In matters of sexuality and gender, Hindi cinema is a microcosm of Indian cinema across languages. However, as a tsunami of cis-het machismo has raged across the country in the 2020s - epitomised by the pan-India triumph of the KGF franchise (Kannada), the Pushpa series (Telugu) and Animal (Hindi) - one megastar has stunned cinephiles this winter with Kaathal: The Core (Malayalam), a tender film on a closeted gay man.
