When Will Jharana Thapa Learn? Ae Mero Hajur 4 continues the cycle of misrepresenting Queer-community

– Esaa Khanal

The date for the release of Jharana Thapa’s movie Ae Mero Hajur 4 starring Suhana Thapa and Anmol KC is scheduled to release on April 8, 2022. The story follows the vibrant couple who fall in love but things take an opposite turn. 

However, the movie which shows a roller-coaster ride of a couple is not just a romantic tale. While the movie has some comedic touch to make people laugh, at a point they used an LGBTQIA+ representation of the character which is full of stereotypes. 

 This is not the first time that some moviemakers have been inconsiderate while representing various groups precisely those who people consider marginalized.

Meanwhile, it may be nothing new for the audience as movies have been doing for decades now without being held accountable to date. 

When will the audience get to see the good representation of the community in the Nepali commercial movies? 

Saying that Soongava became the first commercial movie to portray a same-sex love story. It is the perfect example for the industry to learn a lesson from the previous mistakes.

The movie which was released in 2012 was revolutionary for the time, however, the movie too had a pinch of stereotypes here and there. 

Despite that, the makers still took a huge step in a time when acknowledgment of queer community was considered a sin in the community.

Disappointing Approach

Ae Mero Hajur sequence has a wide audience base. Jharana Thapa, the director of the movie has come up with Ae Mero Hajur 4 which will be released on the occasion of Nepali New Year aka Baisakh 1. 

You cannot deny the fact that the team has done immense hard work in the making. But why did they fail to do their homework before showing a character that represents queer people? 

The trailer shows their negligence over the community who have been fighting for years for their identity amongst cis-gender people. 

A movie is a form of entertainment but that does not mean the makers should get away with their humiliating take over a whole community. 

Is It Too Hard To Make A Change?

Deception of queer people has been in the movies since its inception more than 100 years ago. However, the representation has been quite complicated and demeaning.

Gay characters have been frequently used for laughs while trans people are shown as nymphomania. 

Over the few decades, the Hollywood and Bollywood industries have been making improvements. There is the strict forbade explicit depictions of homosexuality in film for three decades in Hollywood. 

But the Nepali movie industry seems to be stuck back in time. They lack to portray the strong phenomena within the community.

 On the one hand, the movie makers ask the people to show love and support for domestic films while on the other hand, they themselves contradict the existence of the queer community. 

 Aae Mero Hajur 4 has continued the cycle of adding another misrepresentation of queer-community which is full of stereotypes and cis-gender gaze. 

Movies take a lot of time working on details, cinematography, script, visuals, and many other small things. However, they still don’t make time for the research or at least consult with someone from the community. 

Therefore, this concludes that the movie industry has been getting away with its negligence for years and they are continuing to do so in the 21st century.