Director Onir, whose Shab releases later this year, admits that it is not easy to get actors to work in his films. The openly gay filmmaker says that his sexuality prevents young actors from approaching him for roles in his movies.
“There is always that hint of caution in them because of all the link-ups I face with young actors in my films.”
Onir says that he was shocked when a tabloid congratulated him on his relationship with his Shab lead, Ashish Bisht.
“A tabloid that earlier accused me of sexually attacking a young male aspirant (Yuvraj Parasher) called up to congratulate me for launching my ‘boyfriend’ in Shab. I told them, ‘I don’t care what you write about me. But if you write something like this about my new leading man, Ashish Bisht, you will harm his career’,” he said.
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The director says that his sexuality makes him more vulnerable to personal attacks. “There are so many bigger filmmakers who are yet to come out. Nobody writes or says rubbish about them. But because I am the only openly gay filmmaker in our film industry I am vulnerable to all kinds of attacks,” he added.
Shab has Raveen Tandon, Arpita Chatterjee, Ashish Bisht in lead roles and has been bankrolled by Sanjay Suri and Onir himself.
Pic: Indian Express