The importance of being Onir

For the filmmaker, putting his life down on paper means much more than telling his story. It means the empowerment and education of entire communities.

- Urvee Modwel

National award-winning filmmaker, best known for My Brother Nikhil and I Am, has just released his autobiography, I am Onir and I am Gay, at age 53. Too young to do a book on his life, you think? Not when you realise that the experiences of a queer man trying to navigate his identity, sexuality and passion are enough to-quite literally-fill a book.

"It wasn't something that I'd planned to do at all," Onir says. "Five or six years ago, I was talking to my agent about another book, and he's the one who planted the idea in my head. He was the first person to tell me that it would help other people, especially from the Queer community."

It was only after the lockdown that Onir started to think about it seriously, spurred by the fact that a lot of people-including from within Bollywood used to write to him, asking about his journey and how he found the 'courage' to be out and proud. He felt the need to help them, to provide answers, to provide the kind of representation that he himself never saw on-screen or in popular culture.

"There aren't too many people from the industry or otherwise who are out or who can freely say 'I am gay'," explains Onir. "So, I thought that by writing this book I could empower younger people who are trying to deal with their identity. And for people who are not from the Queer community, and also for allies, I wanted them to understand us better, to understand our journey better."

It's evident before you even open the book what Onir wants to say. The tagline of the book plainly and simply states: 'Equality is non-negotiable'.