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Filmmaker Onir is upset with the censor board for not giving his National Award-winning-film “I AM” a U-certificate, without which it cannot be telecast on Doordarshan. This is in spite of his making the cuts demanded and he says he would like to challenge the decision. “Yes, I will. For me, its important that viewers get to see the film that won a National Award,” Onir told IANS. The story of “I AM” is based on four true stories dealing ...

Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Nandita Das, Rahul Bose starrer I Am which has bagged the Best Hindi Feature film in 59th National Awards is not being aired on Doordarshan. The reason is the censor board’s ‘U’ certificate which has not been provided to I Am even after the film is being cut according to the demands. Director Onir takes it as double standards of DD as the same show based on society’s brutal truth Satyamev Jayate is being aired but ...

The strange policies of the Indian national television that screen shows dealing with adult issues but not cinema with a U/A certification, has left Onir livid. His National Award-winning film, I Am, is in the middle of the storm for not getting the requisite U certification despite a number of cuts. What has angered Onir is a comment by one of the committee members of CBFC. “I was at the screening when a committee member said we cannot allow children ...

Leading French distributor Epicentre Films has released Indian director Onir’s National Award winning film “I Am” on home video in France. The only other Indian film in the Epticentre catalogue is Satyajit Ray’s 1962 classic “Abhijaan” (The Expedition) starring Soumitra Chatterjee and Waheeda Rehman. Epicentre Films is also said to be interested in Onir’s upcoming feature project ‘Shab” (The Night) and is most likely to join the project as co producer. “Shab”, backed by The National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), ...

The second episode of ‘Satyamev Jayate’ has made Harish Iyer a familiar name for Indians. The show was based on some striking facts about the issue of child sexual abuse. Harish Iyer was invited to the show where he bravely shared the trauma of being abused at the age of seven years.However, Harish is not just a survivor; he also works as gay rights activist, animal rights activist, and environmentalist. The invitation to Aamir Khan’s show got him a surprise ...

FRESH FROM THE AWARDS: Actor Sanjay Suri and director Onir’s recent Delhi visit was certainly a memorable one, because their film “I AM” won the national award on Thursday, and after the ceremony, their friends and family got together at Fio to celebrate. Actor Vinay Pathak, music director Amit Trivedi and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya also made an appearance. Onir told us, “I’ve been pinching myself that we’ve actually got the award.” CRICKET FEVER: Sanjay’s wife Ambika is from Delhi, and ...

Team "I AM" Celebrates National Award Win

Filmmaker Onir organised a bash to celebrate the success of his National Award winning film, ‘I Am’. The movie won the National Award for Best Hindi Feature Film. Shah Rukh Khan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Chitrangada Singh, Shabana Azmi, Juhi Chawla, Urmila Matondkar, Malaika Arora, Gul Panag, Sanjay Suri, Raima Sen and other celebs were present at the success bash of ‘I Am’. Click here  for exclusive snaps from the event. Images: Varinder Chawla Source: India Syndicate

IT’S been a dream run for Onir post the National Award win for his film, I Am. The director has been extended an official invitation from Cannes to be part of the Festival’s Producers Network. Sanjay Suri and Onir’s film, I Am, recently bagged the National Award for Best Hindi Film. It’s the first of its kind “crowd-sourced” mainstream Hindi film co-produced by over 400 people from 35 cities across the world. It’s a tale of four stories woven together ...

New Delhi: Onir, also known as Anirban Dhar, came into limelight with ‘My Brother Nikhil’ (2005) which dealt with the issues of AIDS and same sex relationship. ‘Bas Ek Pal’ and ‘Sorry Bhai’ came in 2006 and 2008 but they failed to make any mark at the box office despite being critically appreciated. Onir has won the National Award for ‘I Am’ (2011). He talks to IBNLive about the problems of independent filmmaking in India. Q: How did the idea ...

National award precious in a country when all other awards are driven by the media and popularity Historical moment for a film with LGBT content to win national award Onir recently won two national awards for I Am, a film that used ‘crowd-funding’, a lesser-known method of film-financing in India. Onir Just a few days before the national awards, he managed to get a U/A certificate for I Am from the Censor Board after a long struggle. He considers it ...

Onir and Sanjay Suri, who won the National Award for their film I Am, have been invited to be a part of the CNC Producers Network at the Cannes Film Festival. The duo, who seeked online funding for their film I Am, will try and meet various filmmakers and other studios to pitch in their forthcoming projects. Some of their forthcoming projects include Chauranga (a love story that deals with caste divide), Coach Kameena (an inspirational sports film set in ...