Were you apprehensive about the title? If you really look at the film industry, and the number of people who would be probably from the queer community, tell me how many people would say “I am gay” publicly? Tell me how many books are there of public figures who say that “I am gay”? Also, while debating the title, some people said: “But you are not just gay. And that’s how in 2021, during the lockdown, the writing process started. My sister Irene also thought it was a good idea. I thought about the number of messages I get on social media from young people wanting to know about how it was. What prompted you to write a memoir titled ‘I am Onir, I am Gay’? For five to six years now, my agent Kanishka Gupta has been telling me that it is important for me to tell my story because there are not too many out-and-proud people talking about their lives and their experience. But surprisingly, more than my father, my mother regrets the fact that I don’t use my surname. Even today, a woman will add the surname of her husband but a man does not add the name of the wife. Dropping my surname made me aware of patriarchy. How did Antigonus become Onir? I actually decided to name myself. Whenever I approach a studio or platform with a film, they say “oh, but we are taking baby steps.” I feel, somewhere, there is still resistance and people say: “oh, this is too much.” How can my life be “too much”? Speaking of baby steps, you’ve had a long history of names. And they are told from a very heteronormative perspective. There are hardly two or three mainstream films with queer narratives every year.
Ahead of his soon-to-release memoir ‘I am Onir And I am Gay’, the 53-year-old filmmaker talks to Sharmila Ganesan Ram about why he wanted to claim his identity without shame Has anything changed in terms of representation for the LGBTQIA+ community post decriminalisation of section 377 in 2018? In certain sectors yes, but not in films.
In 2022, the defence ministry rejected his film ‘We Are’ which was based on the life of a gay army major.
In 2005, many men walked out of theatres screening Onir’s film ‘My Brother Nikhil ’ on finding out that the lead character is gay.