‘Sheer Qorma’ maker says films can make society accept queer rights, says director

Bengaluru: With the Supreme Court looking into the same-sex marriage issue, one of the oldest civilisations, and the largest democracy in the world, waits with bated breath for the outcome.

For the LGBTQ community, after the historic moments in 2018 when homosexuality was finally decriminalised following the Supreme Court ruling, this could well be the next defining moment in its quest for equality in society.

Part of the prevailing optimism that things will change for the better, is fuelled by the changing societal attitudes towards issues like same-sex relationships.

The slow but steady acceptance of movies in this genre is also playing a part in changing perceptions towards sexual minorities.

Realizing the limited opportunities available to the community to bring their stories to the screen, UK-based Indian filmmaker Neeraj Churi started Lotus Visual Productions with the sole purpose of producing and promoting South Asian LGBTQ+ films worldwide.

He has been associated with several film projects including ‘Sheer Qorma’ (2021), ‘Queer Parivaar’ (2022), ‘Gair’ (2022) and ‘Muhafiz’ (2022).

The latest production by Neeraj, ‘Ek Jagah Apni’, has received global recognition for its raw portrayal of the transgender community.

‘Ek Jagah Apni’ was also selected for Cannes Marche Du Film 2022 as part of NFDC-Goes-To-Cannes. The film premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2022 and won the Certificate of Merit as well as a special mention for two leads at the International Film Festival of Kerala 2022.