Onir on censorship on OTT: Platforms want films to first go through CBFC

Onir's film We Are Faheem & Karun is a queer love story set against the backdrop of Jammu And Kashmir.

Filmmaker Onir’s latest outing, We Are Faheem & Karun, recently premiered at the Dharamshala International Film Festival. The queer love story, set against the stunning backdrop of Jammu and Kashmir, is presented by filmmaker Deepa Mehta. While Onir hopes for a theatrical release soon, he expresses concerns about the creeping threat of silent censorship, particularly on OTT platforms, which are generally perceived as more liberal with content.

We Are Faheem & Karun, recently premiered at the Dharamshala International Film Festival

In October, the Supreme Court had dismissed a PIL concerning the need for a regulatory board to monitor and manage over-the-top (OTT) and streaming platforms in India.

When asked if OTT platforms provide a better space for his brand of cinema, which often explores queer love stories, Onir responds with a nuanced answer. “Yes and no,” he says, acknowledging the shifting dynamics in the digital space. He elaborates, “Right now, with the recent attacks on OTT platforms, now very often the platforms want your films to first go through CBFC before it comes to the platform.”

Onir further explains that OTT platforms, in an effort to shield themselves from potential controversies, often require a CBFC certificate for films that are not their own originals. “If a film is not their own, an original, they prefer that it has a censor certificate to avoid complications. Especially they would want that from a film like ours, which are perceived as controversial,” he says.

Having worked on films like I AM (2010), My Brother...Nikhil (2005), and Shab (2017), Onir is no stranger to the perceptions and challenges surrounding his work. He reflects on his past experiences, noting that when My Brother Nikhil was released, it was at a time when the LGBTQ+ community was still marginalised by law. “When I made My Brother Nikhil, it got a certificate at a time when we were trivialised by law,” Onir observes.

However, the filmmaker emphasises that his approach to storytelling has always been driven by a desire to depict love in its purest form, rather than create controversy. He explains, “It’s also about how to approach a story. I am not doing a film to create controversy, even though it is perceived like that, but when people watch it, they realise that it is a simple story of love.