Faruk Kabir on 377 AbNormal: Read 400-page SC judgment as prep

A still from 377 AbNormal

Immediately after the landmark Supreme Court judgment in 2018 that decriminalised homosexuality, writer-director-producer Faruk Kabir began researching for his web film, 377 AbNormal. Inspired by true events, the offering - which has been nominated for Best Web Film in the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist Web Awards - narrates the journey of the petitioners who challenged Section 377.

"I invested three months into the research. I read the 400-page Supreme Court judgment," says the director, who travelled across cities to meet the subjects of his story. "I had to secure their permission [to tell their story]. It was a trust-building exercise. It was an emotional journey for them as it [the then-criminalisation of Section 377] had deeply affected them and their families."

As he told the story of his protagonists fighting for their rights, Kabir says it was imperative to approach the Maanvi Gagroo, Tanvi Azmi and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub starrer with sensitivity. "Gay people have been [depicted] in a particular way in films, they end up being caricatures. It was a huge responsibility to [set that] right. During the shooting, Zeeshan asked me how he should approach his character. I told him to simply play a man in love in a genteel kind of way."

More about 377 AbNormal

• Faruk Kabir met Lucknow-based LGBTQ activist Arif Jafar for story inputs.
• While delivering the SC verdict, Justice Dipak Misra had quoted Goethe. Kabir has used it in the film

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