It’s celebration time for the cast and crew of Ka Bodyscapes, the critically acclaimed and controversial queer-themed movie which had been caught in censorship row since 2016. The Censor Board has finally given nod to release the film in Kerala, almost a month after the historic verdict of the apex court decriminalizing consensual gay sex. Besides, the Jayan Cherian directorial is set to be a milestone in Malayalam cinema as it hits the screens at a time when the LGBTQ community is getting acceptance in society.
With the movie set for release, its lead actor Jason Chacko, who portrayed a homosexual artist in the film, feels that things are going in the right direction. “The plot of the film is something that most of the people are scared of even speaking. It revolves around the lives of three youngsters — Harison, an artist, his model partner Vishnu and a women’s rights activist – and their fight against identity and gender issues, religious extremism, capitalism and pseudo-moralistic Malayali psyche. And that was too much to take for some people and it was a long wait.”
Screened at various international film festivals across the globe, Ka Bodyscapes has been accused of ‘glorifying’ homosexuality, the reason for the denial of its screening so far. “We, Malayalis, are known to bring about praiseworthy changes and raise voice against social tribulations. Even the acceptance for the LGBTQ community in our state is unimaginable in other states. But this attitude is still limited to a section of people. The way the film was treated when it was submitted for censorship clearance proves it. We are yet to reach the level where we have absolute freedom of expression. Let it be homophobia, sexism, gender inequality and marginalization, our civic sense is limited to paper and social media posts,” says Jason.
When asked about the character, Jason says it was a challenging one and he had to study a lot. But he was not even one percent hesitant before committing to do the film. “I have some friends who are openly gay. I learnt some things from them and before the shoot, I used to read and watch about the gay community. And I was not afraid, ashamed or reluctant to take up this role. It was so emotional that I had to work well. I think I did justice to the character Harison.”
This is his second film, the first one being Munroe Thuruthu, another independent movie, in which he did another complex character. “Both are very much different roles and I succeeded in getting into the skin of each of the characters. The character I played in Munroe Thuruthu was complex, while the one in Ka Bodyscapes is much more emotional. For the latter I got a lot of positive feedback.”
It is not a new thing for Jason to play complex and socially committed roles. His latest project is in association with Fifth Estate Production and in their play Bon Voyage, he played the lead. The play is directed by Arun. “I have been a part of theatre since the school time. Bon Voyage deals with the extent to which a person would go when it comes to money and relationships.” He was also part of a few production companies for documentaries and plays before making his debut in films with Munroe Thuruthu. Both his movies were screened at various film festivals including the IFFK and he feels obliged to get great receptions from audiences.
When asked how far Malayalam cinema has come, he says there have been a great deal of changes in the past few years. “Being someone who has worked in two independent movies, I feel that the acceptance for new directors, actors and stories has improved among our audience. We don’t see any stereotypical hero roles in our cinema. It’s a big change and gives strength to many who have been dreaming of being a part of the industry. But at the same time we need to change our attitude towards independent movies too.”
Jason, who did his masters in Whistling Woods International – School of Media & Communication, has had the opportunity to work with many talented people and has been getting so many offers. He would like to do both films and plays. He has committed a number of projects and will be starting to work on them soon. He also dreams of playing a solo drama in the near future.
