Empathy and authenticity have always driven Onir’s queer-themed stories on screen. The filmmaker’s next, a short film titled Tumhari Khushboo, is laced with the same qualities. What makes its casting notable is that Onir has roped in Shashi Bhushan, a visually impaired actor, to portray a queer and visually impaired character opposite Barun Sobti. “It is an intersectionality that is uncommon. I have several queer-themed films, but this one is special because we rarely see representations of queer characters with disabilities in films,” Onir told mid-day, as he unveiled the film’s poster on January 25.

Onir