My Brother... Nikhil

MBN was a simple straight forward from the heart film about the love between siblings - told from the POV of Anu (Juhi Chawla) whose state champion swimmer brother Nikhil (Sanjay Suri) becomes HIV positive. Yes there was the usual over-emotionalism associated with a dying loved one, but still this was a rather restrained film. I liked Lillette Dubey in the role of the mother who loves her son but also her husband, and the conflict within and without her that causes the parents to abandon Nikhil is well portrayed. Victor Bannerjee was believable for me as the hardliner father whose dreams are shattered and who cannot face the shame of having a son with "that disease". I think there were a few places where MBN strayed from the message a tiny bit. It was brave to show that Nikhil had a boy friend - the logical conclusion would be that the HIV infection came from this association, but then the BF is shown to not be +ve. This "excuses" the homosexuality from any "blame". From that point on, the association between Nihkil and his BF is most underplayed to further remove that factor from the equation. Perhaps the point was that it does not matter how it happens, but once it does then do not shun these people. However, I felt that maybe a stronger message could have come from the homosexual nature of their relationship being responsible.

The acting was very good all around, special honors go to Juhi for an excellent performance. Sanjay Suri was competent throughout, and then excellent in the end moments. Music was real and emotional. A nice effort by Onir.

I just came back from a special screening of this movie.

As a rule, I try avoid sentimental films- those with an extra doze of emotions, life, et al.So, i was avoiding this one, until today when I was invited for a special show.

And I must say, what a movie! It tocuhed me deeply, throughout.

The basic premise of the movie is that Nikhil Kapoor, a National level swimming champion, is tested HIV positive. And fearing the deadly disease AIDS, the society neglects him. The very people who could not let go of him, start shunning him, and this includes his parents. The only people who stand by him are his sister and most important person in his life, Anamika (Anu), her fiancé Sam, and Nikhil's partner, Nigel. The film has an important message: not HOW a person gets AIDS (or HIV virus) ; but how the life of one with AIDS gets affected. Shot beautifully in the picturesque Goa, the story is told from view points of all people important to Nikhil's life, and his legacy beyond death.

Must watch! Nothing too revealing. Its something WE ALL KNOW these days. Just that its hard for most to accept. The movie got a standing ovation at the screening . Very well and differently made, it gets slow and dragging at times, but is so heart warming, one can let go of this minor drawback.

Go watch it!

After Phir Milenge comes another touching film that sheds light on one of India's most misunderstood problems, AIDS. It is a pity that in the 21st century, AIDS is still thought of as a homosexual disease. I was shocked to see that people think it is extremely contagious and that there are no effective laws to protect patients. I couldn't believe that they're literally treated like dogs. Throughout the movie, I kept on wondering how the protagonist contracted the disease. I realized afterwords that the cause isn't revealed for a reason. People always assume how an AIDS patient contracted HIV, and they have no right to assume the cause and accuse the person for it. They are human beings and have an equal right to life. This movie also sheds some light on the extremely misunderstood gay relationship. Juhi Chawla does a wonderful job as does Sanjay Suri. However, I liked Phir Milenge more. It is much more positive and upbeat. MBN is rather depressing.

Watching My Brother Nikhil truly brings out what exists in society against people who are different. Its a bold step taken by Onir to present this story and its presented so beautifully by all. All the actors, Victor Banerjee, Juhi, Lillyte, Purab, Sanjay, Diya are powerful actors and they brought each character to real life. Dailogues, emotions, cinematography, screenplay all come together beautifully to make this into a master piece.

MY BROTHER NIKHIL ***1/2 out of 4 Stars

Is it another Philadelphia? No. Another AIDS awareness movie? No. Another offbeat movie? No, I wouldn't call it that. A must watch? Yes.

Sanjay Suri plays a character called Nikhil who is a State swimming champ and has a loving sister played by Juhi Chawla. I love Juhi. She acts marvelously and also uses her presence as a refreshing treat for your eyes. Victor Banerjee and Lilette Dubey also shine in their roles and even Purab Kohli delivers. Sanjay Suri plays his character, as it should be. Very well made and this film also boasts off a wonderful screenplay which is the highlight of the film (apart from the performances).

Just the kind of AIDS movie we needed. But you can see some shades of Philadelphia which are ignorable because of the brilliance of the film. And there are some flaws which make you go ''Did they have the knowledge of all this in 1994?" which are again ignorable just like the ones in 'Black' but it has one thing in common with Black that it is one of the best films of the year. It is a tear-jerker but does not dwindle with this genre for long a la K3G. Despite its flaws, it was indeed a great film.

And to top it all, it has an amazing amazing song called 'Le Chalein' which is interwoven in the film and adds to quality of the film. Awesome song!