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Sonam Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha praise Supreme Court decision to repeal section 377


Artistes, filmmakers, and technicians of Hindi cinema rejoiced and celebrated the landmark decision of the Supreme Court to strike down the outdated law.

Mumbai - 06 Sep 2018 13:32 IST
Updated : 20:38 IST

Sonal Pandya

Members of the Hindi film industry celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to repeal the oppressive section 377, introduced back in 1862 during British rule. Today (6 September), the court decriminalized homosexuality and provided equal sexual rights for all citizens.

Actors Arjun Kapoor, John Abraham, Rajkummar Rao, Farhan Akhtar and Ayushmann Khurrana, actresses Swara Bhasker and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, and filmmakers Hansal Mehta and Karan Johar were among the celebrities who took to social media to express their joy at the verdict. 

Sonam K Ahuja, long an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQ community, said she had tears of joy. She hailed the decision, saying, "We will all live in Utopia", and hoped people could live without 'labels' one day.

Director Hansal Mehta, whose Aligarh (2016) revolved around the real-life story of professor Ramchandra Siras and his removal from Aligarh Muslim University, called it a 'time to rejoice but also to reflect'. 

His Aligarh stars Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao hailed the court's verdict. Bajpayee even thought of Siras on the day of the landmark verdict.

The writer of Aligarh, Apurva Asrani, was more expressive about his feelings. Paraphrasing the words of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 15 August 1947, he wrote, "At the stroke of the mid-day hour, as the conscience of many slept, India’s LGBTQ awoke to light and freedom. This moment came 71 years too late in history, 71 years after our brethren attained freedom; but the soul of a community, long suppressed, has found utterance. Congratulations!"

Actor Sanjay Suri, who featured in Onir's My Brother… Nikhil (2005), a film on a gay swimming champion diagnosed with AIDS in the 1990s, also hailed the verdict.

Other Hindi film personalities also spoke out online about their joy at the verdict.

Related topics

Section 377

 

People in this story

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja

Actor, Assistant Director

Hansal Mehta

Screenwriter, Director, Actor

Manoj Bajpayee

Actor
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Movies in this story

Aligarh

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