Lady love: Digital space explores lesbianism

Moving away from formula-driven content, the digital space has been intrepid in narrating stories where a woman would express love to another woman uninhibitedly.

Mumbai: Same-sex love stories with male protagonists, although rare, have still been explored on the Hindi screen, but lesbianism is relatively rarer. The rise of OTT culture has created a platform to explore a variety of subjects. Lesbianism, a taboo word in India, is finding space, too, over the recent past.

Moving away from formula-driven content, the digital space has been intrepid in narrating stories where a woman would express love to another woman uninhibitedly.

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There are quite a few projects that have come up spotlighting lesbian love. IANS lists some of these:

Ajeeb Dastaans

The upcoming anthology is all about love and longing. However, one story featuring actresses Konkona Sen Sharma and Aditi Rao Hydari explores a relationship between two women. Titled “Geeli Pucchi” and directed by “Masaan” maker Neeraj Ghaywan, the story revolves around two women who long for an emotional connect and end up finding it in one another.

Bombay Begums

The show, starring Pooja Bhatt, Shahana Goswami, Amruta Subhash, Plabita Borthakur and Aadhya Anand, touches upon themes of ambition, desire, struggle for power and vulnerability through the stories of five modern Indian women in Mumbai. When it dropped, a sensual kissing scene between Plabita and co-actress Sanghmitra Hitaishi created quite a stir.

The Married Woman

The web series is about a relationship two women develop, and the circumstances that lead to it. The show stars Monica Dogra and Ridhi Dogra, and is based on author Manju Kapur’s bestseller novel of the same name.

Four More Shots Please!

The show isn’t just about lesbian relationships but one of the lead characters, played by Bani J, is bisexual. Soon, the story shifts to Bani’s character falling in love with Lisa Ray’s character and the story revolves around their relationship.