By Chandan Sharma New Delhi: Vicky highlighted a poignant aspect of coming out in
India: “In this country, you come out to your family and friends and they say,
“okay this small group knows about this but the world doesn’t need to know. So,
the closet has become bigger”
Pride Month brings with it a ray of hope, acceptance and a celebration of one’s true self. However, it also brings to the fore the societal stigmas and pressures that exist in our country. This makes allyship crucial for the LGBTQ+ community in India. In a powerful episode on Azaad Awaaz on Audible, film director and host Mozez Singh sat down with actors Vicky Kaushal and Richa Chadha for a candid conversation about allyship, importance of acceptance for members of the community, embracing love in all its forms and messages for those struggling with identity and acceptance.
The Inspiration Behind Allyship
When asked about what inspired her to support the LGBTQ+ community, mom-to-be Richa Chadha responded, “To me, it’s the most basic, most correct, most human, and most equal thing to do. I don’t see it as activism.” Her words echo a profound truth about allyship - it is rooted in recognising and honouring the inherent humanity and equality of all individuals.
Exploration and Openness
While discussing the curiosity and willingness to explore one's sexuality, the Heeramandi actor shared, “If I were single, I would definitely explore because that’s harmless. I didn't explore when I was growing up. I didn’t even think of it because of the environment I was brought up in.” She emphasised that exploration is a natural and healthy part of discovering one’s true self. Vicky humorously added, “When Richa will be exploring with someone else, I will call up Ali (Fazal) and tell him, ‘Since Richa is exploring something new, you should also (laughs). So yes, it is going to be Ali Fazal.”
Witnessing Discrimination
Vicky highlighted a poignant aspect of coming out in India: “In this country, it’s not about coming out of the closet because sometimes even when do come out of the closet what happens is the closet becomes bigger. After a lot of internal effort, you come out to your friends or family, but they say, ‘okay this small group knows about this, but the world doesn’t need to know.’ So, the closet has become bigger because they have come inside the closet. Now, when they’re open and comfortable about it, when the world has started talking about it, they feel as though they have wings now.”
Messages for the those coming out.. and to Homophobes across the country
Richa’s message to those planning to come out emphasised pride and self-acceptance. “Do it when you want, do it how you want, do it when you are ready, when your family is ready but do it. It will set you free and if you’re not ready to do it, that’s also fine. That’s totally up to you because it’s your life. Just learn to find peace about it, whatever your decision is.” For homophobes, she offered a straightforward message: “Be chill. Yeh ho raha hai, hota aaya hai, aur hota bhi rahega. Aap ise rok nahi sakte kyuki yeh ek natural cheez hai.”
Defining Love and Acceptance
For the Sam Bahadur actor, the essence of happiness is intertwined with acceptance. “Everyone wants to be happy and what does that mean? To be happy is to feel loved. And what does feeling loved mean? To feel accepted. That’s the crux of it. That acceptance is what everyone is living for, in their own right. And you feel accepted when you don’t have to fake anything, you don’t have to behave like someone else. You can yourself because you are accepted. That’s when you feel free. It all starts with getting that love.” His words resonate with the universal desire for acceptance, a cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ movement.
Richa goes on to discuss, “I want to talk about pride. The reason that we associate queer people with pride is because they have been a suppressed lot – a lot who have been discriminated against - and that is coming from all of us. So, this whole concept of pride comes from the fact that you own and take pride in who you are.”
Through their conversations and heartfelt reflections, Richa Chadha and Vicky Kaushal, illuminate the path towards a more inclusive and accepting society. Their voices, amplified on Azaad Awaaz on Audible is a call to action for embracing the diversity of love and identity in all its beautiful forms.
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