5 underrated queer Indian films to watch this pride month

Pride Month is a good time to look beyond the films that always appear on recommendation lists. Indian cinema has produced several honest, thoughtful queer stories that did not get the mainstream attention they deserved. Here are five worth watching.

My Brother… Nikhil (2005)

Written and directed by Onir, ‘My Brother… Nikhil’ is a Hindi-language drama that follows Nikhil Kapoor, a champion swimmer in Goa, played by Sanjay Suri. The film unfolds between 1987 and 1994, a period when AIDS awareness in India was low. When Nikhil tests HIV positive, his parents throw him out of the house and disown him. The government places him in an isolated facility under Goan law. His sister Anamika, played by Juhi Chawla, and his boyfriend Nigel, played by Purab Kohli, remain the only people by his side.

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The film draws from the life of Dominic D’Souza, reportedly India’s first publicly known HIV-positive individual. A reviewer on IMDb noted that this is the first mainstream Indian film to address the issue of homosexuality. Despite that, the film did not secure major Bollywood awards such as Filmfare or National Film Awards, which director Onir said reflected the industry’s broader reluctance toward its subject matter. It is available on streaming platforms and holds up well two decades later.

Also Read: ‘Man on Monday, woman on Tuesday’: CJP spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya’s transphobic post gets backlash, founder Dipke silent

Aligarh (2016)

Directed by Hansal Mehta and written by Apurva Asrani, ‘Aligarh’ is a biographical drama that had its world premiere at the 20th Busan International Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation. It was released in India on 26 February 2016.

The film is based on the real-life case of Dr. Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who taught Marathi at Aligarh Muslim University and was suspended on charges of homosexuality after a sting operation filmed him in a private moment. Manoj Bajpayee won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Siras. Despite the critical acclaim, the film performed poorly at the box office. It remains one of the most restrained and dignified queer films made in India, focused entirely on dignity and legal rights rather than sensationalism.

Sisak (2017)

‘Sisak’ is a 16-minute short film written and directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, starring Jitin Gulati and Dhruv Singhal. It is billed as India’s first silent queer love story. Set in Mumbai, the plot follows two young men who regularly take the same local train but cannot bring themselves to speak to each other.

The film was funded through a crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry, through which the team collected Rs. 4 lakhs from 109 funders, covering post-production and festival distribution costs. It went on to become the first Indian film to win 60 international awards. Despite that international recognition, Ansari noted that the film was snubbed at Indian film festivals and received barely any support from the Indian film industry. For a 16-minute silent film, ‘Sisak’ is unusually affecting.

Njan Marykutty (2018)

‘Njan Marykutty’ is a 2018 Malayalam drama by Ranjith Sankar. The film stars Jayasurya as a trans woman named Marykutty, with Innocent, Jewel Mary, Suraj Venjaramoodu, and Aju Varghese in supporting roles. It released on 15 June 2018.

The film is the first in Malayalam to feature a transgender character as the central protagonist. It follows Marykutty, born male, who aspires to join the police force after completing her gender transition. The film takes a mainstream, accessible approach to a story that Indian cinema had largely ignored. Jayasurya’s performance received strong critical recognition, and the film struck a balance between entertainment and social commentary without reducing its subject to a trope.

Evening Shadows (2018)

‘Evening Shadows’ is a Hindi-language drama by Sridhar Rangayan, starring Mona Ambegaonkar, Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, and Devansh Doshi. It runs 102 minutes. The film is about a young gay man who comes out to his traditional Kannadiga parents during a visit home, with the mother, Vasudha, as the central character.

Rangayan began writing the film in 2009, but a shortage of funds delayed production for over seven years. The project eventually went into production in 2016 after raising money through crowdfunding. The film has won 25 international awards and screened at 75 international film festivals. It had a limited theatrical release in India beginning January 2019 at PVR Cinemas across Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Nagpur.

The film resonated so strongly with families of LGBTQ children that a support group called Sweekar emerged from it. That real-world impact says more about the film than any award.

These five films cover different languages, formats, and time periods. None of them were blockbusters. All of them were made with a level of care that mainstream Indian cinema has rarely brought to queer storytelling. Happy Pride!