‘Yours Emotionally’ is as much about love and passion as about cultural contrasts and gay identity as perceived from different angles. Though these elements are to form the backdrop, they actually thrust themselves to the forefront, entangling the five principal characters in its emotional web.

The film is a tribute to gay men who negotiate their same-sex-love identities within the stringent social, religious, cultural boundaries. It is a tribute to their grit and strength at fighting some of the stereotypes.

The film, treated in a cinema verite kind of realism with surrealistic passages, is set in its protagonist's ‘mindspace’ and reflects his love, passion, happiness and fears through colour tones, textures and transitions. The real and imaginary merge to create a bizarre world of emotions that is actually his journey through a holiday.

While making a film it is always difficult to present realities without prejudice… and keep a balance - both cultural and emotional. There are always huge expectations from anything made of this nature since there are very few opportunities of public expressions for such issues. In that sense, ‘Yours Emotional’ has been a challenge to me as a director and I hope I have been able to do justice to the characters.

bIoGrAphY

Sridhar Rangayan has scripted and directed several short films & over 30 one-hour television content covering various genres: comedy, romance, drama and thrillers; winning the prestigious RAPA award twice for Best Comedy, 1999 and Best Telefilm, 2000.

His debut short film ‘The Pink Mirror’(2002), a Bollywood comedy about Indian drag queens, has screened at more than 50 international film festivals and won Jury award for Best Film at Fire Island Film Festival, USA and Question de Genre film festival, France.

His first 35mm feature, ‘The Sensational Six’ (2003), a 90min. children film that combines breezy fun-filled adventure with social values, won the Bronze Remi Award at WorldFest, Houston.

Apart from filmmaking, he is also actively involved with human rights issues and the disability sector.

SRIDHAR RANGAYAN
Solaris Pictures
503, Pearl, Anand Nagar,
New Link Road, Jogeshwari (W),
Mumbai 400 102, India.
Ph: +91.22.2632 8239 / +91.98211 40940
email: solarisp@vsnl.net / sridhar.rangayan@gmail.com
website: www.solarispictures.com/ga.htm

The most fascinating aspect of the Yours Emotionally shoot was the sheer presence & involvement of nearly 100 odd people from two local LGBT groups, Lakshya & Humsafar, as supporting cast members. Their contributions along with several well-wishers, friends & professionals who worked on this project tirelessly and without any financial rewards made Sridhar & myself renew our own belief in this project. Several LGBT community members - across the world in a sense – have been greatly helpful and for me their support is the greatest reward.

The cultural contrast theme ran simultaneously among people on the production and several funny & heartwarming ‘off-script’ scenes took place on the locations, as the 14 -15 hour shoot would progress each day.

It was an amazing experience that no amount of huge budget could have offered us. As one of the actors said, ‘The shoot’s an experience of his lifetime’, I felt, perhaps, we may never realise that quality of production bonding again even if we planned for it. Thanks to all those few hundred people of all ‘colours’, nationalities & sexualities, who contributed generously during the pre, post & production stages.