'Teenagers who watched it growing up say they felt seen, represented'

Onir's debut film, My Brother Nikhil, released in 2005, was considered groundbreaking by critics. It told the story of Nikhil Kapoor, a champion swimmer diagnosed with HIV, at a time when cinema largely avoided LGBTQ+ narratives. The film was deeply personal for Onir, inspired by the life of Dominic D’Souza, India’s first known HIV/AIDS patient. Dominic's story was so powerful that he couldn’t shake it off and started working on the film. “Even now, people message me about the film,” he shares. “Teenagers who watched it growing up say they felt seen, represented. Parents have told me it helped them understand their children better.”During a recent screening celebrating 20 years of the film, Onir recalls a moment. “A woman stood up and said, ‘When I saw your last film, Pine Cone (2023), I learned something about my son that I had never understood. And when I watch My Brother Nikhil now, I realise that for so many years, I deprived my son of my love. The loss was mine, not just his."Onir recalls walking the streets of San Francisco with lead actor Sanjay Suri after the first international screening. "People would shout, ‘Nikhil, we love you!’" he recalls. Yet, in India, reactions were mixed.“At some screenings, audiences walked out at the interval when they realised Nikhil was gay. And despite critical acclaim, the industry did not recognise it. So I've never got any award in India, apart from my National Award in 2011 (For I Am), My brother Nikhil never got that recognition which was a little sad, but at the end of the day, after 20 years later, we are still talking about the firm and I feel that is beautiful. ”