By Sridhar Rangayan

I WENT to see Dostana with loads of apprehension: two reasons – just the other day I had seen the film Fashion, which was so shabby in its portrayal of homosexual characters who are once again stereotyped, emotionally abused and abjectly pushed into a heterosexual marriage option (eek, really), I was thinking can't Indian filmmakers ever come out with one decent gay portrayal?

Second, because I hated Karan Johar's earlier production – Kal Ho Na Ho and the ridiculous Kantaben gags which I thought were offensive and in bad taste.

First day first show - it was a full house : loads of youngsters, some aunties & uncles and some children too (it was an U/A certified film – but the usherers' seemed to be lax). There was an eager buzz in the hall, but I could also sense a bit of apprehension with uncomfortable giggles and polite whispers.

Well the film's opening set everyone's anxiety to rest – by making sure and underlining the fact that John & Abhishek ARE heterosexuals. And within minutes they set up the premise – about pretending to be gay to rent an apartment. Once that was done, from there on it was a rollercoaster ride of gags, punches, pranks and frankly the Yash Chopra-Karan Johar brand of Bollywood candy floss with great production value, super locales and enough man / woman eye-candy. I'm not going to say anything about the storyline, but all I have to say is - I really have nothing to complain. I was engrossed, I was entertained. I laughed, I went misty eyed (am a sucker for friendship and all that), I whistled. It was quite, as they say, 'paisa vasool' (money's worth).

The gay angle, I thought it was well handled – I mean there is no 'real life' portrayal of gay desire or anguish… but hey I didn't expect to see a Satyajit Ray classic (or even one of my own 'neo-real' gay films, ahem!) There were no offensive jokes, there was no gay bashing and yes Boman Irani's character was loud and stereotypical, but I know tons of queens who are like him. (Also what the heck, there is a bit of stereotyping in every film – I just saw Quantum of Solace yesterday and realized how Bond films have been stereotyping women as sexy babes and every non-American country as a dumb exotic location filled with morons; this time it was Bolivia)

It was as hard core Bollywood as it comes, but this was 'zara hatke' (different) because of the gay angle.

John and Abhishek share an easy chemistry and bond wonderfully. I loved seeing them together. As for Priyanka I thought she was the best of the lot. Sexy, suave and sensible – super cool. Kirron Kher, initially hams with a Kantaben act, but in the final scene redeems herself with a wonderfully emotional performance. Abhishek performs, John shows off. Good combination, eh?!

For me what made me really really happy was the finale. After the long drawn hyped kiss which the two men exchange, the girl asks them if they felt anything at all. Both look at each other and smile (a lodade smile indeed!). After that the end credit says, "And they lived happily ever after". Now, thats a clincher!

If one was not too stuck up and critical or nitpick, it is I think a first positive step towards gay visibility in Bollywood. Dostana might not be a flagship film for the gay movement, but it definitely will not set it behind. Next time a gay person tells someone 'I'm happy and gay', there might not be as much derision or mockery. I think that's a lot achieved.

- Sridhar Rangayan is a Bombay-based writer/director whose films present hard-hitting social issues and critique with warmth, compassion, and humour. His award-winning films 'The Pink Mirror', 'Yours Emotionally!', and '68 Pages' are at the forefront of India's emergent queer cinema movement – ground-breaking in a country where homosexuality is still illegal and socially unacceptable.