Bend It Like Bollywood

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BBC Three

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Vinay Jobanputra

Hannah Blackwell

Heenan Bhatti

Farah Qayum

Rachael Fish

Documentaries

Factual: Real Life Stories

BBC Three - Bend It Like Bollywood

Dancer Vinay tries to stage the biggest event of his career and change his life forever.

Gender non-conforming dancer Vinay believes you don’t have to be restricted by gender. He tackles it with friends and family and tries to put on an event to change his life forever.

Vinay gives a whole new meaning to Bollywood. A Gender non-conforming dancer who believes you don’t have to dance like a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’ but can do it in a non-gendered way.  And he’s put his belief on the line by opening his own Bollywood dance classes in his own image. Calling them Bollyqueer, they’ve proved successful with attendances high, valuing Vinay’s unique and personal brand of dance. 

But Vinay hasn’t always felt so free to be himself. Growing up in Leicester, he felt unable to live his life as a visibly out and queer person, worried what his community and family would think of his sexuality and way of life. 
 
This led Vinay to suppress being gay so he could fit in with everyone around him. Feeling rejected by the people of his hometown, Vinay left for the bright lights and freedom of the capital.
 
Three years on he’s built a brand-new life in London: openly gay, gender non-conforming – a dazzling collection of sarees in tow – and running his own successful dance class, Bollyqueer. 

But one thing’s always remained unresolved for Vinay: the freedom to be himself when he was growing up. And in this film, he takes a bold step:  to return to his hometown of Leicester to launch his Bollyqueer dance classes. 

But as Vinay looks to express who he is, he encounters unfinished business: can he bridge the gap of understanding between himself and his dad on his gender non-conformity? Or will the launch of Bollyqueer drive a wedge between them? 

And as he looks to bring his unique, modern and personal take on Bollywood dance to the people of Leicester, can he be accepted by a community, which he felt rejected him when growing up? 

Exploring gender, family and community, this moving and ultimately life-affirming film follows Vinay as he tries to bury the ghosts of his past as he puts it all on the line to stage the biggest show of his life.

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