Sequel to I Am being termed ‘too gay’, even by OTTS: Onir

It’s been a decade since Onir’s national awardwinning anthology film, I Am (2011), released to critical acclaim, but the filmmaker confesses that making it in the first place was a big challenge.

He reasons, “Each story was supposed to be separate film, but I realised it was impossible to finance any of it. I was constantly told by studios and platforms, ‘There’s no viewer for it’. Just out of stubbornness, I remember putting out a post, that ‘I want to make this story, the first one is on child sexual abuse, if you believe this film needs to be made, either contribute by paying money or volunteer to work for it’. Ultimately, the film happened when all industry doors were shut.”

Onir, 51, adds that when it comes to financing a film, backers are “brutally honest”. “For My Brother Nikhil (2005), they told me, ‘Aisa nahi ho sakta ki Sanjay Suri ke character ko Bipasha Basu ke character se AIDS ho jaaye?’ (It was a same-sex story). I remember doing distribution work for Daman, way back in 2000. Some distributor told me, ‘Achha, ek hi rape hai, aur woh bhi husband ne kiya? Aur rape nahi hai?’ This is the industry we belong to,” he shares.

After I Am was complete and Onir was showing it to studios, he was told that people aren’t ready for this kind of a “controversial” film. And surprisingly, the filmmaker reveals that this continues even today, despite the arrival of OTT platforms. “I’ve decided to make a sequel to I Am called We Are, which celebrates queer rights. Every platform I’ve discussed it with, has said no. For them, instead of box office, it’s eye balls. It’s too gay for them. Everyone wants to do something LGBTQI as long as it’s in their comfort zone. If they do something in that space, they think they’re doing social service or the world a favour,” rues Onir.

I Am went on to win two National Awards — Best Hindi film and Best Lyrics. However, it didn’t feature at mainstream awards, and Onir can never forget that. “I Am travelled the world, it was never recognised here (in India). Right now, my co-producer for We Are is from

Canada. Before that, it was pitched to different platforms as a very powerful film. They still don’t want to (release it),” he concludes.