Genre: Drama

Release Date: 29 April 2011

Runtime: 120 mins

Director: Onir Anirban

Writer: Onir, Urmi Juvekar, Merle Kroeger

Cast: Nandita Das, Purab Kohli, Juhi Chawla, Manisha Koirala, Sanjay Suri, Shernaz Patel, Radhika Apte, Rahul Bose, Arjun Mathur, Anurag Kashyap, Abhimanyu Singh

Language: Hindi/English

 

Rating: 3.5/5

 

‘I AM’ just two small words yet they speak volume about the existence of an individual. The film is no larger than life portrayal of human kind. The four subtly interlaced stories and the characters in them are as real as the audience itself. I AM dares to bring out the issues which until now were hidden in the closet.

 

The four stories are a search for identities and struggle to exist; for Afia (Nandita Das) it is about going against the social norms and giving birth to a child without a man by her side.  Megha’s (Juhi Chawla) story take the audience to the paradise on earth; Kashmir. After years of staying in refugee camps, Megha, a Kashmiri Pandit, visits her hometown. The bitterness of the past is evident even as she meets her one time best friend Rubaina (Manisha Koirala). The reality check by Rubaina makes her realize that both the communities have equally suffered the aftermath of violence happened years ago.

 

Abhimanyu (Sanjay Suri), a victim of sexual abuse by his stepfather (Anurag Kashyap) starts using his sexuality as a tool to fulfil his materialistic needs. The scene where Abhimanyu confronts his mother (Shernaz Patel) is high on emotions and yet doesn’t come across as melodramatic. The fourth story is set in the time when homosexuality is yet not legalised. Jai (Rahul Bose), a gay man, meets Omar (Arjun Mathur) and both set out for an adventurous nigh in a secluded place. The night of passion soon turns out to be a nightmare when a cop (Abhimanyu Singh) arrives and tries to squeeze money from the rich Jai. The episode gets uglier as the cop hits and abuses him. Jai loses a lot more than just money that night.

 

All the stories are handled sensitively. They don’t give a conclusion or judgement but gives out a ray of positivity. The actors put in great work and become the character. Juhi Chawla gives her best performance as the bitter and angry Kashimri pandit while Manisha Koirala shows the right amount of pain of a Muslim girl living in Kashmir with limited choices. Rahul Bose plays the helpless victim of social fears with natural ease. 

 

I AM will make you sit up, open your eyes and take notice of the going-ons around you.