The untold true story behind Manipur’s acclaimed film Oneness

Long before Priyakanta Laishram’s Oneness became one of the most talked-about and widely acclaimed films to emerge from Manipur, it existed as a story that very few people knew and even fewer were willing to discuss.

The tragedy that inspired Priyakanta Laishram’s groundbreaking film was never the subject of major headlines or public campaigns. It remained buried in personal memories, whispered conversations and the private grief of those who had known the young man at its centre.

More than a decade later, Oneness would become an attempt not simply to tell a queer love story but to recover a story that had almost disappeared altogether.

The protagonist of Oneness, Ivan Martin, convincingly portrayed by Priyakanta Laishram, is based on a real young man whose identity remains deliberately concealed.

According to accounts that informed the film’s development, he was around eighteen years old and studying at a school near Imphal after moving from one of Manipur’s hill districts. Enrolled in the Arts stream, he was remembered by people close to him as quiet, gentle and thoughtful.

One of the most important sources behind the film was reportedly the victim’s cousin, who shared a particularly close bond with him.

Through her recollections emerged a portrait of a young person very different from the stereotypes often associated with queer lives in Northeast India. He was described as soft-spoken but not overtly effeminate, someone who carried himself with quiet confidence despite living in an environment where difference often attracted scrutiny.

The cousin also shared a close relationship with the young man’s mother and sister, making her one of the family’s closest confidants. This bond enabled her to preserve memories of his life that might otherwise have faded with time, providing Laishram with a deeply personal perspective that extended beyond the tragedy itself.

According to these accounts, he kept his hair long, often styled with front bangs, and had an interest in makeup. His cousin reportedly helped him purchase small cosmetic products on several occasions.

Years later, some viewers would question Priyakanta Laishram’s appearance as Ivan Martin, particularly the character’s use of makeup. Yet those creative decisions appear to have been rooted in authenticity rather than artistic exaggeration.

By retaining these details, Laishram sought to preserve aspects of the real individual’s personality and appearance.

The young man’s life changed when he fell in love with a fellow student, a senior at his school. In Oneness, that relationship is represented through the character of Pamheiba Hijam (played by Suraj Ngashepam), whose bond with Ivan forms the emotional core of the film.

According to accounts shared with the filmmaker, the relationship was genuine, deeply meaningful and remembered long after the events that inspired the story.

One of the most poignant details to emerge during the research process was the suggestion that the young man’s boyfriend continued to carry the memory of that relationship years later, a reminder that some losses never fully disappear.

The story might never have reached the screen were it not for an unexpected message sent during the summer of 2020. Priyakanta Laishram had become a familiar face in Manipur through the success of his widely watched talk show series, Upclose With Priyakanta Laishram Season 01.

The show gained attention for addressing issues that mainstream discussions often avoided, including women’s rights, queer experiences, domestic violence, discrimination and social justice. Through interviews and conversations, the series established Laishram as a voice willing to engage with difficult subjects.

It was during this period that the victim’s cousin reportedly contacted Laishram through Instagram. She believed the story deserved to be told.

What followed was a lengthy process of research and reconstruction. According to Laishram, he was granted access to personal diaries written by the young man in the years before the tragedy.

Dating from 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, the diaries reportedly provided a rare glimpse into his thoughts, emotions and experiences. They became one of the most important resources available to the filmmaker as he attempted to understand not only the events themselves but also the person behind them.

The existence of these diaries helps explain the emotional specificity found throughout Oneness. The film often feels less like an imagined narrative and more like a story shaped by intimate personal knowledge.

While names, locations and circumstances were altered, the emotional reality appears to have been drawn from a substantial body of firsthand material.

Yet Oneness is not a documentary. Many details were changed before reaching the screen. Some characters were condensed; others were omitted altogether.

Individuals familiar with the story have suggested that the cousin who helped preserve the young man’s memory played a far larger role in real life than is represented in the finished film. In adapting the story, Laishram appears to have distributed aspects of her presence across different characters and narrative functions.

The decision to fictionalise was influenced not only by artistic considerations but also by practical realities. Discussions surrounding the project reportedly generated concern even before production began.

The subject matter itself remained highly sensitive, and protecting identities became an important consideration throughout the filmmaking process. This caution is perhaps most evident in the creation of Ivan Martin himself.

Although the story is unmistakably set within Manipuri society, the surname “Martin” creates a deliberate distance between the film and the individuals who inspired it. The name functions almost as a protective veil, allowing the emotional truth of the story to be shared while preventing audiences from easily identifying those connected to the original events.

As a result, Oneness occupies a unique space between memory and fiction. It is neither a literal recreation nor a wholly invented narrative. Instead, it exists as a cinematic interpretation of a real tragedy, one built from personal testimonies, diaries, recollections and years of research. The film changes names and circumstances, but its emotional foundation remains firmly rooted in lived experience.

What ultimately makes the story behind Oneness so powerful is its ordinariness. The young man who inspired the film was not a public figure, activist or celebrity. He was a student navigating friendship, family expectations, identity and first love.

Like countless young people, he was trying to understand his place in the world. That simple humanity lies at the heart of both the film and the story that inspired it.

More than a decade after the events that shaped Oneness, much remains unknown to the wider public. Names have been changed. Details have been obscured. Certain truths may never be fully revealed. Yet through the film, fragments of a life that might otherwise have been forgotten continue to survive.

The film itself offers a final reminder that its story remains closely tied to real lives. In its closing slides, Onenessreveals that the young man’s mother later died following cardiac arrest, his sister now lives abroad, his father continues to live with medical conditions, and his brother’s whereabouts remain unknown.

By ending with these brief updates, the film extends its gaze beyond the central tragedy, reminding audiences that the consequences of loss continue to shape the lives of those left behind.

Audiences know him as Ivan Martin. The real young man had another name. Yet long before he became a character on screen, he was someone’s son, someone’s brother and someone’s first love.

Oneness is, ultimately, an attempt to ensure that story is not lost to silence.

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