21 Facts About Onir

Onir was born on Anirban Dhar, 1 May 1969 and is an Indian film and TV director, editor, screenwriter and producer.

Onir spent much of his childhood going to the cinema.

In Kolkata, Onir studied comparative literature and took a few film classes at Chitrabani film school.

Onir later returned to India and worked as an editor, scriptwriter, art director, music album producer and director before becoming an independent producer and director.

In 1992 Onir directed and produced his first documentary film, Fallen Hero, based on painter Bijan Choudhury's life.

Onir served as an assistant to Kalpana Lajmi on Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence, which was his first experience directing a full-length feature film.

Onir received a nomination for the Best Director Critic's Award at the Global Indian Film Awards for the film.

Onir won Best Director for Social Concern at the IRDS Film Awards.

Onir produced "Chauranga" which won the Incredible India Award as the best script at the Goa Film Bazaar, International Film Festival of India, won best film India Gold at MAMI and IFFLA.

In 2018 he received Likho Award Onir has received the Diversity Award from Film Victoria Australia and La Trobe University at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2019.

Onir received the Engendered Spirit of Independent Cinema Award 2020 at the Engendered Human Rights Film Festival in Delhi.

Onir directed the Indo-Italian documentary film on contemporary art, SAMA: Symbols and Gestures in Contemporary Art of Italy and India which underlines the artistic parallels between India and Italy.

Consecutively it was screened at the 'Samabhav Travelling International film Festival' in Bhutan where Onir won the 'Trailblazing Award'.

Onir is working on a SonyLiv web series on Pulwama Attack based on Rahul Pandita's book.

Onir is working on a sequel to his 2011 National Award winning film "I Am", titled "We Are".

Onir has one younger brother, Abhishek Dhar, who is a theoretical physicist at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, TIFR Bangalore, adjunct faculty at Raman Research Institute and winner of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology.

Onir's sister Irene Dhar Malik is a film and television editor.

Onir is one of the few openly gay directors in Bollywood.

In 2018 he received Likho Award Onir has received the Diversity Award from Film Victoria Australia and La Trobe University at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2019.

Onir received the Engendered Spirit of Independent Cinema Award 2020 at the Engendered Human Rights Film Festival in Delhi.

Consecutively it was screened at the 'Samabhav Travelling International film Festival' in Bhutan where Onir won the 'Trailblazing Award'.