Queer stories are often simplified to show ‘coming out’ as liberation. In truth, our journeys towards self-acceptance meander from this linear path and continue to do so long after we wave rainbow flags at Pride. Our past trauma haunts us. We seek to find acceptance from our family, friends, society, and often - religion. ‘Temple’ is a mediation on how we unhealthily look for acceptance in our external world.

This is my first short film, developed in partnership with Lotus Visual Productions. It’s a deeply personal story that I hope goes someway in changing the representation of queer brown people on screen.

Rehal’s (Kush Khanna) love for Arul (Gavi Singh Chera) is unreciprocated, but Arul believes they can still be friends. One morning over breakfast, the two discuss finding acceptance as brown queer Londoners. They share a cultural understanding of being ostracised by the white heteronormativity of British society.

Rehal hero-worships Arul, seeing him as the solution to their self-doubts. Their flat becomes a shrine where they pray for Arul’s acceptance, whereas Arul enjoys being loved because it makes him feel accepted.

Within the film, I visually reference prominent religions within South Asia. I struggled with my Sikh upbringing because I found myself unable to align myself with the idea of a ‘God.’ When stories of queer people and religion are told, they tend to focus on how orthodox faith teaches queer people their identities are invalid. My atheism, however, did not arise from my queerness. In the same way, Rehal believes Arul can be their solution; I was blindly looking for safety and justice in religion.

I found acceptance for my non-binary gender and sexual orientation from within. My temple is a meditative one. The consistent and overwhelming background score is an influence from Bollywood and a representation of the internal state, one we as queer people should pay more attention to if we are to find our sense of self.