…is the philosophy by which National award-winning director stands. In Chandigarh, he talks about his film Pine Cone, which is based on the story of queer characters

Sheetal

Many call him the ‘gay’ director and Onir doesn’t have a problem with that, but often wonders if there’s a term ‘straight director’! That’s how very simply and without provocation Onir puts out his viewpoint. One can say the same for his latest film, Pine Cone, which is semi-autobiographical and is not over-dramatised as it puts forth the story of queer characters.

The National Award-winning director visited Chandigarh on Thursday for the screening of Pine Cone, which is not yet released in India. The screening was held at The Lalit in association with Keshav Suri Foundation that hopes to empower marginalised, disabled and LGBTQIA+ community, which are often found at the receiving end of hate and rejection.

Global stint

Pine Cone was released in the US in 2023. The director has travelled to about 20 countries across the world to showcase it. He says, “I thought of making a film on my story, but also put some more elements in it to make it interesting.” The film has been co-written by Onir and Ashwini Malik.

Point of view

Author of I Am Onir and I Am Gay: A Memoir, he thinks that a lot of LGBTQIA+ films have become more about straight people accepting us, which shouldn’t be the case. “We deserve happiness and joy, and by that we mean everything that a straight couple can do,” he says. Onir feels LGBTQ films have become more about, connecting gay, lesbian or transgender subjects with darker themes. “There are enough dark theme...love and let love.”

OTT zone

Onir is happy taking his film to other cities like Jaipur, Kolkata Kashmir, Bengaluru and Mumbai. He is planning to make a web series next, which is based on a book, The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur by Rahul Pandita, which will mark his debut on OTT.

While he has no prior connection with Punjab or Chandigarh, Onir laughs, ‘I wouldn’t mind a Punjabi boyfriend’.