Pride Month 2025: Sridhar Rangayan Talks About Establishing South Asia’s Biggest LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, KASHISH, And More

Every Pride Month, conversations around identity, acceptance, and visibility take centre stage — but few platforms celebrate these themes as powerfully through cinema as the KASHISH Pride Film Festival. As one of South Asia’s largest LGBTQIA+ film festivals, KASHISH has become a cultural landmark, showcasing bold, moving, and diverse stories from around the world.

In a conversation with The Free Press Journal, Sridhar Rangayan, founder and Festival Director of KASHISH, discusses curating queer narratives, creating safe and inclusive spaces through cinema, and how KASHISH continues to spark dialogue, empathy, and change — both on and off the screen.

Excerpts from the interview:

What was the original vision behind founding/directing this queer film festival?

As a filmmaker, I’ve been travelling with my movies to various film festivals across the world since 2002. What I noticed was that film festivals were not only a platform to watch movies that were often overlooked by mainstream audiences, but also a safe space where the LGBTQIA+ community could come together to mingle, network, and understand each other’s perspectives. So, after the reading down of Sec 377 by the Delhi High Court, a small group of us came together to start the KASHISH film festival as a platform for the LGBTQIA+ community to watch movies on the big screen, but also for non-LGBTQIA+ people to formulate real aspirations and challenges faced by the community.

How has the festival evolved in terms of inclusivity, programming and impact over the years?

The festival has not only grown and stature to become South Asia's biggest LGBTQIA+ film festival, but it has also become more diverse and inclusive in its programming with movies about and made by trans and non-binary filmmakers, as well as exploring intersectionality of class, race, faith, special abilities with sexuality. The safe space KASHISH has created for the intermingling of queer and non-queer audiences has enabled a greater understanding of LGBTQIA+ lives and also helped in the movement for equality and dignity.

What do you look for when curating films for the festival?

We look for narratives that highlight not only the struggles and victories of the LGBTQIA+ community, but also the everyday normalcy of our lives, loves and relationships – that LGBTQIA+ people aren't from Mars or Venus, that we too have everyday struggles just like everyone else. With our festival's growing stature, we are also mindful to programme qualitative content. Having said that, we also take note of the socio-political environment in which these films are made and ensure representation of all voices. We also have preview team members who are trans and non-binary who ensure that diverse voices are represented and highlighted.

What are some challenges you faced while running KASHISH?

In the earlier years, the challenge was the law and social stigma attached to LGBTQIA+ issues, but over the years while the legal status for the lesbian community has changed, the social challenges have diminished to a certain extent. But what has remained constant, and even worsened this year, is the aspect of raising money required to organise the festival. Every year it is a Herculean task to raise finances and we never know if we will be able to do the next edition. We need companies and brands that will back us constantly, with not just a token amount, but come with their marketing budget to power this large film festival.

What changes do you hope to see in the LGBTQIA+ cinematic landscape?

We want more space at the table to tell our stories authentically. There should be LGBTQIA+ cast and crew members as part of not only every LGBTQIA+ film or web series, but also a part of all productions. We have a large talent pool and it is high time we are given our due.

Have streaming platforms helped or diluted the visibility of queer cinema?

The streaming platforms have given wings to the community with more characters and stories of the LGBTQIA+ community. But what we need is for these characters to be at the centre of the stories with fuller narrative arcs.

Do you believe that media at large has helped in taking forward the Pride movement?

English language media has always been supportive and offered us a lot of coverage for LGBTQIA+ stories and events. And, also, the reporting has been sensitive. However, the regional language media still needs to be sensitised not to sensationalise LGBTQIA+ stories and report them just like any other story.

Does dedicating one month in the year mean anything for the community? How?

The Pride Month celebrations are welcome since at least during that month our issues and initiatives are highlighted. But, companies need to stop pink-washing and walk the talk through the year by supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.

Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025, 09:00 AM IST