"Same-sex relationships are absolutely underrepresented."
Onir is among one of the most urgent and essential voices in Indian film.
The director is gearing up for the release of We Are Faheem & Karun.
It is a film set in a remote village in Kashmir and tells the story of a security man named Karun.
In Kashmir, Karun begins a doomed relationship with a young man named Faheem.
The drama explores queerness, love, friendship, and geopolitical conflicts.
As the film prepares to premiere at the BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival, DESIblitz caught up with Onir about his movie.
In our exclusive chat, Onir discussed We Are Faheem & Karun, Kashmir, and much more.
Can you tell us about We Are Faheem & Karun?
Set in Gurez, a small border town in Kashmir, India, it is a love story between Karun Nambiar, a young man from Kerala working as a security guard for a construction site and Faheem Dar, a young Kashmiri college student.
Two men who have to hide their identity – one because of his profession, the other because of religion.
Happening in a space of conflict, they also have the baggage of being considered the ‘other’ or ‘enemy’.
But being queer one is othered by the mainstream society and one seeks to find spaces where one felts loved, accepted and understood.
This sense of belonging helps dismantle other walls.
How do you think the audience relates to the characters?
The audience will see a queer love story from a space that has never been seen in queer narratives.
This is the first Kashmiri language film, set in Kashmir with Kashmiri actors that presents a queer narrative.
The space and situation are unique at the same time ultimately it’s the familiar emotions of love, longing, fear and loss.
Were there any specific reasons behind setting this story in Kashmir?
As an out and proud gay man, I feel the need to tell queer stories from spaces where it is still taboo, or where the queer community is made invisible.
This story is partly inspired by real people and I wanted to shoot the story from Kashmir as the real inspiration came from a story from Kashmir.
For me what was interesting to address is queer visibility and also dismantling the image of the ‘enemy’.
For too long, the world has been bleeding by each of us forgetting our common humanity and looking for ways to other each other.
How well do you think same-sex relationships are represented in Indian cinema, and what more can be done to highlight this better?
I feel that, in India, same-sex relationships are absolutely underrepresented and very often than not seen from a heteronormative gaze.
That is why it is refreshing to watch films like Sundance winner Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears), being the largest filmmaking industry we hardly have enough queer narratives.
Because they are not perceived to bring in ‘eyeballs’ or be box office hits.
There has to be much more of a collective will to normalise queer narratives and artists.
Not have only box office-pleasing romantic comedies which are made to suit the heteronormative gaze.
Yes, they are important as every discourse is a step forward, but as an out and proud gay filmmaker, it’s exhausting to be navigating this for two decades now.
How important do you think social and political cinema is in current society?
Cinema is powerful and that is why you will see on one hand increasing censorship and then on the other hand state supported narratives very often peddling hate.
Also in India, however much we deny the connection of violence in society and the glorification of misogyny and violence, the normalising use of misogynistic abuses as realistic is not ‘accidental’.
There is a connection and cinema and artists need to look beyond the greed of the box office and own up to the responsibility of sensitive portrayal.
What does the BFI Flare Festival mean to you, and what makes it a good platform for We Are Faheem & Karun to premiere?
Having attended the BFI Flare Festival last year with my film Pine Cone, I am very excited to have my international premiere of We Are Faheem & Karun at BFI.
The festival is very warm and welcoming and the audience is great.
I hope this year I find more South Asians at the festival and also the possibility of meeting sales and distribution agents.
I am excited that two of my actors will be present at the screening with me.
What do you hope the audience will take away from We Are Faheem & Karun?
When the world is every day moving towards so much hate and violence, I hope in this film of mine they find the need to nurture love and peace.
Onir’s words about acceptance, love, and queerness are important and necessary in the current landscape.
In a world where the spectrum of sexuality and identity is still tabooed and scrutinised, We Are Faheem & Karun is undeniably progressive and thought-provoking viewing.
The BFI Flare LGBTQIA+ Film Festival is an appropriate platform to give this film a voice.
It will take place from March 19 to March 30, 2025.
You can find out more information here.
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