Being gay himself, onir chooses to do films which send out a social message about the rights of common people
While most of the directors wish to join the Rs100 crore club, Anirban Dhar (Onir) is one filmmaker whose sole aim is to make good films that make a difference. My Brother Nikhil and I Am are his top choices thus far. Through these films, the director deals with social issues like the right of gays. His film I Am, released in 2011, also received a National Award for Best Picture. “Being gay myself, the issue is close to my heart. So I made such films,” Onir, who was in the Capital for PVR Nest’s ‘Steer to Safety campaign’, says.
Although this thinking director makes films close to reality, he refuses to accept that meaningful cinema can’t be entertaining. “That’s the motive of films, they have to be entertaining,” he tells you. Asked to define entertainment, Onir is very clear. “It depends from person to person. For some, Golmaal is entertainment while others find item numbers entertaining. There is an audience for every kind of film,” he says.
His films are meant for classes and not masses but Onir denies that, saying the definition of ‘mass’ depends on filmmakers. “All the filmmakers have their masses,” says Onir who will be coming up with romantic film Veda this year. Veda will be based on Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “ It’s a love story set in lucknow. The protagonists belong to different religions but that doesn’t come in the way of their relationship,” Onir says.