'my brother nikhil'

this was the first time ever i saw a film made by a person whom i knew 'before they were famous'.. i couldn't help but be amazed at the resources the guy i once met at a night party lounging on the floor at madhus thakur complex apartment high on beer was able to generate for his debut film. written, directed and edited by him..

no less a diva then karan johar, or that kool dude saif or even the heart throb of all tennis lovers in the country sania mirza in black and white promos on every channel going 'i care for my brother nikhil- do you?' i found the idea fascinating- that someone i knew in a completely different context is now in the world of page 3 celebrities giving interviews to tv channels in his t-shirt and jeans.

the movie itself was- i guess the word is- 'brave'. sanjay suri plays a champion swimmer who contracts AIDS, not because of his homosexual affair with purab kohli- but because of some unrevealed reason. ostracised by the world that once adored him, the only people who stand by him are his sister juhi chawla and his lover purab.with its heart firmly in the right place, sensitive in its treatment of almost every character in the film, attempting to humanize both the disease and homosexuality- i found little to annoy me in the film. perhaps that was the problem with it. with such an effort to soften all edges in misty reminiscing of tender moments, with a bland pop theme song that constantly gets played through different voices, with every character ultimately 'caring' it got to a point where there was almost no movement. the film stood still in a comfort zone where no feathers were ruffled, no drama was sought. it settled into blandness. a safe sentimental blandness that was always only just about misty eyed throughout the film.

there is no question though that it is a film to be seen- if only because of its intent. and it is true that though i did not sob uncontrollably through the film, though i cry at almost anything, the rest of the theater did have quite a few hankies on display.

so, anyways congratulations to onir! i wonder whether he will talk to me now with all this fame that he now has.