The film was originally written for Karisma Kapoor and was titled You And I
The film was originally written for Karisma Kapoor and was titled You Andu00a0I
Very few people know that Sanjay Suri's role of a child abuse victim in Onir's I Am was originally written for Karisma Kapoor. It was for a film titled You And I, with which Karisma supposed to make a comeback in tinsel town.
However, the actress later changed her mind about returning to Bollywood.
Onir, who was still very passionate about the subject and was keen on making a film on it, then changed the character of the female child to a male kid and approached his good friend Sanjay Suri for the role of the protagonist.
Karisma KapoorOnir said, "Karisma liked the script and decided to make a comeback with it." When asked what went wrong, he said, "We were in talks.
The last thing she told me that she wasn't sure if it's the right time for her to make a comeback. That was the end of it." Onir added, "As I wanted to tell the story, I turned Karisma's character to a male character and decided to cast Sanjay in it."
When asked what all he had to change following the change in the character, he said, "Sexual abuse affects boys and girls in a different ways.
The male victim goes into a denial mode, questions his manhood and is also confused about his sexual identity, whereas a woman has to encounter abuse every single day. Thus, theu00a0 way one handles it is different."
He added that there is a common factor that concerns both male and female. "It's the fear of commitment and lack of trust, as one has been betrayed by someone very close. It also makes one feel lonely and guilty," Onir said.
