Celebrating Pride Month — Bollywood Actors Who Have Portrayed Queer Characters On Screen

Indian cinema and OTT are embracing authentic LGBTQ+ stories, with actors breaking stereotypes and portraying queer roles with empathy and courage.

Bollywood Actors Who Played Queer Characters On Screen

Rajkummar Rao – Badhaai Do: Rajkummar Rao stunned audiences with his restrained and powerful performance as a gay police officer in Badhaai Do. The film explored the idea of a lavender marriage between a gay man and a lesbian woman to appease societal pressures. Rao’s commitment to portraying queer vulnerability without caricature was widely praised, marking a major milestone in mainstream Bollywood storytelling. (Image Source: Special Arrangement)

Sonam Kapoor – Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga: Sonam Kapoor starred in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, one of the first mainstream Bollywood films to feature a lesbian protagonist. Portraying a young woman struggling to come out to her conservative family, Sonam delivered a gentle, heartfelt performance that helped normalize queer identity within a family-oriented narrative. (Image Source: Special Arrangement)