DD refuses to telecast Onirs I Am

6 Jul 2012

Onir has been receiving rave reviews and loads of acclaim for his film I Am. The film which won the Best Film Award at the National Awards has been rejected for telecast on Doordarshan. The reason behind this rejection is that the film comes with a 'U/A' certificate, while DD can only telecast films with a 'U' certificate.

A visibly rattled Onir claims that since the film has won a National Award, there is a rule that states that Doordarshan has to screen the film. However, on the other hand, there is yet another rule that states DD can only telecast films that have a 'U' certificate.

But the director's woes don't end there; in fact since the fate of the film has been decided by a review committee, Onir cannot reapply or present his case. Due to this, Onir has written to Ambika Soni; the secretary, I&B ministry, and the NFDC to look into the matter.

I Am consists of four short, issue-based stories - 'Omar' that talks about gay rights, 'Afia' on sperm donation, 'Abhimanyu' about child abuse and 'Megha', which relates the tale of Kashmiri Pandits.