Seven Bollywood Films on LGBT Rights you must watch before Ayushmann Khurrana’s Shubh Mangal Zyada Savdhan

Sonam Kapoor Ahuja might not be a very highly-acclaimed actress unlike her peers, but the outspoken actress has always been known to walk the talk, while commenting on issues that concern her. Extending her support to LGBT rights as an artist, the actress chose to do 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga' playing a lesbian woman in love but she is unable to tell her conservative single father played by Anil Kapoor about her truth. The film wasn't a commercial success but it brought a lot of respectability to the actress for backing a bold film.

Directed by Shakun Batra, 'Kapoor and Sons' was the first film coming from a conservatively commercial production banner such as Dharma Productions that addressed a gay relationship. In the past, several fans had criticised filmmaker Karan Johar for creating a joke out of LGBT rights with 'Dostana'. In the midst of his dysfunctional family falling apart, author Rahul Kapoor played by Fawad Khan comes out of the closet, much to his mother's shock, about his relationship with a man. You'd be surprised to know but Khan agreed to play Rahul after five Indian actors including Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar and Aditya Roy Kapur refused to play the said role. Only Saif came forward and expressed his regret on Koffee with Karan for turning down the film.

Inspired from the life of Prof. Ramchandra Siras, who taught Marathi at the prestigious Aligarh Muslim University and who was suspended on the grounds of morality, director Hansal Mehta's 'Aligarh' starring Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Rao spoke about the loneliness and social isolation faced by homosexuals in the Indian society. Bajpayee was awarded the Best Actor Critics' Choice at the Filmfare Awards in 2017

Kalki Koechlin offered an effective and moving portrayal as a woman affected by cerebral palsy who discovers her bisexuality through her relationships with a crippled classmate and a blind Bangladeshi student activist. Directed by Shonali Bose, 'Margarita with a Straw' was one of the first films to openly talk about inclusion, self-acceptance and social acceptance of the specially-abled's choice to have a normal sex life. Kalki was awarded the Special Jury Award at the 63rd National Film Awards for her performance.

Again by Onir, the National Award winning film is a quartet of four short stories revolving around the central theme of fear and trauma caused by sperm donation, the plight of Kashmiri Pandits, child abuse and gay rights violation. The short story featuring Rahul Bose and Arjun Mathur explores the disturbing assault and abuse Indian gay men are subjected to in the hands of lawful authorities on an everyday basis.

An underrated gem by director Onir, one of the few openly gay directors of Bollywood, 'My Brother Nikhil' tackled the inhibitions against HIV and homosexuality. Starring Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli in key roles, the film is a story about a young state-level swimmer Nikhil whose life falls apart when he's diagnosed with HIV and is removed from his team and disowned by his parents. The only pillars of support Nikhil has are his sister Anamika, her boyfriend Sam and his boyfriend Nigel. 'My Brother Nikhil' wasn't a commercial success but over the years, the film has acquired a cult status for keeping the conversation around LGBT rights relevant.

Directed by Deepa Mehta, 'Fire' starring Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das was the first commercial Indian film to explore homosexuality through a lesbian relationship between two sisters-in-law who feel a strong sense of attachment and intimacy when their husbands neglect them. Several political institutions and so-called custodians of Indian culture came down heavily on the film, calling it an immoral and pornographic film. Defending her film, Mehta stated that homosexuality was only a theme explored to tell the larger message about the choices Indian women make in life. 'Fire' definitely paved the way for Indian filmmakers to explore more fascinating subjects with LGBT rights as the talking point.

National Award-winning actor Ayushmann Khurrana has a new film up for release around the subject of inclusiveness and acceptance of LGBT rights. Directed by Hitesh Kewalya, Ayushmann hopes to commercially address homophobia through humour with 'Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhan', in a day and age where Indian viewers still hold reservations towards homosexuality, despite the Supreme Court abolishing Section 377 that holds same-sex relationships as a criminal offence. What makes the film a much-awaited release is that it has been passed off without censorship and has obtained a U/A certificate, making it a universally watchable film for viewers across all-age groups. But 'Shubh Mangal Zyaada Savdhaan' is definitely not the first film to address or represent LGBT rights. We take a look at the seven released Bollywood films that have celebrated the said cause without reducing it to a joke, unlike 'Dostana'