Vivek Agnihotri tweets same sex marriage is a need, it is a right: ‘Should be normal, not a crime’

Vivek Agnihotri said same sex marriage is not an ‘urban elitist’ concept. Reacting to a case in the Supreme Court, the filmmaker tweeted on Tuesday that people, who question same sex marriages, 'have never travelled in small towns and villages' of India. Vivek added that in a 'progressive, liberal and inclusive civilisation' like India same sex marriage 'should be normal, not a crime'. Also read: Vivek Agnihotri discharged in a contempt case after unconditional apology, told to be careful in future

He was reacting to a tweet that read, "Centre tells Supreme Court that same sex marriage is an urban elitist concept, which is far removed from social ethos of country. Extending same sex marriage beyond heterosexual unions will create a new institution, centre says." In response, Vivek tweeted, “NO. Same sex marriage is not an ‘urban elitist’ concept. It’s a human need. Maybe some sarkari (government) elites drafted it, who have never travelled in small towns and villages. Or Mumbai locals. First, same sex marriage is not a concept. It’s a need. It’s a right. And in a progressive, liberal and inclusive civilisation like Bharat, same sex marriage should be normal, not a crime.”

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta, too, echoed similar thoughts, as he shared a still from Modern Love: Mumbai. He tweeted, "Come on Supreme Court! Pave the path. Legalise same sex marriages." Hansal had directed an episode from the 2022 anthology series, which focused on a love story between a gay couple.

Last year, Hansal Mehta had spoken about not casting a gay actor in his episode, which featured Pratik Gandhi and Ranveer Brar as a couple. In a conversation with Mashable India, Hansal had said, “I understand what they (the queer community) are saying and I believe that representation should come from the stories. If somebody is right for the cast, whether queer or straight, they should be cast correctly.”

Meanwhile, a five-judge Supreme Court constitution bench – comprising of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices SK Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, PS Narasimha, and Hima Kohli – is set to hear a batch of petitions seeking legal validation of same sex marriages in the country on Tuesday. However, the Centre has been opposing the idea.