)
Silver Remi Award at WorldFest 2008, Houston (for film "68 Pages)http://www.worldfest.org/downloads/winnerslist2008.pdf
South Asian Achievers Award 2006 by Triangle Media, UK
Jury Award for Best Film at 'Fire Island Film Festival 2004, New York, USA
(for film "Gulabi Aaina)
Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest 2004, Houston (for children film "Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo' – CFSI )http://www.worldfest.org/downloads/winnerslist2004.pdf
Best Film of the Festival award at 'Question de Genre' film festival 2003, Lille, France
(for film "Gulabi Aaina)
RAPA award for Best Comedy Episode, 1999
(for "Piya Ka Ghar" – Gubbare, Zee TV)
RAPA award for Best Telefilm, 2000 (for "Khamoshiyaan" – Rishtey, Zee
TV)
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n filmmaker who has made films with special focus on queer
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
subjects. His queer films, The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
and Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally is a United Kingdom-Indian co-produced film with a gay theme. The film was selected for participation in LGBT film festivals in San Francisco , New York , Amsterdam and others.-Summary:The film raises issues of cultural identities and challenges stereotypes...
, have been considered groundbreaking because of their realistic and sympathetic portrayal of the largely closeted Indian gay community. His film The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
remains banned in India by the Indian Censor Board because of its homosexual content.
Rangayan was born in Mandya
Mandya
Mandya is a city in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of Mandya district and is located 40 km from Mysore and 100 km from Bangalore.-Etymology:...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. As a gay activist, he has been one of the front-rank leaders in the LGBT movement in India and has contributed immensely towards the growth of awareness about sexual minorities in India,
He is a Founder Member and Trustee of The Humsafar Trust, the first gay NGO in India, along with Ashok Row Kavi
Ashok Row Kavi
Ashok Row Kavi is an Indian journalist and one of India's most prominent LGBT rights activists.He was born in Bombay, British India, now Mumbai, India, on June 1, 1947. He graduated with honors in Chemistry from the University of Bombay. Later, he dropped out of engineering college...
. He also designed and edited India's first gay magazine Bombay Dost between 1999 - 2003.
In 2006, he was awarded the South Asian Achievers Award for his contribution to global mainstream media by Triangle Media Group (TMG), UK.
In 2010, he has served on the prestigious Jury for the Teddy Awards at the 60th Berlinale (Berlin, Germany), Jury for Matter of Act awards at the Movies That Matter film festival (The Hague, Netherlands) and also as Jury for SATO-48 (USA) competition.
He is the Festival Director of Kashish Mumbai Queer Film Festival that was held in Mumbai, India from April 22–25, 2010 showcasing more than 110 queer films from 25 countries at two venues. For the first time ever, a queer film festival was held at a mainstream multiplex venue - PVR Cinemas.
He has been elected as Regional Director (region 19) of Interpride which is a network of more than 160 Gay Pride organizations from more than 35 countries in 162 cities, dedicated to LGBT Pride parades and other events.
He is also the Festival Director of Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival
Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival
Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival was a four day festival held in Mumbai, India between December 8–10, 2010. It screened eight films from around the world that dealt with human rights issues at a macro as well as at a micro level; from global concerns to indigenous issues...
that was held in Mumbai, India from December 8–10, 2010 at Alliance française
Alliance française
The Alliance française , or AF, is an international organisation that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris -History:The Alliance was created in Paris...
de Bombay and screened 8 documentary films on human rights issues along with panel discussions on several topics like 'human trafficking and the law', 'violence against women' and 'religious intolerance'.
Profile
Sridhar Rangayan is a graduate of NITK SurathkalNational Institute of Technology Karnataka
National Institute of Technology Karnataka , formerly known as Karnataka Regional Engineering College , is an autonomous university along the western shores of India. It was founded in 1960 is today one of the 30 National Institutes of Technology in India and is recognized as an Institute of...
and has a Post-graduate in Design from Industrial Design Centre
Industrial Design Centre
Industrial Design Centre is a premier Design School in India, established in 1969, by the government of India at the campus of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai ....
, IIT Bombay
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay , popularly known as IIT Bombay or IITB, is a public research university located in Powai, Mumbai...
, specializing in Visual Communication. Sridhar Rangayan worked with the National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped as Mass Media Officer and then for a while as a textile designer for an export firm, designing tapestries and carpets.
