Filmmaker Onir Dhar, whose talk at the Bhopal Literary Fest was controversially ‘canceled’ at the last moment owing to ‘threats’ from certain groups, attended the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival 2023 in Kolkata on Sunday. IBNS correspondent Souvik Ghosh speaks exclusively to Onir on the controversy, his book ‘I Am Onir & I Am Gay’ on the sidelines of the Kolkata Lit Fest.
Excerpts…
Q. What prompted you to write this book?
A. I have been with an agent for the rights of some other books. He suggested that I write my own story as there was a lack of reference points for young queer people who are dealing with their own identities. I was not too convinced though. After his persuasion for three-four years followed by my sister’s similar suggestion during the pandemic, I started writing my own story.
Book cover of Onir Dhar’s ‘I Am Onir & I Am Gay’ (L) and Onir at Kolkata Literary Fest (R) | Image Credit: Wikipedia/Penguin and Avishek Mitra/IBNS
Q. Did you have any conversations with young queer people after the book was published?
A. After the book was published, I kept on getting constant messages on social media. There are many people, who are from the smaller towns and do not want to publicly say that they had read the book, had inboxed to thank me. Many had asked me for soft copies as they hesitated to buy the book to conceal their identity. I think that’s a sign of the development of a conversation.
Q. So do you mean your book has touched queer people in the interior areas where people are more hesitant to reveal their identity?
A. I feel that’s the case. I hope someone will translate the book in different regional languages. It would be nice to get the book translated for a wider reach.
Q. Has the situation for queer people changed in reality even after the Supreme Court verdict?
A. The fact that police couldn’t guarantee my protection at the Bhopal Literary Fest is itself a sign that we have a long way to go where our community is treated as equals and we are safe. The violence against the trans community, for instance, is huge across the country as the more we claim our space, the more we face resistance. I feel the resistance and violence the LGTBQ community faces across religion, race, and culture is the same as that of the women and minorities, who are also claiming their respective spaces.
Onir at Kolkata Literary Fest | Image Credit: Avishek Mitra/IBNS
Q. Your flight to Bhopal for the Lit Fest was canceled at the last moment. We are witnessing controversy over Pathaan for which you have also spoken out. What do these incidents in the country mean to you?
A. I was quite sad because I spoke up for Pathaan and various other issues concerning the film industry but no one in the business commented on my incident, which is not even political or religious. This reflects fear. But more than anything, I am disappointed. Inbox messages of sympathy mean nothing to me. If it can’t stand up with me out in the open, it doesn’t mean to me.
(Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS)
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