Gulabi Aaina - The Pink Mirror : Interview in B.News, Melbourne, Australia

SPOTLIGHT

How did you come to film The Pink Mirror?
The film is inspired by its lead actor, Edwin whose drag dances at parties have always been mesmerizing and fascinating. My partner Saagar and I had this ambition to capture him as Umrao Jaan, a courtesan in medieval India played by Bollywood diva Rekha. The Pink Mirror brings the Indian drag queens center stage and allows them to take their long-denied bow.

What's queer culture like in India?
Homosexuality is still very much in the closet and still criminalised by law so there has hardly been any public screenings of gay and lesbian films. Some of the gay groups have held private screenings earlier for community audiences. In October this year, India's first gay & lesbian film festival was held, which showcased over 60 gay & lesbian films from around the world. It received tremendous response, not only from the queer community but also from activists and film aficionados. Socially, there has been more acceptance, mainly in the metros and in the elitist classes, but in towns and rural areas, everything is still under a shroud. Gay men are equated to 'hijras' (eunuchs), even if they are not castrated. Transgendered men/women seem to be more acceptable than queer men/women.

In Australia, drag forms the backbone of club/pub entertainment. How is it in India?
We hardly have a queer club culture to talk of. Even at the recently abounding spate of
parties, drag is a no-no. There are very few opportunities for drag queens to perform.
Recently, a group of gay men from Humsafar Trust performed a drag show publicly. The dances were based on traditional Indian folk form and received tremendous response.

The Pink Mirror
MQFF, ACMI Cinemas, March 18, 8pm

B.NEWS 85 - 11 March 2004 - Page 17
audited circulation 20,746