Onir: Being unequal is part of our daily existence

The National Film Award-winning filmmaker Onir believes that inequality will continue to haunt society unless and until various sections, including the LGBTQ community and women, get the same rights.

The filmmaker, whose filmography includes such pathbreaking films as My Brother... Nikhil (2005) and I Am (2010), will be serving in the jury of a short film competition at the 2021 Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM), along with actor Richa Chadha.

The theme of this year's competition is modern slavery and equality. The filmmaker believes that it is imperative that people raise their voices against discrimination. “I feel it is more important that we all start speaking about the worst forms of humanity, where one human being is powerful enough to humiliate, oppress and exploit another human. Every day we hear in the news about someone not being allowed to enter religious places because of their caste, religion or for being a woman. Inequality is glaring at us and telling us what a shame it is that we live in a world with so much inequality,” Onir told PTI in an interview.

The filmmaker, who is a proud and vocal member of the LGBTQ community, said the fraternity is often not treated at par with others. Even after the Supreme Court ruling, which struck down the draconian Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that criminalised gay sex, things remain the same for the people from the community, Onir said.

“Being a part of LGBTQ community even before it was decriminalised, you are treated as an unequal citizen. Similarly, we are decriminalised by law but we still do not have equal rights even though we live in a democratic country. Being unequal is part of our daily existence... All this is a horrific form of humanity and we all need to address that much more,” he added.

The filmmaker believes that Indian cinema has often avoided showcasing these issues as it only caters to a “certain class” of society. "I don't think we have done enough representation talking about these issues because cinema caters very often to a certain class, which is oppressive," Onir said.

The physical event of IFFM will run from August 12 to 20, while its Australia-wide online edition will take place from August 15 to 30.