Section 377 struck down: Bengali film personalities hail verdict, remember Rituparno Ghosh

After a long battle since 2001 when Naaz Foundation, Delhi filed a PIL seeking legalisation of homosexuality between consenting adults, the Supreme Court of India finally decriminalised part of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalised ‘unnatural sex’, ensuring the right to equality yesterday. The historic step called for celebrations throughout the country, as it also recognised transgender as an independent gender with the right to PAN application form and PAN access.

Activists, students, artistes and intellectuals marched in victory and shared their views on social media.

Artistes from Bengali film industry, too, came forward expressing their joy at the verdict.

Kaushik Gannguly, the maker of Arekti Premer Golpo (2010) and Nagarkirtan (2018), two films that openly discuss the issues of homosexuality and transgender remembered the late Rituparno Ghosh today while praising the stand by the Supreme Court. Ghosh was one of the pioneering filmmakers and artistes who continued to fight against the criminalisation with his artistic, literary works, public discussions on gender issues, equal rights and his own sexual preference and identity.

Ghosh acted in double homosexual characters in Ganguly’s Arekti Premer Golpo, in Memories of March (2011) by Sanjoy Nag and as a homosexual choreographer in his own film Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish (2012) with Jisshu Sengupta.

Ganguly tweeted: "‘Elem Notun Deshe/ Tolay Gelo Bhogno Tori/ Kule Elem Bhese’ [Lines from Tagore] Today there would have been festivals in the city if you would have been there. Adieu 377, welcome Nagarkirtan. I congratulate all the fighters," with a photo of Ghosh, dancing in bliss.

Riddhi Sen, who recently bagged the National Award for Best Actor for his performance as the transgender protagonist in Kaushik Ganguly’s Nagarkirtan, shared: “Love is one thing we are capable of perceiving consciously that transcends space and time. Love can’t be contained, love can’t be defined, love doesn’t have any rules, discriminations or system, love is equal for everyone.”

Sen also added a quote from a song by Bob Dylan - “Love is too simple to quote a phrase, You've known it all the time, I'm learnin' it these days.”

“I think it is Historic Day for India, love freely everyone, bye bye section 377. Finally, a huge ray of light amidst darkness! Congratulations to every single citizen of our country” he added.

Filmmaker Srijit Mukherji told The Times Of India, “I have seen my friends suffer. They have fought a long battle and I cannot be happier today. Can one imagine the pain of people who have suffered so long to come out in the open and profess love? Right to love is fundamental right – it cannot be dictated by law.”

Like Ganguly, he also remembered Ghosh, saying, “He had put up a brave fight and would have been so happy to witness this day. It isn’t a battle of the LGBT community. It is my battle too. It’s everyone’s battle. The question was never that of orientation. It was of freedom."

Filmmaker Mainak Bhaumik, who has often experimented with urban themes relating to sexuality and relationships tweeted: “There is a long way to go for us to talk about equality. Till theN I’m glad the dialogue has started. To a progressive beginning!”

Actress Priyanka Sarkar, who appeared as a homosexual lover opposite to Raima Sen in Hoichoi original web-series Hello said, “A triumph of love and celebration of equality. Congratulations to everyone who lived to this day. Historic verdict by the supreme court of India.”

Actor-turned-director Parambrata Chatterjee tweeted: “At least the final pillar of democracy is still independent #Supremecourt India Hail the verdict #377Verdict long live freedom! Long live love! #377 scrapped.”

He also added, “And this dear friends, is true for most other aspects of life, and society too, all over the world “Majoritarian views and popular morality cannot dictate constitutional rights. We have to vaquihsh prejudice, embrace inclusion and ensure equal rights.”

Filmmaker Soukarya Ghosal urged to watch Sudhanshu Saria’s film Loev (2015) with a tweet, “The film is available on Netflix ! Very few have achieved this much of clarity on this genre. The protagonists could have enjoyed today’s truth if never left. Loev.”