'Waiting in wilderness'

For filmmaker Vinayak Kalletla, the Supreme Court’s recent verdict on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was incidental. But his film 'Waiting in Wilderness' was screened in the city at such an opportune time (December 12), that it’s been attracting a lot of eyeballs.

'Waiting in Wilderness' is the story of Gaurav, a young lad who lives on the outskirts of the city where economic reforms and cultural change have eluded the conservative middle-class milieu. Having never felt any attraction toward women, Gaurav finds himself involuntarily falling in love with his tall and handsome classmate Anurag. The film ends on a dark note stressing on the need for awareness, empathy and open-mindedness.

“The movie is a culmination of all the personal experiences I have had with members from the LGBT community. I’ve even taken my friends to psychiatrists who told me that a person’s sexual orientation cannot be changed. I also learned that these people have never been attracted to the opposite sex since childhood,” Vinayak shares.

“I visited spots around the city like Public Gardens, where people were trying to pick up others. I sat there observing their behaviour and got some ideas,” adds the filmmaker.

“I chose the beginning of December for the screening of the film, so it would be like a dose of reality just before the holidays. The Supreme Court verdict was just a co-incidence,” he shrugs, before admitting that in case of a positive order by the SC, his movie would have been irrelevant.

Besides selected screenings for the LGBT community and those related or close to them, Vinayak’s film can be viewed online for Rs 70. “I’m promoting it selectively even though there is no explicit adult content in the film. Theatre goers are not ready for something like this yet,” he says.

During the discussion after the screening of the film, a mother declared that the verdict would not change the way she sees her child. “This is what I wanted. I want families of the LGBT community to watch it and acknowledge the facts,” says Vinayak.

His earlier work includes the film Celebrated Service, which led to the formation of Youth Assembly of India. Vinayak says that he balances his Tollywood career by making one socially relevant movie every year. “I’m currently working on a Sai Baba biopic and that aspect of my life will go on. But when I have time, I make films that deal with relationships.”