30 April,2011 07:25 AM IST | | Tushar Joshi
I AM
A; Drama
Dir: Onir
Cast: Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Manisha Koirala, Rahul Bose, Nandita Das, Purab Kohli, Abhimanyu Singh, Arjun Mathur
''1/2
What's it about: I Am is a collage of four different stories depicting emotional journeys undertaken by characters struggling to fight their personal battles. While someone is battling with sexual abuse (Suri) another wonders if his sexual preference will ever be accepted (Bose).
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There's also the tale of a Kashmiri Pandit (Chawla) who despite her moving out of the Valley cannot disown her real identity.
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Another chapter deals with a single woman (Das) yearning for motherhood and not shying away from resorting to artificial insemination. All the stories have a subtle undercurrent of empathy and longing in their own way.
What's hot: Among all the chapters, the one that stands out for its honest and stripped- down approach is the I AM Omar story. Maybe because the issue of demanding equal rights in the post-Article 377 period is an issue close to Onir, or perhaps the characters and dialogue is hard-hitting enough to arrest your attention.
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As a whole, I Am has the patent Onir trademark of going deep within his character's psyche, using dreams to interpret their fights and keeping the dialogue as real as possible. On these grounds, the film is a winner.
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The ensemble of actors in the film is remarkable. Right from the cameos by Anurag Basu and Kashyap to Juhi Chawla and Manisha Koirala, the actors follow the director's cue and become part of their stories.
What's not: As a cohesive body of work, I Am doesn't impress. In the effort of relating the characters and blurring the lines between their affairs, the film ends up being like a jigsaw puzzle trying hard to complete the big picture. Nandita's story needed an edge and lacks the punch others bring. Her frustration towards men and turning to IVF to embrace motherhood seems forced.
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The Kashmiri dialect used in I AM Megha brings authenticity to the table but seems a bit gimmicky. Also Sanjay's character who grapples with the scars of sexual abuse as a kid has a dark past, yet the confusion surrounding his sexuality later needed a better understanding.
When he confronts his mother after several years, his anger seems suppressed, which seems hard to fathom. The soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired, unlike his previous work this time around Onir's tunes don't stay with you after the credits roll out.
What to do: Definitely a piece of work that can't be ignored, I AM works because it fosters debate, discussion on topics that are still considered to be a taboo.
