Breaking free : A Refusal to be Subtle

Written By: Krisha Rathod

Edited By: Iniya J

Graphic Designer: Makkanthra Aditi

As part of Pride Month, ECHO launched LONG TAKE, its student-led Film Club, with its inaugural screening, Pride on Screen: Stories of Identity, Love, and Belonging. Conceived as a space where students can engage with cinema through screenings, discussions, and critical reflection, the club began with a screening of Breaking Free (2015), a documentary that explores the lives, struggles, and resilience of queer communities in India. Watching it turned out to be one of the most impactful documentary experiences I have had in a long time. The documentary focused on the lives, struggles, and resilience of queer people in India, especially their long fight for dignity, acceptance, and the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex relations. It was emotional, informative, and at times extremely overwhelming, but in the best possible way.

The documentary was directed by Sridhar Rangayan, who is himself a gay man. Growing up, he was not accepted by society and had to navigate a world that constantly tried to silence or reject people like him. Instead of giving in to that pressure, he slowly came out to the people around him and eventually created a space for himself in society at a time when consensual same-sex relations were criminalised under Section 377. His journey itself is incredibly inspiring, and that honesty and courage are reflected throughout the documentary.

What made Breaking Free so powerful was the fact that it was rooted in real life. The documentary included actual interviews and real incidents from people who were a part of this long journey. We heard from victims of discrimination and violence, lawyers who fought landmark cases, judges, NGO workers, activists, and many others who contributed to the movement in different ways. Their stories were not dramatized or exaggerated; they were simply presented as they were, and that authenticity made them even more moving.

One of the things that stood out to me the most was how direct the documentary was. The documentary does not attempt to make its audience comfortable because the realities it portrays are neither simple nor comfortable. The experiences, pain, struggles, and victories of the LGBTQ+ community are deeply serious and deserve to be treated as such. The documentary was definitely overwhelming at many moments, but I think that was the proper and necessary way to portray these realities.

In modern media, LGBTQ+ representation often falls into two extremes. On one hand, queer stories are portrayed only through tragedy and suffering, making pain their defining characteristic. On the other hand, queer characters are reduced to comic relief or side characters whose purpose is simply to make the main character more attractive or to add an interesting subplot. Their stories are rarely taken seriously, and they are often ridiculed or treated as secondary. Breaking Free challenged this pattern completely.

The documentary gave queer individuals the space to speak for themselves. It allowed them to be complex human beings rather than stereotypes. It showed their fears, hopes, relationships, activism, and everyday realities. Instead of speaking about them, it spoke with them, and I think that makes all the difference.

Another important aspect of the documentary was how it connected personal experiences with larger social and legal changes. The struggle for acceptance was not just emotional but also political and legal. The documentary highlighted the years of activism that eventually led to the reading down of Section 377, reminding viewers that progress is never automatic. It is the result of countless individuals who refuse to stay silent despite facing rejection, discrimination, and violence.

Watching this documentary during Pride Month, as part of LONG TAKE's inaugural screening, felt especially meaningful. Pride is often associated with celebrations, colours, and parades, but Breaking Free reminded me that pride also comes from resistance, courage, and survival. It is about people fighting to exist authentically in a society that has historically denied them that right. In many ways, it reflected ECHO's theme of Pride as Presence, reminding us that visibility itself can be an act of resilience.

Breaking Free was an important learning experience. It educated us about a part of Indian history that is often ignored and encouraged us to think critically about representation, acceptance, and justice. It was honest, direct, and deeply human. As the inaugural screening of LONG TAKE, it also demonstrated how cinema can create spaces for empathy, dialogue, and reflection. It was a fitting beginning for a Film Club that hopes to bring students together through stories that continue to resonate long after the screen goes dark.