In 1994 he attended a short course in film appreciation at the FTII
FTII
FTII may refer to:* Film and Television Institute of India, Pune* a title indicating that the bearer is a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Taxation in the United Kingdom...
, Pune. Thereafter he apprenticed with eminent Indian directors like Sai Paranjpye
Sai Paranjpye
Sai Parānjpye is a movie director and a screenwriter in India. She is the director of award-winning movies, Sparsh, Katha, Chasme Buddoor, and Disha....
on the film 'Papeeha' and TV serial 'Hum Panchi Ek Chal Ke' and Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal
Dev Benegal is an Indian director and screenwriter, most known for his debut film English, August , which won the 1995 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in English....
on his feature English August. He wrote the screenplay and dialogues for Kalpana Lajmi's serial 'The Awakening' (Doordarshan) and was the Associate Director for the serial 'Dawn' (Star Plus). Both these were produced by Dr.Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika
Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian lyricist, musician, singer, poet and film-maker from Assam. His songs,written and sung mainly in Assamese by the legend himself, are infused with humanity and universalism, and have been translated and sung in many languages, most notable being Bengali ,Hindi and...
, the legendary Assamese music director and singer.
From 1999 to 2002, Rangayan scripted and directed several television series like 'Rishtey' and 'Gubbare' for (Zee TV
Zee TV
Zee TV is an India-based satellite television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and other regional languages of India. Broadcasting is also present in various nations of South Asia, Europe, the Middle East,...
), 'Kagaar' for (Sahara TV) and 'Krisshna Arjun', 'Kahani Jurrm Ki' for (Star Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...
). His serial 'Pyar Ki Kashti Mein' for Star One
Star One
Star One is a Dutch progressive metal supergroup/side-project of Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon fame. Unlike Ayreon, the band did not follow one storyline; instead, each song was a different story with a sci-fi concept, most of the tracks based on existing movies and series.-Origins and first...
(2004) was the first Indian serial to be entirely shot on a cuiseliner (SuperStar Virgo
SuperStar Virgo
SuperStar Virgo is a Leo class cruise ship owned and operated by Star Cruises. She was built in 1999 by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.-Concept and construction:...
) and also in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
& Malaysia.
In 2001 he founded his production company Solaris Pictures
Solaris Pictures
Solaris Pictures is an Indian film production company based in Mumbai. It was created by Sridhar Rangayan, and Saagar Gupta in 1991. The two have gone on to create several award winning films under Solaris Pictures' banner, focusing on LGBT issues and HIV/AIDS....
along with his partner Saagar Gupta, a writer and art director. The company is perhaps the only production company in India to specialize in production of gay themed films. For his company, Rangayan scripted, produced and directed ' India's first film on drag queens' - 'Gulabi Aaina'The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
which came 9 years after India's first gay film - Riyad Vinci Wadia
Riyad Vinci Wadia
Riyad Vinci Wadia was an Indian independent filmmaker from Bombay, known for his film, BomGay , regarded as one of the very first gay themed movies from India...
's bomGay. The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
has screened at more than 70 international film festivals and won several awards. This film, which is a sensitive portrayal of the marginalized community of Indian transsexuals, has become part of libraries and academic course work in US Universities.
His first feature 'Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo (The Sensational Six), produced by the Children's Film Society of India, CFSI
CfSi
CFSI can refer to:*Culver's Franchising System, Inc., a fast-casual restaurant chain, headquartered in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.*The Center for Financial Services Innovation, a non-profit think tank serving the underbanked, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois...
is a children film that combines breezy fun-filled adventure with social values. It won the Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest
WorldFest
WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival is an annual film festival, dedicated to various types of independent films, held in Houston, Texas.-History:...
, Houston and has been screened at several children film festivals. The film is written by noted playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
based on a story by noted writer and MP Shakuntala Paranjpye
Shakuntala Paranjpye
Shakuntalā Parānjpye was an Indian writer and a prominent social worker. She was a member of Maharashtra Legislative Council during 1958–64, and was a nominated member of Indian Rajya Sabha during 1964–70...
.
Rangayan's next film Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally
Yours Emotionally is a United Kingdom-Indian co-produced film with a gay theme. The film was selected for participation in LGBT film festivals in San Francisco , New York , Amsterdam and others.-Summary:The film raises issues of cultural identities and challenges stereotypes...
