'Crimson' and 'Azure': Two short films on sexuality by Rohit Kumar Dasgupta

Rohit Kumar Dasgupta studies English Literature at Jadavpur University, and dabbles in various art forms, from poetry to filmmaking. He has a wide range of interests, but what occupies most of his free expression—academic as well as artistic—is the issue of queerness and sexuality. His two films, ‘Crimson’ and ‘Azure’, are short fictional narratives that deal with the sexual identity and its complexities among contemporary urban youth. While ‘Crimson’ is the story of a young woman unable to come to terms with her beloved’s ambiguous sexual choice, ‘Azure’ narrates the story of two young men chancing upon love. The films rely heavily on music and poetry, as these form their stylistic backbone. Rohit’s films have been screened in various LGBT film festivals in India and Europe. The screening of the two films on this particular evening was followed by a scintillating discussion moderated by queer activist Sumita. It not only touched upon the details of filmmaking, but raised various voices on burning issues—from the decriminalization of homosexuality in India to the definition of queerness itself.