A passionate filmmaker, Onir believes films are made to tell stories of people and their lives.
Soft-spoken and yet very vocal, Onir is the director and co-producer of “My Brother Nikhil”, therefore credited for the first mainstream Hindi film specifically addressing homosexuality in the context of human rights and HIV/AIDS. Though he is the first openly gay director in Bollywood, Onir disagrees that he should be identified so because of his openness about homosexuality.
A filmmaker and lover of literature, who holds a degree in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, Onir believes going against the tide to bring social change is important and possible through cinema.
Onir is in the capital for the screening of “I Am”, at an event organized by The Blue Diamond Society scheduled for Sunday at the Rastriya Nach Ghar, Jamal.
The filmmaker talked to Republica about cinema and society.
How did you venture into filmmaking?
I was 14 then. I saw the movie “Junoon” by Shyam Benegal. Although unable to understand the technicalities of filmmaking because of my age, I knew that I had to get involved, that I had to make films.
Elaborate on the issues your films deal with.
My first film dealt with homosexuality, which although very less spoken about is a truth of the society. My latest venture “I Am” is based on the poem “Geetanjali” by Rabindranath Tagore. It narrates four different tales from the lives of four different people. “I Am Megha” is about religious riots, “I Am Omar” is based on sexual discrimination, the third one “I Am Abhimanyu” deals with child abuse while “I Am Afia” deals with a woman who is in search of a sperm donor. All these issues are prevalent in the society but hardly brought up.
The financing of the movie was done in a rather unconventional way.
How did you come up with the idea?
“I Am” was financed through donations collected on social networking sites. I think it was a good idea because the venture was successful. It is more than obvious that social networking is almost a habit of people now. What I did was put up the four different themes and asked people to donate for the story they would like to see as cinema. People donated and the movie was made. Also, actors like Juhi Chawla, although brilliant and highly sought-after, worked for free. I think it’s always good to utilize resources and technology is one of the best options we have.
You seem to have a similar line-up of actors in most of your movies. Is it a conscious decision?
Sanjay Suri is not only the producer of my films but also a great actor and a good friend. Juhi Chawla has been very graceful to have accepted roles. Also, she believes in me and the subjects my movies deal with. In the Indian film industry there are always camps; I have a small camp of mine, too. We all share similar interest and work on it. If Karan Johar can have Shah Rukh Khan in all his movies, why can’t I?
Does your being an openly gay director change things or the way people behave around you?
First of all, my gender preferences should have nothing to do with my work. I want to be known as a filmmaker more than anything else. My kind of cinema will fight against the system and always have a social message to impart, even if it is a love story.
Until now your films have only dealt with serious matters. Is the audience going to get a love story soon?
I would love to make love stories, but for that I have to take enough time and think on the story. I write whenever I have free time and a love story is definitely in my mind. I am even thinking of shooting it here in Nepal. This is my first time in Kathmandu and the beauty of the place is simply magnificent. I think the Nepali filmmakers have an advantage of rich culture and scenic beauty, which is of great importance to filmmaking.
Have you seen any Nepali movies yet? Do you have anything to say to the aspiring filmmakers here?
I once saw a trailer of a Nepali movie at a film festival. I can’t say much but it looked like a copy of the typical Bollwood song-and dance-based movies. Nepal is rich in culture and therefore has a lot of stories. The directors here need to start telling stories of their own, stories of their people, their society. If done so, people will definitely listen to them.
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