“Kapoor & Sons is worth celebrating because of Fawad” – Onir

After his outstanding performance in Kapoor & Sons, Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan has become the new sensation in India as he has everyone praising him for his work in the film. He was one of the lead characters alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt and played a homosexual in the film. Indian filmmaker Onir, who directed My Brother…Nikhil (2005), is all praises for Khan and the fact that he had the guts to play such a character despite coming from a country like Pakistan.

“Kapoor & Sons is worth celebrating because of Fawad,” Onir said while speaking to The Times of India about his panel discussion scheduled to take place at the sixth edition of Kashish International Queer Film Festival. “A man from across the border, especially because of Pakistan’s inherently conservative society, had the guts to play the role of a gay man without any qualms,” he added.

He is of the view that this year holds significance for the LGBT coterie as mainstream cinema is treating this community with respect. “In the first quarter of this year, we have already had three films – Aligarh, Kapoor & Sons and Dear Dad which beat the stigma of homosexuality. They were all real men with a different orientation which doesn’t make him any less masculine,” he asserted.

The panel discussion will also feature Zoya Akhtar and Nandita Das and will highlight the issue of censorship in cinema and its relevance in the Internet age. Speaking to Bombay Times, Onir said, “With content becoming handy in the online space, it is time we revise the guidelines of censorship in movies as per the contemporary scenario.”