A motherless boy from a conventional middle-class Indian family is naturally attracted to persons of the same-sex in a male chauvinistic Society and faces disapproval from family,peers and rebuke from the very person he falls in love.
Gaurav is a gay man, brought up in a conventional, urban upper-middle class Indian family, feeling lonely and empty without companionship and peer acceptance. Obsession with male-chauvinism entails the boys in his world, to bloat even about crimes, but no man would ever commit even to his closest pal, if he were gay. Gaurav's heart longs for a soul-mate, until one day - a proverbial tall, dark, handsome hunk Anurag walks into the classroom.—Anonymous
On a dusky evening of November 2003, with a Fire- burning bright in the courtyard of a middle class dwelling on the outskirts of Hyderabad city, South of India,even as we peep through the wilderness into the inner life of Gaurav - a 12 year-old high school lad, just coming of age - trying to fathom the Shakespearean verses on the seven stages of life ! The fire symbolizes a desire for love - burning deep within Gaurav's heart, but the world in which he is growing-up is hostile to his inner needs... Love & Desire keep the world ticking.... But if Desire meets with Denial, then it's either end of the world or the beginning of a battle to claim oneself! From infancy, Gaurav had never experienced the sweetness of a mother's love and was constantly being doted with tradition & conformity by his God-fearing sister and Dignity-obsessed father... Freud would have perhaps explained this to be the obvious reason for Gaurav's first crush on his bearded English master in 8th grade, which the father crushes instantaneously with his ever-vigilant possessiveness... Ashamed by the humiliating lashes, Gaurav discovers a strange discomfiture for feminine touch, as his sister tries to soothe the scars over his body .The withdrawn Gaurav now tries to seek fulfillment in sport, where he is able to channelize his energies into proving himself to be a Man! He becomes a basket ball champion, a rage among all the college folks, but yet he is lonely and closeted when he is off the court. Even when one tries to conceal inner passions, they are bound to show-up some way or the other.... College folks are quick to recognize the queer ways of Gaurav, even as he falls in love with a tall, handsome classmate Anurag, who joins college during their second year in under-graduation. Gaurav is a complete contrast to Anurag, who is an extrovert and a casanova. The college girls see a competitor in Gaurav and tease him by vainly flirting with Anurag, even as Gaurav browses ways to figure out how a Man can attract another Man ! Gaurav tries the first trick up his sleeve and succeeds in gaining the attention of his chivalrous sweet heart. Next, Gaurav even goes over-board - sacrificing his project work for Anurag by risking his very career in college ! In a world of limited options - the desire to 'belong' and 'be loved' - is so powerful and supreme that nothing else in this world matters to Gauarv, let alone repeating a year in college ! The risk pays off... Anurag begins to acknowledge Gaurav's existence in college. But, the jerk in Anurag makes him lap all the favours from Gaurav... Ironically, it is Anurag who is having the best of both the worlds... Girls to flirt & Gaurav to exploit ! The fire of desire is sure to consume a person, who cannot consummate his love ... What is a 'Love' that cannot be expressed to the beloved? Gaurav seizes a rare moment with a lone Anurag in the spa and literally bares himself before Anurag - who is caught unawares and slimily wriggles himself out of the closet without committing anything... But, Gaurav is not someone to give up easily. A basketball player that he is, Gaurav is determined to play on till the end of the game - which now shifts from the restricts of the college campus - to the Dark & Deep woods - where the world is pristine and unspoilt- far from the madding crowds of a civilised regimen - where love is available in plenty even if at a cost ! Even as Gaurav is hunting for Anurag in the darkness of the woods, he is hunted down by a transsexual and a slut, who in-turn desire him . Gaurav is now entangled in a tricky situation - wherein just as he is desiring love from a person who does not desire him, there are now persons who desire him - to whom he is unable to reciprocate! 'Whatever you resist - persists,' goes an age-old adage... adding salt to the already bleeding wounds - Gaurav bears the brunt of a horrifying backlash from Anurag, after daring to entice him physically... But, he is forced to nurse his wounds in the arms of the very persons, whom he had despised, a few moments earlier... Enemies turn allies and a friend becomes a foe ! Unable to face Anurag on campus, Gaurav decides to quit college and looks up-to his family for solace... But,the righteous father who aids the treatments of so many children with congenital diseases - is unable to understand the predicament of his own son! Gaurav quits home also, to uphold his self-esteem and learns to love himself, even before he can commit someone to love him.... All through the trials and tribulations, Gaurav does a fine balancing act of pursuing his mission of finding a soul mate for life and also caring for his family sentiments by exiling himself into social oblivion. In his grit and determination, he does not compromise with life by succumbing to any easy prey or a demonstration of pity. He is firm on finding true, unconditional love for life ... At the same time, Gaurav is no melancholic quibbler and knows that happiness is not found someday - somewhere at the end of the road, But, it is found everyday... along the way... even if it manifests in flashes of momentary but sincere love ! So, in the end does Gaurav ultimately succeed in finding his Soul mate? Is he able to satiate the fire burning brightly as ever - deep beneath his surface - ever since his coming of age? ...The answer is both 'Yes' and a 'No'... Why ? .... Because it is a question waiting to be answered by us !
