Queer cinema needs honest representation, says director Faraz Arif Ansari

Queer filmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari who has directed films like Sheer Qorma, Sisak and Bun Tikki was recently in Bengaluru for an acting workshop for the transgender and queer community called TRANSaction. In a conversation with Bangalore Times, he spoke about the lack of representation of the LGBTQIA+ community in Indian cinema, how being a queer filmmaker is bringing in a change and more. Excerpts:
‘MY STORYTELLING IS HIGHLY INFLUENCED BY THREE WOMEN IN MY LIFE’
“My storytelling comes from the three women in my life who have been instrumental: my mother, and two of my aunts. I see the world through their eyes, which is the reason why my films have a softness and vulnerability to them,” said Faraz when asked about how his inclination towards cinema happened. “Vulnerability in women is not a weakness; it is their strength,” he added.
‘PERSONAL STORYTELLING HAS NOW TAKEN A SETBACK’
While talking about the lack of queer representation in cinema, Faraz said, “I don’t think cinema has any gender. We like to give gender, sexuality, and identity to anything. Earlier, the films that were made had the essence of personal experiences, which made them resonate with the audience. Now, because we have started following trends, I feel personal storytelling has taken a setback. How many queer filmmakers are given opportunities to make queer films? Very few, especially in Hindi cinema.”
‘TALKING ABOUT QUEERNESS DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A FILM’
There was a phase when Bollywood released a bunch of commercial movies like Shubh Mangal Zyada Savadhan and Badhaai Do that spoke about the LGBTQIA+ community. When asked about how honest was the representation of queer in these films, Faraz said, “Just because, everyone is talking about queerness does not mean you have to make a film on it, especially if you don’t understand what it means to be queer. The problem with these films was that the people who have made these films do not identify themselves as queer. How will they make anything honest and real if they have never experienced it?”

‘IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE QUEER PEOPLE BEHIND THE CAMERA ALSO’
“We often talk about the representation of queer folk in front of the camera, but we fail to talk about the representation behind the camera. Everyone asks, does the actor identify themselves as a part of the community? But what about the people who are making the film? When I was making Sheer Qorma, I made sure that 99% of my crew identified as queer or women," said the filmmaker.
Working with Shabana ji and Zeenat ji was so heartwarming
The filmmaker also shared his experience of working with veteran actors Shabana Azmi and Zeenat Aman. “When I wanted to pitch Sheer Qorma to Shabana ji, I was very scared, I was like, why would she do my film? And after a while, when I reached out to her, she was very kind and sweet. And I’m super blessed that she ended up doing that film. Similarly, when I reached out to Zeenat ji, it was so heartwarming. These senior actors see the heart in the film and that is what matters in the end,” he added.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”