Film-maker Onir Anirban has reasons to celebrate

Finally, there’s a date to look forward to — Onir Anirban’s I Am is gearing up for a February release. However, a delayed release has done nothing to curb the successful run the film has been enjoying so far. Recently, I Am was screened at the International Film Festival of Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram, where it received a special mention by an international jury along with the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Cinema. And justifiably, Onir is very excited. “I was apprehensive, considering this was I Am’s first India screening. Also, it was the only Hindi film in the competitive section,” he informs.

The film also received the Audience Choice Award at the River to River Film Festival, Florence. “The award count is now at four!” he states, adding, “We’ve zeroed in on February for the film’s theatrical release; it’s time I Am reached the Indian audience.” The film is a compilation of four short stories — Omar, Abhimanyu, Megha and Afia — all interlinked and has the likes of Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Sanjay Suri, Rahul Bose as its cast. Quiz the film-maker if he has a favourite among the four and he says, “That’s not fair,  but if I must make a choice, it’s Megha. I can identify with the feeling of displacement.” And what about the audience? “From what I understand, Omar and Abhimanyu are popular overseas while people here keep talking about Megha and Afia,” he signs off.