The acceptance of LGBT community is one of the most talked about issues in today's world. And in a country like India where people are much more conservative of talking about sex and sexuality, the Tamil movie “My Son Is Gay” is a bold statement with some powerful messages. Though director Lokesh Kumar kept the debatable narrative inside the four walls of a house only, the movie is unique with a thought provoking story line.
“My Son is Gay” runs as part of the 9th edition of the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival, that runs at 15 cinemas, across London, Birmingham and Manchester, from 21st June to 1st July, with 27 films, including features and short films, in competition. It is the largest South Asian film festival in Europe. Buy your tickets via this website, at respective cinema box offices: http://londonindianfilmfestival.co.uk/
Lakshmi is a school principal and Varun's mother. The two are very close as Lakshmi brought up her son as a single mother after her husband's early demise. But at the time of adolescence, Varun understands that he is attracted more to male masculinity than females. In quest of his sexuality, Varun meets Dr. Ram who introduces him to his son Karthik , who is gay. The bonding and the love story between Varun and Karthik grows with time and Lakshmi rejects the relationship after she comes to know that her son is a homosexual. The movie revolves around the relationship between mother and son and a proposes a debate between ignorance and acceptance.
Anupama Kumar as Lakshmi is brilliant in the movie. Her character goes through many shades in the narrative and she portrays those superlatively. Ashwinjith as Varun is impressive and depicts his emotions convincingly. The film has been shot at Malabar Cove in Kannur, North Kerala and Rathina Kumar's cinematography is aesthetically poised. The director has exploited the beauty of the sea and blue in many intense scenes and those are beautifully captured, blending with the pace of the movie. Dani Charles's editing and Santhan Anebajagane's music is timely and live up to the expectations.
“My Son Is Gay” is a movie that upholds many statements about the acceptance of LGBT community in our society, but also portrays society's actual opinion on the subject. There are three conversations, one between Lakshmi and Varun, second between Lakshmi and Gopi and the third between Maya and Lakshmi that upholds the debates that the narrative throws towards the audience and the society.
“My Son Is Gay” has a difficult narrative to handle and director Lokesh Kumar does a brilliant job of portraying his thoughts aesthetically. The vastness of the sea has been shown as a metaphor for acceptance in many scenes, beautifully. Lokesh Kumar must have a target audience in mind and shot a movie that stimulates our thoughts, packed with many timely and strong statements.
