The same-sex subtext in Meri Chunar is obvious enough for it to have become a regular in listicles of the “ Ten Times India was Accidentally Queer” variety but with each of her offerings, Falguni Pathak gave us a vision of world where it was okay – even fun – for women to love other women, to imagine a life with them, and, most importantly to my preteen self, to openly desire them.Īlso read: Film Review: Fire -On Queering Love And Beyond In a refreshing change, the man in the video is not purely decorative but perhaps also a potentially powerful ally. But right when we fear that all is lost, Ayesha finds a new confidante who literally comes out (of a painting) to her, offering her a listening ear and a dancing hand. Even though it is hard to understand why they insist on wearing their shoes on their wrists, it is only natural to feel completely heartbroken at their separation. The star-crossed lovers share a gentle, joyful relationship, full of laughter and avant-garde hand ballet. Falguni Pathak, in a brown blazer this time). This video offers a humdrum critique of the post-liberalisation era, where we learn that the materialistic world of malls and balls is all moh maya and that heterosexual pursuit is just an accidental, pesky and potentially life-threatening distraction from the real stuff of life (i.e. And if her personal style was my first encounter with androgyny, her music videos were my initiation into non-normative sexuality.įalguni’s celebrity continued to reign supreme in the rather mediocre Aiyyo Rama. With her floppy boy-cut, boxy jackets and virtuous high pitch, Falguni Pathak was the queer icon we didn’t know we needed. And just like that, with a casual toss of her head, she inducted me/Riya into her gang of sapphic garba groupies, and we never looked back. When I saw that first shot of Falguni, in her butch blue blazer, earnestly impersonating a cuckoo, I knew that life would never be the same again. The real hero, we know, is already centrestage. But it soon becomes apparent that Riya’s sartorial zeal is not directed at any man, big or small.Īlso read: Understanding Queer Fan-Fiction As The Site For HealingĮven though the male model in the video possesses all the essential 90s heartthrob qualities – such as a middle-parting, unsolicited advice and two shirts – he is ultimately irrelevant. At first glance, the gaggle of girls in the music video seem to be India’s answer to Sex and the City, where Riya Sen, in true Carrie Bradshaw fashion, tries on outfit after outfit, only to reach her moment of high glory clad in a towel. It all started in 1998, with the deceptively saccharine Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi, fondly known as Chudi.
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