I Am - Review: A slice of life

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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

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