onir came to mumbai with high dreams of becoming a dirctor

onir came to mumbai with high dreams of becoming a dirctor

Hailing from Bhutan, Onir came to Mumbai with the dream of making it big in the film industry.

That he accomplished with My Brother... Nikhil. Now, the filmmaker is back with his new movie Sorry Bhai starring Sanjay Suri, Chitrangada Singh, Sharman Joshi, Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani.

He chats with Nithya Ramani about his journey into Bollywood, My Brother... Nikhil and his upcoming projects.

How did you start off in Bollywood?

So how did My Brother Nikhil happen before Bas Ek Pal though it was your fifth script?

Well, it was the fastest script ever written. I came to know of the first person who was diagnosed as the first case of AIDS in India. I had done a lot of research on AIDS and HIV, and keeping him in mind, I wanted to do the film.

Sanjay Suri and I are good friends and when I approached him and Juhi Chawla, they both willingly agreed to do the film. I financed the film with the help of Sanjay.

After a year or so after My Brother..., I thought of doing Bas Ek Pal. Since I shared a great rapport with Sanjay and Juhi, I cast the two again in Bas Ek Pal.

Moreover, when I did Bas Ek Pal, I felt like I was trying something new and breaking my own stereotype. As a director I grew from My Brother and Bas Ek Pal.

So how has life changed from then to now?

When My Brother came out, I was a little disheartened that though it did well abroad, people in India didn't welcome it as I expected. I think it is because we Indians are still too narrow minded.

But all of a sudden, I started getting a lot of offers. Personally I haven't changed much. I have grown and changed only for the better. I like doing films that have a message in them.

What next?

Sorry Bhai.

I came to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a director. It was very difficult. I was working on various music videos as well as writing scripts. My first story has not been filmed yet due to unavoidable reasons. My third script was Bas Ek Pal and my fifth was My Brother... Nkhil.

All my scripts involved edgy subjects which did not get any financers. Then there were creative differences like making changes in the script or casting a glamorous actress for a role that does not require such trappings or asking someone else to direct my film.

I am not the type who would run behind stars to beg them to do my film. I would prefer working with those who would like to work with me.

In the picture: Chitrangada Singh in a still from Sorry Bhai.

What is Sorry Bhai about about?

It is about building a relationship with everyone's consent. It is about Sanjay's character, the elder brother, working in Mauritius and in love with Chirangdada's character, a film student. Sanjay's character has a brother (Sharman), who is very shy, and parents played by Shabana and Boman.

The story is about how Chitranagada's character tries to make her relationship with Sanjay work despite his parents' disapproval. The film talks about how important relationships are.

When is it releasing?

We have just finished shooting the film and hope to release it by year end. After that I have a few more scripts in hand which I need to start working on.

What about your first script?

My first script is kind of bold and outrageous. So it is going to take a while to actually make a film on it.

How do you come up with new ideas?

I love traveling and interacting with people. The more I meet people, the more innovative I get. I do a lot of research. My scripts are mostly based on real life. Except of course, my adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet.