This
weekend
goes
to
all
the
off-beat
films
of
the
year.
Director
Onir's
I
Am
again
makes
it
to
the
list
of
films
that
has
a
strong
concept
with
successful
writing.
The
film
narrates
four
stories
which
cover
topics
like
artificial
insemination,
child
sexual
abuse
and
homosexuality.
The
characters
in
the
film
tackle
the
issues
that
exist
in
our
so
called
modern
Indian
society.
With
I
Am
you
are
set
on
a
journey,
which
will
give
you
real
life
experience.
It
is
like
a
slice
of
life
being
shown
on
screen.
I
Am
-
Omar
Omar
tells
us
a
story
of
the
days
when
homosexuality
was
criminalized.
This
story
reveals
the
link
between
the
police
and
the
male
sex
workers.
It
shows
how
police
used
to
blackmail
them
to
extract
money
from
them.
It
unravels
the
fear
of
society
and
law
that
existed
within
the
gay
men.
This
story
revolves
around
three
characters,
played
by
Rahul
Bose,
Arjun
Mathur
and
Abhimanyu
Singh.
All
of
them
do
a
fine
job
in
the
film.
I
Am
-
Abhimanyu
Abhimanyu
reveals
the
story
of
a
child
abuse
survivor
in
I
Am.
Sanjay
Suri
is
haunted
by
the
memories
of
being
sexually
abused
as
a
child,
by
none
other
than
his
step
father
(Anurag
Kashyap).
To
bring
together
his
own
shattered
identity
after
the
incident,
Sanjay
believes
in
and
is
inspired
by
the
true
story
of
Harish
Iyer
and
his
struggles
to
overcome
the
11
years
of
abuse.
When
his
father
(Kashyap)
breathes
his
last,
Sanjay
decided
to
muster
courage
and
reveal
the
secret
to
his
mother
(Shernaz
Patel).
The
story
makes
you
uncomfortable,
but
still
it
keeps
you
going
by
revealing
the
harsh
truth
of
life.
You
can
feel
what
the
child
must
be
going
through
after
being
sexually
abused
by
his
own
step
father.
His
past
haunts
him
so
much
that
his
present
relationship
with
Radhika
Apte
is
not
well
defined.
He
is
confused
between
love
and
friendship.
All
the
actors
in
the
story
be
it
the
ace
film
maker
Anurag
Kashyap,
actor
Sanjay
Suri,
Shernaz
Patel,
Radhika
Apte
or
Zain
Salam
(younger
Sanjay
Suri),
are
outstanding
in
their
performances.
I
Am
-
Afia
Afia
tells
a
story
of
the
most
common
problem
in
society.
The
man
and
woman
issues.
Afai
(Nandita
Das),
is
keen
to
have
a
baby,
but
her
husband
(Manay
Kaul),
isn't.
Later,
she
discovers
her
husbands
illicit
affair
with
another
woman.
Afia
now
wants
to
have
a
baby
of
her
own
through
artificial
insemination.
She
wants
to
meet
the
donor
(Purab
Kohli),
who
after
a
lot
of
hesitation
agrees
to
meet
her.
Afia
decides
to
go
ahead
with
the
implantation
process.
This
story
also
shows
the
independent
side
of
a
woman,
who
has
no
qualms
in
playing
a
single
parent.
Nandita
Das
cannot
be
touched
when
it
comes
to
acting.
Purab
Kohli
has
tried
his
best.
Anurag
Basu
as
a
doctor
is
a
surprise
package
and
Manav
Kaul
gets
less
scope.
I
Am
-
Megha
Megha
(Juhi
Chawla)
is
a
Kashmiri
Pandit
woman
who
goes
back
to
Kashmir
after
20
years
to
confront
her
past.
A
past
that
saw
Kashmiri
Hindus
leave
Kashmir
because
of
lack
of
trust
and
faith
in
humanity.
Megha
is
one
among
those
minorities
who
seek
refuge
in
their
home
country.
This
story
potrays
the
relationship
between
Hindus
and
Muslims
in
India.
Juhi
and
Manish
share
a
great
on-screen
chemistry.
Juhi
as
a
Kashmiri
Hindu
woman
and
Manisha
as
a
Kashmiri
Muslim
woman,
excel
in
their
acting.
Onir
has
brilliantly
handled
the
sensitive
issue
of
Kashmir.
Rushad
Rana,
Behram
Rana
and
Madhu
Sagar
are
efficient.
The
film
has
been
travelling
through
all
the
film
festivals
and
has
been
garnering
lot
of
appreciations.
It
has
now
come
to
the
common
moviegoers
who
are
looking
forward
to
a
strong
script
with
excellent
performances.
Cast
and
Crew
-
Starring:
Juhi
Chawla,
Manisha
Koirala,
Rahul
Bose,
Nandita
Das,
Arjun
Mathur,
Abhimanyu
Singh,
Sanjay
Suri,
Anurag
Kashyap,
Purab
Kohli,
Shernaz
Patel,
Radhika
Apte,
Anurag
Basu,
Manav
Kaul
-
Director:
Onir
-
Producer:
Sanjay
Suri,
Onir
-
Screenplay:
Onir,
Urmi
Juvekar,
Merle
Kroeger
-
Story:
Onir,
Urmi
Juvekar,
Merle
Kroeger
-
Music:
Amit
Trivedi,
Vivek
Philip,
Rajiv
Bhalla
-
Cinematography:
Arvind
Kannabiran
-
Editing:
Onir,
Irene
Dhar
Malik
Story first published: Friday, April 29, 2011, 10:59 [IST]