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| I Am Review |
The first story is of Afia (Nandita Das) who yearns for a baby only to realize that her husband loves someone else and wants divorce. Having lost faith in the male species, she decides to opt for artificial insemination. Acquaintances are against the act and she has apprehensions of her own. Until she almost ends up on a date with the sperm donor (Purab Kohli), to know him on a personal level, much against legality.
Onir opens his film with a less-spoken about topic, at least on the Indian screen. With each story having around half an hour of runtime, the storytelling is kept fast, yet not hastened. The narrative, swiftly yet convincingly, establishes Afia's fallout with her husband and her efforts to know the donor better. It's not easy for Afia to find the donor of her choice since the society isn't too open about the idea. However the story doesn't fall into the trap of blame-game either. With the entire story seen through Afia's viewpoint, the donor's compulsion for the act remains unknown and his character remains undefined. But then again it's Afia's story and it comes across persuasively.
Crisp editing and a confident act by Nandita Das give the film a good start with its first episode I Am Afia. Purab Kohli does fine.
The second story takes you to paradise on earth, Kashmir where Megha (Juhi Chawla) makes a transitory visit to sell-off her ancestral property. Years ago her Kashmiri Pandit family had to flee from their hometown when religious riots had shaken the state in 80s. The exodus has left her with bitter memories as she feels disowned in her birthplace. Though she takes momentary shelter with Rubaina (Manisha Koirala) and her family, her onetime neighbours, she holds their community responsible, at large, for her displacement and is unable to forgive them.
As against the other three stories in the film which tackle less-spoken social concerns, I Am Meghahighlights a widely-talked about political issue in the country, pertinent even today. However Onir attempts to capture only the human side of the issue, keeping all political implications aside. That's the reason the story never cuts into flashback, scratching wounds of the past and works more towards healing the bruise. It never gets one-sided, showing how both communities have suffered from the aftermath.
This is one of the most sensible characters that Juhi Chawla has played in recent times and she is extremely impressive in her poignant act. It's good to see Manisha Koirala, after ages, in a decent role that gives her ample scope to perform. Though she takes a backseat in the start, she ends the track on an effective note.
The third story is about Abhimanyu (Sanjay Suri) who was a victim of child abuse, which has left an indelible impact on his mind. His present dilemma is whether to meet his dying stepfather (Anurag Kashyup) in his last days, for the fact that he was the victimizer.
The story intercuts with flashback of Abhimanyu's interaction with his father as a child, which at the external level looks like a doting relationship but is actually marred by his pedophile dad. Onir never gets into graphic details since the idea is never to titillate or scandalize. Yet his subtle direction suggests a lot. What makes the story distinctive is the fact that even the boy lets himself get exploited to satiate his materialistic needs. At a bigger level, the story is about whether Abhimanyu can overcome his guilt and forgive his victimizer.
The story, however, falls into the trap of resorting to the conventional myth that child abuse might have led to Abhimanyu's change in sexual preferences. While this is never ascertained in the story, no effort has been made to prove it otherwise either. Also Abhimanyu's childhood dream, where he sees himself as a girl, gives an abstract shade to the plot.
Sanjay Suri is exceptionally good in his character and his confrontation scene with mother ( Nafisa Ali) is compelling. Anurag Kashyup doesn't add any stereotyped eccentricities to his pedophile character thereby lending more authenticity to it.
Finally comes the story on how gays are abused and used in the country where homosexuality is considered a taboo. A corporate guy's (Rahul Bose) consensual sexual escapade with an aspiring actor (Arjun Mathur) gets him into trouble when an opportunist-and-sadistic cop (Abhimanyu Singh) catches them in the act and blackmails him.
What starts as an evening of implied chemistry between two gays, as they give subtle cues of their sexuality to each other, soon transpires into a nightmare. The gay chemistry between Rahul Boseand Arjun Mathur is the most explicit act in the film, which is otherwise symbolic in conduct. Further Onir strongly builds up the tension in the episode, as Rahul Bose finds himself in a helpless situation.
Abhimanyu Singh is viciously menacing in his single-scene performance. Arjun Mathur is simply superb in his character. But it's Rahul Bose as the vulnerable victim who puts in the best act in, not just this episode, but perhaps, the entire film.
Overall, the four stories are sensibly written and Onir directs the film with the requisite level of maturity that its theme and treatment demands. There is no defined climax moment, per se, in every episode, as the film lets the central characters identify themselves and their conflicts through their tracks. Though some characters happen to be common to multiple episodes, each story remains independent of the other. Despite not being intricately interconnected with each other, the stories still grip you individually and keep you riveted.
I Am makes you identify with its stories effectively and comes across as an important and intelligent film. Strongly recommended!
