Indian Defense Ministry bans "I Am" film shooting
The highly acclaimed film director and producer Onir is not allowed to shoot the sequel to his hit film "I Am" as planned. The reason for this is a ban imposed by the Indian Ministry of Defense. Among other things, Onir is known for making films with homoerotic content and for being open about this topic. In India, he is one of the pioneers of his work.
His film "I Am" was particularly successful, even winning the national Indian film award in 2010. Therefore, it is all the more surprising that the above-mentioned ban has now been issued. The reasons were now longer unknown. Even Onir himself could not understand at first why the Indian Ministry of Defense reacted in this way.
The ban has meanwhile met with vehement resistance. Many people want the film to be shot in its entirety after all and have started a petition.
Rotation continuation prohibited - what is known so far?
A message from the Indian military made it clear to Onir that his dream of a sequel to "I Am" would not be feasible anytime soon. The letter stated that filming would not be allowed by the Indian military. But why?
A possible answer to this question is provided by an instruction from 2020, which stipulates that films, series or documentaries about or featuring the Indian military may only be made with the approval of the Indian Ministry of Defense. The whole thing was justified by the statement that there had been "misleading" depictions of military units in the recent past.
According to reports, Onir himself has now inquired with the military and received the answer that the shooting was not approved or was canceled because homosexuality is not allowed in the Indian military. Otherwise, there seem to have been no problems with the script.
What will now become of the sequel to "We Are"?
Actually, Onir wanted to start filming with the Indian military in March. In May, the work should be completed again.
The film is composed of four different stories, including a homosexual major in the plot. All of the storylines are interconnected. Therefore, it is impossible to delete the story around the queer protagonist without replacement.
Currently, no one can say how the filming will continue. However, Onir and numerous supporters want to try that the film can still be realized. With the help of a petition, the work should now get another chance.
Will the petition be successful?
The All Out organization, which campaigns for the rights of homosexual people worldwide, has launched a petition on the basis of which the film will now be realized after all. In the description of the said petition, it is stated that it is "unacceptable" to ban a person who loves and wants to serve his nation from serving in the army for reasons of sexuality. The petition runs under the title "This story must be told!". The goal is 10,000 digital signatures. So far(as of 02/09/2022), more than half of the goal has already been reached.
And who knows? Perhaps this very petition will ensure that another milestone for more tolerance is created in India? After all, it was not too long ago that a law that made homosexual acts a punishable offense was abolished there.
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