, a co-production with an UK production company Wise Thoughts portrayed the angst of a gay British Asian falling in love with a bisexual Indian man in a small town. The film is considered to be a bold exploration of the Indian gay milieu with its stark and naked portrayal of homoerotic desires. Termed as an 'intoxicating queer journey through India', the film also raises questions about racism and identity. The film has screened at several international film festivals including Tasveer - Seattle South Asian Film Festival and Prague Bollywood Film Festival.
His recent film '68 Pages' about stigma and discrimination faced by HIV+ people has been funded by DFID, UK and co-produced by his company Solaris Pictures
Solaris Pictures
Solaris Pictures is an Indian film production company based in Mumbai. It was created by Sridhar Rangayan, and Saagar Gupta in 1991. The two have gone on to create several award winning films under Solaris Pictures' banner, focusing on LGBT issues and HIV/AIDS....
along with The Humsafar Trust. This film which premiered at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in December 2007 is about a HIV/AIDS counselor and how she instills hope and a will to live, among 5 HIV positive people from marginalized communities. A transsexual bar dancer, a gay couple, a sex worker and a drug user form the five narratives in this film. HIVOS
Hivos
Hivos is a Dutch organization for development co-inspired by humanist values. Hivos provides financial and political support to over 800 partner organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Latin America, Asia and Southeastern Europe...
has granted a fund to support screening of the film throughout India as part of its advocacy initiative. The National AIDS Control Organisation
National AIDS Control Organisation
The National AIDS Control Organisation , established in 1992, is a division of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that provides leadership to HIV/AIDS control programme in India through 35 HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Societies, and is "the nodal organisation for formulation of policy...
(NACO
Naco
Naco may refer to:* Naco , a pejorative slang term in Mexican Spanish* NaCo., a Mexican clothing company, the name of which is based on the previous slang term* Naco, Arizona, USA, a small town in southeastern Arizona...
) has made the film mandatory for all counselor training programmes throughout India as part of their NACP III program.
He was named to the jury
Juried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
for the Teddy Award
Teddy Award
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
for LGBT films at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
(Berlinale).
Apart from filmmaking, Rangayan is also actively involved with human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
issues and the disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
sector. He has made short film on cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
intervention and rehabilitation as well as several films on hearing impairment
Hearing impairment
-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
.
68 Pages
Drama/ 90 mins / India / 2007 / Hindi with English subtitlesDirected and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by The Humsafar Trust and Solaris Pictures
Coming from a country like India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
that is still in denial, where being HIV+ is still a curse, 68 Pages
68 Pages
68 Pages is a 2007 Indian film about a HIV/AIDS counselor and five of her counselees who are from various marginalized communities. The film is directed by Sridhar Rangayan and produced by The Humsafar Trust in association with Solaris Pictures. It had its world premiere at the International Film...
rips open the underbelly of its society to reveal how it stigmatizes and shuns those who are HIV+ or even those who just want to be what they are. Through 68 Pages of a counselors diary, we see the stories of Paayal, a sex worker
Sex worker
A sex worker is a person who works in the sex industry. The term is usually used in reference to those in the sex industry that actually provide such sexual services, as opposed to management and staff of such industries...
; Nishit, an ID user; Kiran, a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man and Umrao, a transsexual bar dancer - their stories of pain and fear, humiliation and rejection - not only by the society, but even by their loved ones. While these stories expose the shallowness of the system, it also offers hope and healing by trying to bring about a better understanding of their fight to live with dignity. The film is a tribute to the human spirit of optimism and survival. { Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151299/
Yours Emotionally
Drama/Gay / HD / 86 mins / UK-India / 2006Directed and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Wise Thoughts (UK) and Solaris Pictures (India)
Two Brits, Ravi and Paul travel to India where they meet Murthy and Anna an older gay couple that have managed to form a partnership and live together for over 20 years. When Ravi meets and falls for Mani an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n national who is betrothed to be married. He turns to the older couple for advise and help but traditions die hard in India. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0818705/
Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo
(English Title: The Sensational Six)Drama/Children Film / 35mm / 90 mins / India / 2003
Directed by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Children's Film Society, India
Children's Film Society, India
Children's Film Society, India is a nodal organisation of Government of India that produces children's films and various TV programs in various Indian languages...
