Student of the Year was simply an apology by Karan Johar for being a flamboyant, closeted, powerful homosexual who takes pleasure in flaunting shirtless muscle queens for his own liking while refusing to show actual compassion to gay people. He sublimated himself through the Dean character, played by Rishi Kapoor–a lecherous, pink-wearing, bumbling homosexual with mommy issues. Kapoor even admits that he based his mannerisms and character on KJo himself. So in a climactic scene, [SPOILER ALERT] when one student calls the Dean out for requiring him to have a dance partner when they both know how difficult it is for people like them to find dance partners, it’s as if Karan Johar is fessing up to the perpetual heteronormativity of his films.
But then why KJo do you have to repeatedly require your hero characters to announce that they are not gay during the film? And why does the tomboyish (hopefully lesbian) best friend to the heroine have to prove her heterosexuality by showing off baby pictures 10 years down the road? And why is the implicitly gay student fat and goofy and not a heartthrob like all the other men in the film? And why would you repeat the clichéd Sedgewickian love-triangle in which two men play out their (very physical) homosocial love over a woman’s body?
While I’m on a roll, here are a few other gripes: Couldn’t you have paid a little more attention to building Shania’s character? Are you only able to make movies about unfathomably rich people? Why was the “poor” hero wearing branded clothes? Why include a glimpse of an Ayn Rand book when the film critiques the individualism she espouses? Why is Ram Kapoor the only man with chest hair in the movie? Why can two of your three lead actors so easily pass for white? Why did you sample old-school tracks without giving the choreography any old-school flair, what sort of camp queen are you? Why did you waste Kajol’s cameo? Why was Rohan’s mother such a wuss, and Abhimanyu’s aunt such a biyatch? Why was Farida Jalal just playing Farida Jalal? Do you hate women?
The only praise you deserve is for casting Ronit Roy as the coach. He is a hell of a silver fox. However, the dean’s complete disdain for the coach’s wife is precisely how you approached Shania’s flaccid character: let’s focus on the (straight) boys because at the end of the day the women don’t matter.
KJo, this movie was not about a high-school friendship. It was premised on Rishi Kapoor’s character reuniting divided friends in order to redeem himself after being accused of being a bitter, lonely, selfish man. But other than making his (financially struggling) ex-students return to Dheradoon, what does the dean really do to demonstrate remorse or even transformation. If you’re looking for sympathy KJo, fat chance. You have enough resources to cushion yourself from any kind of backlash if you were to make a bold movie about homosexuality! This was a paltry attempt at making a statement about queer anything.
I love that Pooja Bhatt called you out on Twitter too!
Next life, KJo. *wink*
Absolutely not forgiven KJo! He has great opportunity to portray gays in a positive or at least a realistic way. He has no reason to worry about the film being a financial success, or it being even a hit. But instead of using any of these chances, he goes in the opposite direction and makes money using all the negative stereotypes that have used to depict people like him for so long!
And by the way, not only does he make money out of it, he also gets himself a candy in the process – seems like hottie Siddharth Malhotra and him are an item!
Doesn’t the movie expose KJo’s own issues with being Gay ??? He needs to find a good therapist and “yes” come out for Godssake
Good post, KareemPuff. I’m glad you’re calling him out on what an ass he is being. Not sure what good his over-the-top-candyfloss-pinkshit movies are doing. He can come out and do so much good for the community…save lives even, just by being a role model. What good is an open secret? He pisses me off so much with the amount of ridicule he subjects the LGBT community to through his movies. He’s the Queen of hypocrisy.
Internalized homophobia perhaps hmmmn – ClosetJo?
The dude does need a therapist. Thanks KP for calling him OUT!
On GaysiFamily we are always telling our friends and readers to come out when they feel comfortable and about respecting privacy etc. I also know that Perez Hilton is a much reviled creature for forcibly outing celebrities who don’t want to leave their closet. Why is that we hold Karan Johar to different standards that what we follow for the people we know? Because he’s a celebrity? I am not sure fame endows some sort of obligation to be a role model. “I am famous and I am gay/black/transgender/deaf. Let me be a role model”. No. Simply, no. Not everyone has the fortitude to be a role model. It is a word that is thrown around way too easily. Is Karan Johar some sort of exemplary artist whose footsteps everyone must follow? I don’t think so. I’d say Rahul Bose, Sanjay Suri etc should be role models to straight actors for playing gay characters with no reservations whatsover. One should earn the responsibility of being a role model through positive actions. Simply dragging a man out of the closet kicking and screaming will achieve nothing. Why not respect his privacy? Instead, I would rather he stayed in his closet and portrayed homosexual characters with some more empathy and depth in his films.
I don’t think this article was about whether KJo should come out and be a role model. It was simply about how KJo played by people who want to ridicule gays and stuck to portraying gays in stereotypical ways.
Even if he doesn’t want to talk about homosexuality in his films at all, that’s fine. But going ahead and reaffirming all the stereotypes when he knows better, is simple hypocrisy. And to call out that hypocrisy is not wrong at all.
He can stay in the closet for all his life if he likes. I’m dead against forcing people out of the closet. But he has the power to influence people and he is gay. And if he decides to portray gay people in a manner that reinforces and even urges ridicule, he deserves to be called out on that. I’m sorry, but I just don’t think it’s fair for everyone else who is fighting for acceptance that he has his cake and eats it too.