Junak Baruah wants to win the prestigious short film competition in his university. But with hundreds of participants and a stellar jury on board, winning means making a film that's never been made before.
And that means breaking the rules and taki...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Are all Bihu songs about romantic love?"
Junak drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, matching the beat of the song playing through the speakers. It was an old Bihu song; one of those childhood songs, seemingly from a different life, that you forgot existed but when faced with them again, you recognise immediately. "There are songs that talk about other things, but mostly, yeah. They are about girls and guys flirting with each other."
Niribili let out a sigh from where she was lounging on the backseat, her feet dangling out of the open window and head propped up on her backpack. She held a book open in her hands, atop her stomach. "We're gonna change that."
"We're gonna change that," Junak repeated as a familiar surge of excitement flooded his chest. It had been a while since he felt this way about any of his projects.
"Are we sure we won't get into trouble?" Banhi asked. She had called shotgun quicker than the other girl and now sat with her head leaning against the window, her gaze outside and hair fluttering behind her in the wind. A camera sat on the dashboard, recording the plain grey road rolling in to meet them. A bus or some SUV occasionally swooshed past them.
"We won't be telling everyone the plan," Junak said, glad to be repeating it to himself. "We just need a few dancers, couple of guys for the music, and that's it."
"News travels fast in the village," Niribili broke in. "The people will find out sooner or later."
Junak had considered it. Of course. In the week that it took his friends to arrive from California, he had spent every waking hour perfecting the plan. Theirs was a culture rooted in cishet patriarchal values. So, what they were planning - placing queer women at the forefront of the narrative - was outright dangerous. But that was exactly why it was so good. "My grandparents have a high social standing in the village," he said. "No one's gonna do anything to us."
"What about your grandparents?" Banhi asked. With a hand, she was absently playing with her earring. "Are they okay with their grandson being pansexual?"
"They are queer-friendly," he answered. "I wouldn't have brought you here if there was any danger." He glanced at both his friends, before turning back to the road. On either side were acres upon acres of golden fields, with hills in the far distance. The sky was a bright shade of blue, free of clouds. "My aunt is married to a woman."
"Really?" both girls cried at the same time.
Junak nodded. Though he did not know much about his family affairs, he did indeed have an aunt living in New Zealand who was married to a woman and the couple had cordial relations with his grandparents. As far as he knew. He hoped he wasn't wrong, hoped that their acceptance had more to do with love than the fact that his aunt was a highly paid neurosurgeon in a foreign country.
"That's really cool," Banhi hummed. She picked up the camera, changed some of the settings, and then put it to her eyes. Behind them, Niribili returned to her book.
