Filmmaker Onir opens up about casting a visually impaired actor as a queer opposite Barun Sobti in Tumhari Khushboo

Updated On: 30 January, 2026 07:29 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar

Director Onir talks about casting visually impaired actor Shashi Bhushan in his LGBTQIA+ short film Tumhari Khushboo. The film explores the relationship between Sunil, a visually impaired masseur, and Kamran, played by Barun Sobti, a sports instructor

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(L-R) Shashi Bhushan and Barun Sobti in the film. Pic/By Special Arrangement

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.

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