The struggle of independent films has changed; it has not stopped, says Onir

National-Award winning filmmaker Onir, known for helming independently funded films, says that only the nature of struggle for small budget movies has changed; the challenges are still there.

“Earlier, the merit of the film used to speak for itself, along with the word of mouth. But now, the fate of a film depends on its first weekend performance. We are competing with big studio films, star-driven films at the multiplexes. We are fighting with publicity and marketing and the new practice of media net,” Onir says. “Earlier, making a film was expensive; now releasing it is. So, our struggle has changed, not stopped,” he adds.

In his 13 years in the industry, Onir has dealt with subjects such as AIDS, single motherhood, displacement, child abuse and same-sex relationships through films such as My Brother… Nikhil (2005), Bas Ek Pal (2006), and I Am (2010). What keeps him going? “For me, a good story and good actors come first. I’m not saying stars are not good actors, but producers are interested in investing in stars, not in the script, hence, the struggle,” he shares.

The 48-year-old, most of whose films have got good critic reviews, goes on to add that critical acclaim is necessary for smaller films. “For films that are neither stardriven nor big-budget, what brings people to the theatre is good reviews. If people are talking about the film, and it is getting positive reviews and praise from influential people of the fraternity, people get interested to watch them. So, reviews matter to us.”

HT PHOTO Onir says that critics’ reviews matter to small filmmakers