Vivek Agnihotri says same sex marriage is not ‘urban elitist’ concept, ‘Should be normal, not a crime’

Vivek Agnihotri expressed his opinions on same-sex marriage on Twitter. He asserted that same-sex unions "should be commonplace" in a progressive, liberal, inclusive civilisation like India.

Same-sex marriage is not a "urban elitist" idea, according to Vivek Agnihotri. The filmmaker tweeted on Tuesday in response to a Supreme Court judgement that those who oppose same-sex unions "have never travelled in rural towns and villages of India." Same-sex marriage "should be natural, not a criminal" in a "modern, open, and inclusive civilisation" like India, according to Vivek.

The tweets were actually a response to an earlier 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" 

Agnihotri, on the other hand, took a sharp jab at it and went on to tweet, “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 posted a still from 'Modern Love: Mumbai' and tweeted: "Come on Supreme Court! Pave the path. Legalise same sex marriages." 

A group of petitions for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in the nation are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court constitution bench, which comprises Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and justices SK Kaul, S Ravindra Bhat, PS Narasimha, and Hima Kohli, on Tuesday. The Centre, though, has been opposed to the notion.

Hansal Mehta's in an interview last year apoke about about why he chose not to hire a gay actor and said: "If somebody is right for the cast, whether queer or straight, they should be cast correctly.”