NDTV.com: Students expelled for gay film

NDTV.com: Students expelled for gay film


Nandagopal
Saturday, May 19, 2007 (Chenganassery)
Five students of St Joseph's College of Communication at Chenganassery in Kerala were expelled last month for making a film on homosexuality.Secret Minds is a five minute film that explores the hypocrisy surrounding homosexuality in our society.Jeo Baby, the director of the film, does not regret making it, but what he regrets is that along with him four of his fellow students were expelled for acting in the film.The authorities at the institute felt that their film would corrupt young minds.''I made a film about homosexuality. In our society, lot of homosexual people live with us. How many of them admit to being homosexuals? They are secret minds, that is our mentality, we live in a secret society,'' said Jeo Baby, Expelled film student.Jeo's earlier films Ponnu - a film on teen pregnancy and God's Own Country - a film on begging - have won awards at student film festivals but this one seems to have touched a raw nerve.The expelled students have now appealed to the vice-chancellor of MG University in Kottayam.One of them has even filed a writ petition in the high court.Dijo Augustine, a close friend of Jeo and co-producer of the film, says that making the film hadn't been easy. They had to do with the Rs 2000 that they had collected from friends.Now they are very demoralized.''Secret Minds is an experimental film. We believed that the authorities will encourage our creativity. But the response was quite disappointing for all of us,'' said Dijo Augustine, Co-producer, Secret Minds.When NDTV contacted the college principal, he refused to comment, saying the matter was now sub-judice.Intolerance to alternative viewpoints at educational institutions - if this is the message that is being sent out to students, then there is little hope for any real change in our society.