Donald Trump tweeted his approval of a gay Bollywood romantic-comedy film, released two years after India repealed its strict anti-gay laws.

The US President, responding to a positive post about Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (Be Extra Careful About Marriage), tweeted the word: 'Great!'

Starring Ayushmann Khurrana as an openly homosexual man who battles conservative opinion in order to date his boyfriend, the latest Bollywood spectacle is packed with romantic scenes, including a kiss shared between the same-sex leads.

It is the first publicly-advertised gay romantic-comedy to be released in India, following the legalisation of homosexuality in the country in 2018.

But its release yesterday was mired in controversy, as gay male and lesbian Indians continue to live in fear of bringing 'dishonour' to their families.

And screenings of the film have been banned in the largely-Muslim United Arab Emirates, a country of around 10million where gay sex remains illegal.

Starring Ayushmann Khurrana as an openly homosexual man who battles conservative opinion in order to date his boyfriend, the latest Bollywood spectacle is packed with romantic scenes, including a kiss shared between the same-sex leads

The film is the sequel to 2017's Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (Beware of Marriage), a film about a man suffering with erectile dysfunction that was a box office success.

Now Indian film producers are hoping that the risk of pumping more money into other projects that question traditional values will be worth the reward as the 2020 follow-up - which has over 51million trailer views - hits cinemas.

The film's trailer, uploaded to YouTube in January, depicts actor Khurrana proclaim into a megaphone as he wears a rainbow cape: 'Friends, Shankar Tripathi is suffering from a very bad disease - and that disease is called homophobia!'

President Trump, who is due to visit India next week, surprised many when he retweeted a post from gay rights activist Peter Tatchell promoting the movie.

It is the first publicly-advertised gay romantic-comedy to be released in India, following the legalisation of homosexuality in the country in 2018

And screenings of the film have been banned in the largely-Muslim United Arab Emirates, a country of around 10million where gay sex remains illegal

'India: A new #Bollywood rom-com featuring a gay romance is hoping to win over older people, following the decriminalisation of homosexuality,' Mr Tatchell posted.

He was as shocked as many, though, when his support for India's new embrace of gay rights received approval from the controversial US President.

Good Morning Britain presenter Piers Morgan commented: 'Wow. President Trump tweeting supportively to about a ground-breaking gay Bollywood rom-com is not what I expected to see on Twitter today. Great to see.'

American conservative activist Scott Presler tweeted: 'Thank you, President Trump, for supporting the gay community. I can't wait to vote for you this November.'

Mr Tatchell condemned his rhetorical patron, furiously writing on social media: 'Donald Trump just retweeted me. Shock horror! I tweeted a Pink News article about a new gay Bollywood movie and he retweeted it.

'I loathe Trump and tweet against his anti-LGBT+ policies, climate destruction denial, misogyny and collusion with the far right.'

Others were also left scratching their heads by the surprise retweet, with Sklar Baker-Jordan posting: 'What is happening?

'India: A new #Bollywood rom-com featuring a gay romance is hoping to win over older people, following the decriminalisation of homosexuality,' Peter Tatchell posted

The US President shocked and confused the world as he gave his approval of the new Bollywood gay romantic-comedy with a single word: 'Great!'

Others were left scratching their heads, with Sklar Baker-Jordan posting: 'What is happening? I don't get stunned very often, but Donald Trump quote-tweeting Peter Tatchell celebrating a gay Bollywood rom-com has stunned me. It is also the wildest sentence I've ever written'

Mr Tatchell wrote: 'Donald Trump just retweeted me. Shock horror! I tweeted a Pink News article about a new gay Bollywood movie and he retweeted it. I loathe Trump and tweet against his anti-LGBT+ policies, climate destruction denial, misogyny and collusion with the far right'

Piers Morgan commented: 'Wow. President Trump tweeting supportively to about a ground-breaking gay Bollywood rom-com is not what I expected to see on Twitter today. Great to see'

'I don't get stunned very often, but Donald Trump quote-tweeting Peter Tatchell celebrating a gay Bollywood rom-com has stunned me.

'It is also the wildest sentence I've ever written.'

After the Supreme Court ruled Section 377 of the Penal Code 'unconstitutional', the path was opened for depictions of LGTBQ+ people in cinema and television.

Research suggests that members of the Indian LGBTQ community flee their homes to escape secret-honour killings and anti-gay abuse.

Filmmaker Hitesh Kewalya said that he was proud to live in a country where anti-gay laws had been repealed and where he could make openly-gay films.

And Jitendra Kumar, who stars opposite Khurrana in the new rom-com, told The Week: 'The only people this could affect adversely are the homophobic. But I am certain that through the course of the film they will hear "this is normal" so many times that they may pause to re-evaluate what they think and believe in.'