Onir: Very few actors would be willing to portray a gay character on screen.

You might remember how Fawad Khan‘s character in ‘Kapoor & Sons’ landed him amid both appreciation and criticism. A homosexual man’s character is not what the Pakistani audience are very open to, and Fawad faced enough lashes from his own country. It isn’t very different from India, since here also, the makers of the film were turned down by a number of actors before Fawad gave his nod for playing Rahul Kapoor.

Something similar happened to filmmaker Onir when he was casting for ‘My Brother… Nikhil’. (Also Read: Here’s what went into the making of the intriguing poster of Onir’s ‘Shab’)

“For Purab Kohli’s role in ‘My Brother Nikhil’, I had approached a few A-list stars who I don’t wish to name. They blatantly refused to play a gay character on screen. This has happened to me, too, so I know. There are very few actors who would be willing to portray such characters on screen. I have immense respect for them. But that again is a rare quality,” Onir said.

Is there no advancement in how Bollywood tends to portray gay characters, then? No is what he believes.

“Bollywood still portrays the LGBT community in the same stereotypical way, and that’s disgusting. It’s so regressive,” he says.

Onir’s next is ‘Shab’ starring Ashish Bisht, Arpita Chatterjee and Raveena Tandon. It hits the theatres on July 14.

Ranjini Maitra

Journalist. Writer. Reader. Enthu cutlet. Mood-swing machine. Day dreamer. Sandwiched between ‘live life fully’ and ‘lose some weight’. Mantra of life: Love and love more.