Search for Sexual Identity in Hindi Films

The Indian tradition has not been very reluctant to talk about sexual orientations as manifested in its art and literature, Khajuraho, Kamasutra and many more. Inhibitions and taboos were later additions, bringing along mutations and perversions in gender relationships on one hand and beginning of a journey to find one's individuality on the other, discreetly or otherwise. As reflection of socio-psychological paradigms in existence in the society, Indian cinema also took up the search for sexual identity by characters hitherto stereotyped by patriarchal and puritan way of thinking, though such instances were not just confined to women as a repressed sex. It is as much man's voyage as a woman's. Since its inception, Hindi films have endeavoured to get out of the groove of orthodoxy to attempt bold subjects, in spite of the rules set by the Central Board of Film Certification. In recent years, the experiments to showcase the sexual aspect of characters have won both critical as well as box office acclaim, indicating the acceptance by audience and a shift in their taste. The present study is a semiotic exploration of selected films in the history of cinema which represent this search at various levels.