‘There aren’t enough stori about ,’ says filmmaker Onir on his new book, I Am Onir and I Am Gay - The Hdu

Contents:

• ONIR ON HIS BOOK I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: ‘I HOPE TO EMPOWER THE LGBTQ MUNY’
• INTERVIEW, ONIR, THOR, I AM ONIR, AND I AM GAY – “I AM THE SUABLE BOY”
• I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY
• I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: A MEMOIR
• I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY
• I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: A MEMOIR
• ‘THERE AREN’T ENOUGH STORI ABOUT ’: THE QUEER DIRECTOR ON HIS MEMOIR, I AM ONIR, AND I AM GAY

ONIR ON HIS BOOK I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: ‘I HOPE TO EMPOWER THE LGBTQ MUNY’

Natnal Award-wng filmmaker Onir, whose directorial but, My Brother Nikhil, broke new ground LGBT reprentatn on the silver screen, has penned down his memoir tled ‘ I Am Onir and I Am Gay’. In 2021, when the lockdown was also there and he aga spoke and then I spoke to my sister Irene, and then we thought that maybe 's not a bad ia bee not too many people om the dtry or otherwise who are out and proud and who n even say whout hatn that I am gay.

Equaly is non-negotiable, says the tagle of your book but do you thk India, LGBT rights are protected on paper but discrimatn and homophobia persist? Like I feel that how women filmmakers reprent women differently, the same way, there is somethg lled queer gaze and I feel that someone who is out and proud of beg gay looks at our liv differently.

INTERVIEW, ONIR, THOR, I AM ONIR, AND I AM GAY – “I AM THE SUABLE BOY”

Director-producer-screenwrer Onir, who is bt known for makg path breakg feature films wh gay protagonists, pecially My Brother...

I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY

Nikhil (2005) and I Am (2010), speaks to about his memoir I Am Onir, and I Am Gay.

Co-thored wh his sister Irene Dhar Malik, who is an edor and screenwrer, the book offers a ndid acunt of his life as a gay man workg Bollywood, and before that. Film maker and thor Onir (Courty the publisher) Your sister, Irene, has been your biggt ally sce you me out as gay. What is like to be one of the few openly gay filmmakers Bombay’s film dtry?

I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: A MEMOIR

There are other gay filmmakers but they rarely speak of their sexual orientatn publicly.

When rich and succsful gay people tell me that g out should be a choice and there should be no prsure to e out, I rpect their stand but I also tell them, “If you’re a posn like this, you should make the effort.

No straight person has to live a closet, so why should gay people have to? I should ment only after I have read films are often pted agast his discsns about gay characters Hdi cema.

I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY

He is seen as tryg to make homosexualy palatable to straight dienc and even g for ic relief. Homophobia is not funny.

Actually, when I lived Bhutan, I did not even know the word ‘gay’. I didn’t know that one of my clost iends was gay. I had experienced homosexual enunters but I never saw them through the lens of love.

I AM ONIR AND I AM GAY: A MEMOIR

When you grow up a heteronormative environment whout any gay reprentatn popular culture, you end up thkg that love n happen only between men and women.

The possibily of a fulfillg gay relatnship don’t occur to you.

‘THERE AREN’T ENOUGH STORI ABOUT ’: THE QUEER DIRECTOR ON HIS MEMOIR, I AM ONIR, AND I AM GAY

They refed to give me a no-objectn certifite for the script of my other film We Are bee one of protagonists is a gay soldier. It is the story of an out and proud gay filmmaker, and revolv around three different phas of his life tersectg wh key ton om India’s queer history. Now one of the few openly gay directors Bollywood, Onir remas fearls about his inty and passnate about his role as a filmmaker openg up the road to difficult nversatns about inty and rilience.

I Am Onir and I Am Gay is a raw, eloquent and spirg memoir about nontg and transcendg ontiers. I Am Onir and I Am Gay: A Memoir.