Victim finds identity through film

Ganesh Nallari, a victim of child abuse, changes his name to Abhimanyu, protagonist of film based on his life

Victim finds identity through film

Ganesh Nallari, a victim of child abuse, changes his name to Abhimanyu, protagonist of film based on his life

Hyderabad-based designer Ganesh Nallari will now be called Ganesh Abhimanyu Nallari. Abhimanyu is the name of the character based on Ganesh's life, that faces child abuse in Onir's film I Am. Onir's film on marginal people has a segment devoted to portraying the trauma of an abused child Abhimanyu, whose older version is played by Sanjay Suri. This character is based fashion designer Ganesh. Ganesh, who recently saw the film was so moved to see his life come to cinematic fruition that he decided to alter his name officially.

Baring it all: A still from Onir's film I Am inspired from the life of
Ganesh Nallari.

But it's not just the name that has changed for Ganesh. His life was radically transformed as after watching the film as he came out clean in front of his parents for the first time about the molestation he had suffered as a child. Speaking how the film has changed Ganesh's life, Onir said, "Ganesh Nallari will now officially be known as Ganesh Abhimanyu Nallari. It was his decision. I was shaking with fear when I showed him the film. My faith in what I've attempted depended on his response."

The director added, "After the film Ganesh finally told his parents what he had suffered. It feels wonderful to know that somewhere my film has liberated a character who inspired one of the stories in my film. Ganesh's journey into self-realisation began when he called me to tell that a close male relative of his was dying."

The male relative turned out to be the man who had sexually abused Ganesh. "That's how my story developed. Sanjay Suri plays the grown up character of the abused child who is sexually and emotionally confused character. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap plays the uncle. Without Anurag the story couldn't have been told. No one else was willing to play that character," says Onir gratefully.

Ganesh confirmed, "I shared my experiences and emotions with Onir after my uncle passed away last year. I'm glad Onir conveyed the message with utmost sensitivity. I was conscious about my personal and professional lives converging, but again it's the creative professional life which gave me the strength to overcome my abuse." "Today Abhimanyu is not just a survivor, he is a conqueror!," concluded Ganesh.