Manoj Bajpayee to Sushmita Sen: Bollywood’s Queer role icons

In a country where mainstream cinema has long hesitated to represent queer lives authentically several Indian actors have stepped up to portray stories of love loss identity and resistance These performances didnrsquot just break stereotypesmdashthey humanized them From early underground films to presentday commercial successes herersquos a journey through the actors who gave voice face and heart to Indiarsquos LGBTQ narrativesRamesh Menon and Edwin FernandesIn The Pink Mirror released in 2003 Ramesh Menon and Edwin Fernandes played Bibbo and Shabbo two drag queens entangled in a rivalry over a young manrsquos affection With exaggerated flair and emotional depth their characters stood out as unapologetic vibrant and full of agencymdashsomething rarely seen in Indian cinema at the timeSanjay SuriSuris moving performance in My Brotherhellip Nikhil 2005 brought sensitivity to the role of a gay athlete diagnosed with HIV during a time of deep stigma As Nikhil he portrayed strength wrapped in silence carving space for conversations around homophobia health and family acceptanceArjun Mathur and Rahul BoseIn the 2010 short film I Am Omar Arjun Mathur and Rahul Bose played lovers navigating the trauma of a police encounter rooted in sexual orientation Their chemistry tinged with fear and tenderness helped illuminate the quiet violence of being queer in public spacesRituparno GhoshGhosh delivered one of his most introspective performances in Memories in March 2011 portraying a grieving man who had lost his partner in an accident The role grounded in emotional restraint reflected the inner world of queer love and mourning with elegance and painKalki Koechlin and Sayani GuptaIn Margarita with a Straw 2015 Kalki Koechlin and Sayani Gupta shared a romance that was rare and revolutionary Koechlin played Laila a woman with cerebral palsy discovering her bisexuality while Gupta portrayed Khanum a blind activist Their love story brought disability and queerness together with touching realismPranay PachauriThe 2015 comingofage film Time Out featured Pachauri as a high school student grappling with his sexual orientation while hiding it from his younger brother His understated performance captured the loneliness and fragility of adolescence in a heteronormative worldManoj BajpayeeBajpayeersquos haunting portrayal of Dr SR Siras in Aligarh 2015 remains one of the most poignant in Indian cinema As a professor suspended for being gay his quiet dignity and heartbreak offered an unflinching look at institutional oppression and the right to privacyFawad KhanIn Kapoor amp Sons released in 2016 Fawad Khan challenged Bollywoodrsquos macho norms by playing a closeted gay man within a dysfunctional family Without flamboyance or pity his performance highlighted the quiet compromises and emotional costs of hiding onersquos truthMaanvi GagrooGagroo made a memorable appearance in 377 AbNormal 2019 a docudrama that explored the landmark legal battle against Section 377 Though brief her role contributed to the chorus of voices reclaiming queer identity in the courts and on screenRajit KapurIn Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish 2019 Kapur played a melancholic lyricist who forms an unconventional family with a sex worker and her child His characterrsquos queerness was treated not as a plot twist but as a quiet constant giving the film emotional maturityAyushmann Khurrana and Jitendra KumarThe romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan released in 2020 was a turning point in commercial cinema Khurrana and Kumarrsquos roles as two men in love challenged patriarchal family structures with humour and sincerity marking a rare moment when queerness headlined a mainstream filmSonam Kapoor Ahuja and Regina CassandraIn Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga 2020 Kapoor played a young woman hiding her sexuality from her traditional Punjabi family Cassandrarsquos role as her love interest brought the emotional centre of the story to life Their performances helped normalize queer love stories in middleclass Indian householdsVaani KapoorKapoor took on a rare role in Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui 2021 playing a trans woman navigating love and selfhood The film faced critique for casting a cis actor in the role but Kapoor approached it with grace and sincerity shedding light on the unique challenges of trans identity in Indian societyBenjamin DaimaryIn Jonaki Porua Fireflies released in 2021 Daimary portrayed a trans teen in rural Assam with raw vulnerability As the first openly gay actor to win a national award his role offered an authentic and regional representation of gender explorationRajkummar Rao Bhumi Pednekar and Gulshan DevaiahBadhaai Do 2022 tells the story of a lavender marriage between a gay man and a lesbian woman seeking freedom from societal pressure The triorsquos chemistry was compelling and their performances gave a layered emotional portrayal of how queer Indians continue to navigate family and traditionNeelay MehendaleIn Cobalt Blue 2022 Mehendale played a young writer who falls for a mysterious tenant His portrayal of first lovemdashunfiltered painful and poeticmdashcaptured the innocence and intensity of discovering desire in a society that doesnrsquot always have space for itMadhuri DixitDixit stepped into new territory with Maja Ma 2022 playing a devoted mother whose past unravels her seemingly perfect life The film delicately explored queerness in older womenmdashan oftenoverlooked experiencemdashand Dixitrsquos performance brought both nostalgia and nuanceDivya Dutta and Swara BhaskarIn the 2022 short film Sheer Qorma Dutta and Bhaskar played a queer Muslim couple confronting intergenerational tension Their quiet tender moments stood in sharp contrast to the discomfort and silence around them delivering a powerful commentary on family and acceptanceSushmita SenSen portrayed Gauri Sawant in Taali 2023 a series based on the life of the trans activist Her commanding performance celebrated the courage it takes to be visible in a hostile society making it a landmark role in trans representation on Indian televisionKaran SoniIn A Nice Indian Boy 2024 Soni played the titular character navigating love across cultures and generations The film was a fresh take on queer South Asian identity in the diaspora and Sonirsquos performance was equal parts charming and heartfeltFrom whispered secrets to public protests from quiet family dinners to courtroom battles these performances didnrsquot just reflect queer livesmdash they elevated them As Indian cinema continues to grow more inclusive these actors have played a crucial role in rewriting the narrative with compassion courage and authenticity