Gay romance movie gets family-friendly classification in India
February 8, 2018A crowdfunded gay romance film has received a U/A classification in its home country of India. The rating allows anyone under 12 to see the film if they have parental guidance. This comes as a somewhat pleasant surprise in a country where LGBT+ activists are still fighting for the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
The film, titled Evening Shadows, follows a young Indian man navigating family pressures as he reaches the age of marriage eligibility. He takes his mum on a road trip to come out to her.
The Indian film classification board, CBFC, even praised the production team for portraying non-stereotypical gay characters and showing the mother’s journey with empathy.
“Myself and my team are so thrilled with this,” Sridhar Rangayan, director of the film, said in a press statement, “It opens new doors for us. It offers the film a chance to reach out to a larger mainstream audience through a theatrical release and a satellite release. Our main aim when we made the film was not only to reach out to the LGBTQ community, but also mainly to parents and families in small towns. This U/A certification is a boon for the film.”
The film will receive its world premiere at the Gay and Lesbian Sydney Mardi Gras in Australia.
The next obstacle for Evening Shadows is to secure a wide release. “We are speaking to distributors right now,” Rangayan said, “but the financial commitments needed for a theatrical release pose a huge challenge for an independent crowdfunded film. However, there is a good healthy buzz about the film and we are sure that will interest the distributors. We are really keen for the film to get a satellite distribution and this U/A certification can make it a possibility.”
Earlier this year it was announced that the Indian courts would re-examine Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which prohibits gay sex. The law was overturned in 2009 by the Delhi high court but was reinstated four years later. Currently you can face ten years to life in prison for having gay sex.
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