'I Am' Producer: Juhi Shells Out Moolah For Onir Flick

By her own admission, for the first time in her life, she's "actually paying money to act in a film." Juhi Chawla is not just acting in Onir's 'I Am', but is also one of the associate producers of the project, along with co stars Purab Kohli and Sanjay Suri.

'We keep saying that we believe in this and that. So put your money where your mouth is. That's what I did. I decided that I will write a cheque. I have contributed so it means that I believe in Onir and I'm showing it in my action. And that's how I became associate producer," said Ms. Chawla at a recent event to promote the film.

But the three stars are not the only financers of 'I Am'. They are backed up by an indispensable force, the cine goers. Sanjay Suri said "Since we make the films for audiences, we decided to ask them for finance." The producers put up a request for funds on the internet and were met with a favourable response.

But aren't the producers worried about the commercial viability of the film? "What do you classify as commercial cinema? I only classify movies as interesting and not interesting! You might have the biggest star cast, but if you don't have a story to tell, you've lost me in the first reel," said Juhi.

The film has four distinct stories and boasts of big names such as Juhi, Sanjay, Purab, Nandita Das, Manisha Koirala and Anurag Kashyap. Onir revealed how the critically acclaimed filmmaker Kashyap came on board as an actor.

"When it came out that I was making a film on child sexual abuse, he sent me a message. He's someone who's been abused and he said 'Let me know if you need any help. I want to be a part of the film'. But I still had not thought of him as an actor. I called him up because I was finding it very difficult to cast someone in that role. And he said, 'Listen, I'm doing it,' " said Onir.