Recently, a man watching recently released Badhaai Do with his partner was lauded for shutting up homophobes in theater. The man, identified as Priyanjul Johari was watching the film with his partner Agniva when he came across some homophobes who were ruining their film-watching experience.
At some point during the film’s run, one of the trollers ask why Johari was getting so involved in the film, and whether he was gay. To this, Johari fired back with “Haan bro gay hu! Apne bande ke sath aya hu (Yes, I am gay. I’m here with my partner). He also shut the trollers down and told them how he has been in relationship with his partner for 2 years and that their families know about it as well.
Although the theater initially fell silent, a thunderous applause soon erupted with people applauding Johri for standing up to homophobes.
The Facts of the Matter
Every year, a few films make their way to theaters that speak about inclusivity and equality and love for all. Films like Aligarh, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, and recently released Badhaai Do have tried to shed the light on inequality and disparity faced by members of LGBTQ+ community. While the film has gotten positive response, the change that it sought to bring seems to be coming slower than anticipated.
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Same-Sex Couple’s Harrowing Experience While Watching Badhaai Do
Recently, a same-sex couple faced harrowing experience while they had gone to watch Badhaai Do, showing that India is still far from being a queer inclusive society. It so happened that Priyanjul Johari and Agniva had gone to watch the Rajkumar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar starring Badhaai Do.
As the film played, a group of homophobe friends that sat in a row ahead of them started making lewd and homophobic comments. The group of friends were truly uncomfortable with what was playing on the big screen and they displayed their discomfort by being “funny”.
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“Mai to galat movie dekhne a gayi..”: Homophobe Trollers Pass Comments
Johri shared the anecdote on his Instagram profile and wrote how the group making comments such as “Are mai to galat movie dekhne a gayi! (Oh, I think I have come to watch the wrong film)”, “Tujhe bade maze a rahe hai Sakshi, kahi tu bhi isi category me toh nahi? *You seem to be having fun Sakshi, are you sure you don’t belong to this category?”, Priyanjul quoted the remarks in his Instagram post.
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Trolling Continues, Perverted Comments Passed
Johri further added that there were men who were passing perverted comments when the characters of Bhumi Pednekar & Rimjhim were shown on screen. “Oye hoye maja aa gaya”, “Kitti badia picture hai”, were among the comments made during the film’s run.
At one point, Johari was moved by a particular monologue bade by one of the lead characters. Overwhelmed with emotions, Johari started clapping and hooting in the hall. Seeing Johari’s reaction, a movie goer remarked, “Ye pakka gay hoga (He must be gay).”
“Haan bro GAY hu…”: Johari’s Bursts Out
An already annoyed Johari had had enough. He instantly fired back at the person who made the remark and told him, ““Haan bro GAY hu! Apne bande ke sath aya hu (Yes, I’m gay and I’m here with my partner)”.
Johri couldn’t suppress his outburst and stood from his seat to tell the movie goer that he has been in relationship for the past four years and that even their parents know about the relationship. Initially, Johari’s outburst received pin-drop silent from the entire theater.
Entire Theater Cheers for Johari for Standing Up to Homophobes
However, after a few seconds, the entire theater erupted in a thunderous applause and started hooting and cheering for Johari who stood up to the homophobe trolls. While sharing the anecdote on Instagram, Johari mentioned that neither the group of friends who were making the comments said anything, nor did the group who was making the perverted comments utter a single word.
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