Gender in the Films of R ituparno G hosh

Rituparno Ghosh was one of the very few openly homosexuals in the Indian film industry. Although he would not identify with Bollywood and made films mostly in Bengali, he was recognized as a pan‐Indian filmmaker. He is considered as the icon of the LGBT community of India. He explored the transgender lifestyles during the last years of his life. He himself underwent breast implant surgery for one of his acting roles in the movie Arekti Golpo [Another story] (2010). In his later films he explored sexual liminalities and himself became the center point of his explorations in films such as Memories in March (2010) where he played the role of a gay character. Rituparno was probably the first openly gay male filmmaker who broke cinematic barriers by his subtle depiction of relationships. At the height of his filmmaking prowess Rituparno was sought by mainstream Bollywood actors who wanted to work with him. Some of his finest films such as Raincoat (2004), Antarmahal (2005), and so on, featured Bollywood actors who came to Kolkata to work for him. An avid Satyajit Ray fan himself he was an heir to the Bengali cinematic masters such as Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen. Rituparno's area of influence crossed over to television and print where he hosted chat shows and also edited the famous film magazine Anandalok for some time. Ghosh passed away in 2013 at the age of 49 leaving behind a rich yet incomplete cinematic legacy.