A newly launched web series, Still About Section 377, is the second instalment of the popular web series All About Section 377. According to director Amit Khanna, the second season explores “social acceptance” rather than the related law. The series, created by Mumbai-based production house Dancing Shiva Productions, was released on Tuesday, September 11, days after the Supreme Court of India read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that had criminalised same-sex activity.
Speaking to Sabrang, Khanna, who also directed the first season, said that the Supreme Court’s “verdict is great,” calling it “a very liberating verdict”. He is hoping that people will watch the show to learn about the LGBTQ community, because “many people don’t know what LGBTQ is about” and that there resultant “myths and prejudices” about the community. He noted that in the case of cinema, many movies “used to represent LGBTQ very falsely,” and that many people think that “it boils down to the physical”. Still About Section 377 “depicts the emotional journey,” Khanna said, “rather than boiling down the whole thing to sex”.
Khanna explained that this season focuses on “a gay couple landing up in a village in order to get accepted by one of the partners’ family”. The season also has “a very strong transgender track, which highlights the struggles faced by transgenders in a rural setup,” he said.
Anuya Chauhan Kudecha, founder, Dancing Shiva Productions, told Sabrang that the production house wanted the subject in question to be “handled very sensitively,” and had seen Khanna’s previous season and work. She hopes that the show will help people empathise with and understand the LGBTQ community. Kudecha said that they are also “contemplating making another web series on LGBTQ”.
The first season, All About Section 377 was picked up by NDTV Prime, according to Khanna, and has eight episodes on YouTube. Still About Section 377, the second season, is comprised of nine episodes, and is available on the SonyLiv app. The first episode may be seen here.