Written by: Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar
Vijay Tendulkar was a leading Indian playwright, movie and television writer, literary essayist, political journalist, and social commentator primarily in Marāthi...
An adventure tale of four mischievous children together with a dog and a monkey stumbling upon a dark secret - of a dangerous smuggler Don Douglas who is all set to destroy the peace of a small coastal town. Two of the boys are caught spying and taken away by the goons. How the rest of the team, with ingenuity and daring, rescue them leads to an exciting action-filled climax.
Set in a picturesque Konkan
Konkan
The Konkan also called the Konkan Coast or Karavali is a rugged section of the western coastline of India from Raigad to Mangalore...
village this entertaining story is also about the fight between the good and the evil and the truth that girls need not be any less than boys. Yeh Hai Chhakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo is all about 'The Sensational Six' who not only have fun, but also are true-life Samaritans. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0999927
Winner: Bronze Remi Award at 37th WorldFest 2004, Houston
Screenings -
-
- 34th Roshd International Film Festival, Teheran, Iran
- 15th Cairo International Film Festival for Children Cairo, Egypt
- 19th International Festival of Film and Video for Children and Young Adults, Isfahan, Iran
- 37th Annual WorldFest, Houston, Texas
- Lions Children Film Festival, Mumbai, India
- 11th Golden Elephant Int. Children Film Festival Hyderabad, India
The Pink Mirror
Drama/Gay / DV / 40 mins / India / 2003 / Hindi wst EnglishDirected and Written by Sridhar Rangayan
Produced by Solaris Pictures (India)
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror
The Pink Mirror, the Indian release title Gulabi Aaina is an award-winning Indian film drama produced and directed by Sridhar Rangayan. Said to be the first Indian film to comprehensively focus on Indian transsexuals with the entire story revolving around two transsexuals and a gay teenager's...
pits two Indian drag queens against a westernized gay teenager in a battle to woo a handsome hunk. It's a clash of the east and west. The drag queens, who are expert in the art of seduction with their wit, innuendo and cunning or the young teenager who is saucy, slutty and sly? Underneath the campy humorous exterior, the film is an exploration of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
landscape and understanding of the deep, humanly tender bondings that exist between drag queens in India who form unique, non-patriarchal families. Using the Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
soap idiom of song, dance and drama and for the first time in the Indian drag queens' very own language, Hindi, the film also explores other veiled issues related to the Indian gay community: the lurking threat of HIV/AIDS. {Source: imdb} http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386499
Awards
Rangayan and his films have won several awards, both Indian and international. They are as follows:Best Film on Social Issues Award at Ahmadabad International Film Festival 2009, India (for film "68 Pages)
Silver Remi Award at WorldFest 2008, Houston (for film "68 Pages)http://www.worldfest.org/downloads/winnerslist2008.pdf
South Asian Achievers Award 2006 by Triangle Media, UK
Jury Award for Best Film at 'Fire Island Film Festival 2004, New York, USA
(for film "Gulabi Aaina)
Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest 2004, Houston (for children film "Yeh Hai Chakkad Bakkad Bumbe Bo' – CFSI )http://www.worldfest.org/downloads/winnerslist2004.pdf
Best Film of the Festival award at 'Question de Genre' film festival 2003, Lille, France
(for film "Gulabi Aaina)
RAPA award for Best Comedy Episode, 1999
(for "Piya Ka Ghar" – Gubbare, Zee TV)
RAPA award for Best Telefilm, 2000 (for "Khamoshiyaan" – Rishtey, Zee
Zee
Zee, is an American Holy Hip Hop artist and songwriter. His debut album Livin' Proof was released in 2006....
TV)
External links
- BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3689509.stm
- Notes from Hollywood http://notesfromhollywood.com/templates/storydetailprintable.cfm?ID=1259&Sectionid=5&storyset=yes&typeofsite=storydetail
- imdb http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1482161/news
- The Asian News http://www.theasiannews.co.uk/entertainment/s/506/506676_emotions_run_high_in_gay_film.html
- Tasveer http://isaff.tasveer.org/2008/event.php?id=41
- Telegraph - Graphiti http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080831/jsp/graphiti/story_9761662.jsp