For the longest time now, conversations around how queer individuals are cast in mainstream cinema have been discussed. While there is a certain percentage of people who still feel uncomfortable doing so, some are quite open to normalizing the practice.
One such person from the industry is filmmaker Onir who has earlier gained recognition with films like I Am and My Brother Nikhil. He has now gone a step ahead and roped in Vidur Sethi – a Delhi-based queer individual for his next project titled Pine Cone. This also marks Vidur’s debut in Bollywood and covers an interesting storyline spanning a decade-long journey and all the romantic experiences gathered along the way.
In conversation with the Times of India, Onir opened up about his intentions of casting a queer person, he shared, “I really wanted to cast a queer actor, because the film shows tender romance between a gay couple. Working with a queer actor brings along experiences that enrich the scene and the film. They celebrate their desire and are not ashamed of it.”
Vidur added to it by saying, “There is a lot of sanitisation that happens when it comes to showing stories about queer folks. I told him you don’t have to worry about it, because I’m a queer person and I understand the requirements as an artist as well. I told him I understood the need to show the romance between two people the way it actually happens. It is not just some scenes, but a full-blown romance.”
On being asked if he felt uncomfortable doing a film that was absolutely uncensored, Vidur added, “I told him that I see my queerness not only in sexuality and gender, but as the future imaginary, which opens plurality of existence.”
Onir went on to say how he was glad to have been unaware of Vidur’s sexuality before he came on board, “I’m in a way happy that I did not know about Vidur’s sexual orientation before casting him, even though I had been looking for a good queer actor as the lead. But I thought that as a filmmaker I do not want to push anyone to come out, because it is a cruel industry, and I would not want their careers to be at stake.”
On being asked if Vidur feared being typecasted by taking such a risk with his debut film itself, he said, “Earlier actors once cast as villains would get similar offers from other filmmakers, because they seemed to fit the role best. The same holds true for any kind of first outing. So, I might be stereotyped, but I’m not scared, and I can’t be either. ”
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