A touch of Pink

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: As Dostana raked in Rs 36.86 crore in the first three weeks, and Rs 18-20 crore in the first weekend itself, Sumant Bhargav, Managing Director, Stargaze Entertainment is a happy man. In South Delhi’s posh New Friends Colony cinema hall Glitz, Dostana ran to packed houses. Dostana is still doing especially well in cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, and upper middle-class families are flocking to the theatre as Bhargav shares, “It’s a hit and its business can be compared to that of Singh is Kinng for Glitz. And it’s the younger lot, in the age group of 20 to 40 that is the mainstay and adding considerably to the concession sales in terms of food and beverage items, which is great for exhibitors.”

Future plus

Gays and people who are sensitive about the subject may not approve of the tone, but its success does bring to the fore emerging socio-economic paradigms of new India. We are referring to the positioning and display of the gay community from an item number to the central character of mainstream cinema and its wider connotations. Dr Deepak Mehta, Department of Sociology, Delhi School of Economics, observes, “Its potential is definitely going to increase in light of the fact that it is visible in mainstream media for the first time the way it is. Synergy between activism, media’s role and exclusivity in consumer needs which is obviously fuelled by the financial power of gay groups in India will bring sexuality to the arena of consumption and expression in a substantial way.”

With respect to ‘Pink’ money, though one can’t presently equate India with the West, but one cannot also deny its arrival, and potential. As Parmesh Shahani, author of Gay Bombay and Editorial Director, Verve, reasons, “Unlike India, people have to live by themselves in the West. The idea of self just isn’t so articulated, as self is a part of the larger community here. But now, there are these people who are moving out from the stereo-types, though consumption for them is still at a conceptual level. India is still taking tentative steps as one notices parties, there’s a queer line of T-shirts, queer friendly hotels, restaurants. But publicity is usually by word of mouth.”

Mind matters