Mumbai: A pioneer of providing Indian Cinema with meaningful content, the makers of the upcoming movie Time Out, directed by Rikhil Bahadur and featuring newcomers Pranay Pachauri and Chirag Malhotra, is a coming-of-age story celebrating the spirit of individuality, showcasing the journey of two teenage brothers and how they come to terms with their individual identities.
Considering the subject of the movie which deals with a sensitive issue like homosexuality, the makers decided to come up with the idea of a panel discussion inviting celebrities from different walks of life including critically acclaimed and gorgeous actress Swara Bhaskar, entrepreneur and political activist Tehseen Poonawalla, filmmaker Sridhar Rangayan, counsellor Ekta Gosalia and psychiatrist Kiran Chandalia along with the movie director Rikhil Bahadur and actors Pranay Pachauri to share their opinion on homosexuality and Freedom of Expression among teenagers.
Among the several issues discussed between the panelists were– films like Time Out help bring about a change in the society, are we as a society very intolerant towards people with different opinions and choices, does cinema as a medium helps in highlighting such sensitive issue?, problems faced by a filmmaker working on a sensitive topic like sexuality.
Swara Bhaskar, who has always been at the forefront of social causes and is known for voicing her opinion against issues affecting the society said, “It’s very strange that our films are getting smarter and shopping malls are getting fancier, but as normal mortals, we have been becoming more intolerant towards several issues that need our attention.”
Sharing her thoughts on Time Out, she says, “It’s a beautifully made film and the sensitive subject is nicely handled by the makers. It’s a tough thing for any family when there’s a cross-generation sort of values involved. Since we live in a liberal society, children need to take the first step of approaching their parents and have a frank conversation with them discussing whatever issue that they are facing.”
While Tehseen says, “The problem is not about the society just becoming intolerant but the majority of liberals who are not speaking up against what is going on, which is intolerance. Indian mythology and our culture accept homosexuality.”
Director Rikhil says, “We approached almost every educational institution in Delhi assuming that the nation’s capital would be liberal but most of the school authorities developed cold feet and didn’t allow us to shoot after knowing that the movie deals about homosexuality.”
Sharing his thoughts on Hindi cinema’s attitude towards homosexuality, filmmaker Sridhar said, “The attitude towards the gay community projected has changed for the better. Karan Johar’s Dostana did normalise the word ‘gay’ in several ways but the mentally distorted character showcased in Student of The Year is a problem” to which Swara said, “Bollywood stereotypes everybody and not just ‘homosexuality’. I think masculinity and femininity are both stereotyped. Things are also changing. I’m glad that Viacom has come forward to support such films dealing with issues that become talking point for the society.”
Produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and directed by Rikhil Bahadur, Time Out starring newcomers Pranay Pachauri and Chirag Malhotra, is slated to release on September 25, 2015.
