Relationships in the digital era
The 45-year-old filmmaker is back with a romantic release Kuch Bheege Alfaz. A series of coincidences bring the protagonists closer.
In the urban city, people feel utterly lonely even when they are surrounded by individuals. Though, apps do fill the void and distract us from our inner thoughts, they are never enough.
The journey of the award winning director began with a coincidence which he gladly shared without any qualms.
Onir recalled, “During the time when I was learning literature, I came across a workshop at Delhi’s Maxmuller Bhawan. There was an announcement for students who wanted to study abroad and the selected candidate would get the opportunity to study in Germany. Unfortunately, I didn’t apply. However, one of my faculty directors asked if I would be interested to join the workshop since one of their students had dropped out.
Without second thoughts, I said yes to him and that moment has changed the entire course of my life. The right moment with the right person came out of the blue. I would have been someone else but not a director for sure if that instance hadn’t happened.”
This wasn’t the only turning point of his life though. The universe played its mysterious game when Onir made a documentary at one of the workshops, based on which he was further offered a scholarship to learn filmmaking in Germany. And this was the call he had been waiting for, his whole life.
As a child, he had been harboring the dream of film making for years. “This is why I believe that my life is full of coincidences. Meeting people without knowing has helped me carve a niche and been the guiding force towards success. The beauty in my life is no less than an ittefaq.”
Since his last release in 2008, Kuchh Bheege Alfaaz is the first film that has not been written and produced by Onir. “This script, written by Abhishek Chatterjee came to me in the early 2017. There were 10 to 15 scripts, out of which, this was the one that got my attention not only because of the storyline but also because I loved the title of the film. I am an avid learner and Urdu is the one of the languages that I wish to learn in the future”, said Onir
The director is also learning Hindustani classical music and guitar alongside filmmaking.
Breaking the taboos prevalent in our orthodox society, the director always works with fresh talent. This time, the film has Geetanjali Thapa playing Archana or Archie, a young professional who works in Kolkata, creating branded memes.
A wrong text throws her in the path of RJ Alfaaz, a popular radio jockey with a dreamy voice essayed by Zain Khan Durrani. Said Onir, “I was a new comer as well when I ventured into the industry. In my struggling phase, wonderful people like Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri believed in my talent and supported me to pave my own space in a competitive industry. So, this is my way of reciprocating the kindness bestowed upon me and contribute my share by offering great talent to the industry.”.
Honesty, focus and passion are the three qualities that are essential to the director while selecting new talent.
The 48-years-old filmmaker has always been inclined towards making love stories. However, his previous films like My Brother.. Nikhil(2005), Bas Ek Pal(2006) and Sorry Bhai(2008)also revolve around love. “Love, in my life is the most important emotion that I will always cherish. I like celebrating love in different forms, be it between siblings, parents or friends. This time too, my film is all about love and happiness,” asserted Onir who has shown social media in a positive light in the film.
The beginning of love is weaved into the story through social media apps in the film. “I remember when I came to Mumbai, I used intel phones which had strange dial tone and later internet and chatrooms arrived which connected me to the whole world.
But what I have observed over the period is – regardless of the medium, the essence of love is still the same everywhere. My vision is clear, to depict how new generational apps like WhatsApp and Facebook can be a medium for expressing love.”
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