Onir Reacts as Defence Ministry Rejects His Script Based on a Gay Major

The Major's story was supposed to feature in Onir's upcoming anthology, We Are.

The script for Onir's upcoming movie has been rejected by the defence ministry.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

The defence ministry has rejected the script of filmmaker Onir's upcoming movie, which is inspired by the story of a gay Major who had to quit his job because it proved difficult for him to be in the Indian Army while embracing his identity, as per a report by The Times of India.

It was supposed to be a sequel to Onir's award-winning film I Am, and was supposed to be partly shot in Kolkata from April.

Lt. Colonel Sachin Ujjwal from the ADG strategic communication wing of the Army sent an email to the director on Wednesday stating that the script hasn't been cleared by the defence ministry.

Onir had planned to include the Major's story in his anthology We Are. He told TOI, "Through four queer love stories, the idea behind We Are is to celebrate the Supreme Court verdict as well as highlight how the society, including the Army, should take steps to become more inclusive".

Onir told the publication that he is talking to lawyers for the future course of action. He also put out a tweet that read, "75 years of independence, more than three years since the Supreme Court of india had decriminalised homosexuality but as a society we are a long way from being treated as equals . While 56 countries across the world accepts #lgbtqi in the army ,it is still illegal the indian army".

Last year, the defence ministry had written to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) and the I&B and electronics and information technology ministries to ask production houses to obtain an NOC from it before telecasting any movie, documentary or web series on the Indian Army.