Reviews of the movie Phir Milenge

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Two reviews of the movie " Phir Milenge " (moderator)

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Boos as Bollywood tackles AIDS

27/08/2004 18:27 - (SA)

Mumbai - India's first mainstream movie that tackles Aids opened

worldwide on Friday, with the film's makers expressing hopes that it

could help end the stigma around the disease.

But some fans who watched the first showing in Bombay theatres booed

and heckled, objecting to one of their movie heroes - Salman Khan -

portraying someone with Aids.

Several people left after finding out what the movie was about.

Phir Milenge, or We'll Meet Again, is a departure for India's

prolific film industry, Bollywood, which is best known for its

sugarcoated romances and action-packed thrillers.

Indian movie stars Khan and Shilpa Shetty portray Aids-infected

characters jolted out of their normal lives to fight discrimination

at work and in society.

India has 5.1 million HIV-positive people, the world's second-

highest number of infections after South Africa.

International health experts say infections could skyrocket if more

isn't done to combat the spread of the virus.

Boos and catcalls

Many in India are reluctant to talk about Aids and prevention

because of societal taboos about discussing sex. Those with HIV/Aids

in India often face discrimination and local media has reported

widely on schools and hospitals that turn them away people.

In Bombay, tickets - usually sold out days before a release

featuring top stars - were still available at theatres before the

first show began.

In a couple of Bombay theatres, there were boos and catcalls when

Khan was shown fighting for his life in a hospital.

Engineering student Ali Amin, 20, said more such films were needed.

" The subject was handled well. It's high time we began changing our

attitudes, " said Amin.

" The movie shows it's not just illiterates, but also the educated

who don't have a clue about Aids. "

The movie's director, Revathy Menon, said earlier this week that

several actors turned down the leading male role because they were

worried it would blemish their image.

" But the truth is, we're the second-largest country in the world

affected by Aids and we need to focus on care and medication of HIV

patients, " Menon had said.

UNAids helping to promote movie

Bollywood movies are watched by millions, particularly in countries

with big Asian populations, and Phir Milenge is being released

simultaneously in India, Britain, the United States, Canada, Dubai,

Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

, the head of UNAids in India, said this week the

organisation would help promote the movie in Africa, the

Mediterranean and the Middle East.

" It's really a breakthrough, " said.

" It's very important that a serious issue like HIV/Aids is moving

into mainstream Indian cinema. "

Edited by Iaine Harper

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/Aids_Focus/0,,2-7-

659_1579754,00.html

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Phir Milenge : But seriously

By: Khalid Mohammed

August 29, 2004

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Phir Milenge

Cast: Shilpa Shetty, Abhishek Bachchan, Salman Khan

Direction: Revathy

Rating: ***

Pause for a cause. Bravely, the Chennai-anchored actress-turned-director,

Revathy, has elected to tackle a subject that’s strictly taboo in the realm of

popular entertainment. In a bid to create AIDS awareness, she ventures into an

area where few filmwallahs would dare to tread.

Doubtlessly, then, Phir Milenge is a worthwhile effort. So what if it may not

sell as many tickets as the rasmalai shaadis, peek-a-booby murders and the

Harrybhais-met-Sallyben rom-corns?

The fact is that Revathy’s issue-centric drama is superior not only in its

thematic content but also in its technical craftsmanship, which at several

points, scales new heights of excellence.

As a director, Revathy travels miles ahead of her debut-making Mitr. With

masterly confidence, she employs tight close-ups, moody colour co-ordinated

shots and stylish editing cuts, abetted constantly by her team which obviously

believes that they are involved in a project of substance and significance.

Having said that, you can’t help wishing that the dramaturgy had been inspired

by an indigenous case study, rather than Demme’s Philadelphia. Indeed,

there are countless real life cases, on home ground, which would have been much

more pertinent and needless to add, hard-hitting in exposing the rampant

prejudice towards HIV-positive patients.

Alas, the screenplay glosses over several key aspects. In the event, there is

something absolutely unbelievable about the ooh-so-cute guitar strummer (Salman

Khan), who jets between the US and India, as if he were commuting between

Churchgate and Borivli. A caricature at most, he enters and exits from the scene

as mysteriously as Casper the friendly ghost. Spooky.

After a decade-long gap, Guitar dude reunites with an old flame (Shilpa Shetty),

an award-winning ad executive. Now Guitar and Flame go through an informal

marriage by traipsing around a fire-pot at a sylvan art centre.

Next morning, she’s cosier than a bug in a rug under his bed-sheets. Uh huh, you

know what that means. He writes his American phone number on her forearm, she

has a soapy shower and gasp, she can’t make contact with him ever again. ET,

come home?

If you’re willing to soap out this contrived situation, then your heart goes out

overwhelmingly to the ad woman. Declared HIV-positive, she must deal with

ostracism on multiple fronts: her boss sacks her, friends treat her like a

rodent, and if she’s looking for legal redress, forget it.

Mercifully, a rookie lawyer (Abhishek Bachchan) takes up the challenge. Ensues a

courtroom slug-out that has you rooting for the woman who, literally, discovers

that life isn’t a bed of tube roses.

Sensitively, the relationship between the ad woman and her radio deejay kid

sister (Kamalini Mukherjee, a natural-born winner), as well as the banter

between the lawyer and his guru (Nasser, terrific) are conveyed with the rare

warmth of a winter morning.

Numerous incisively observed scenes linger, like the ones detailing the

cutthroat competition at an ad agency.

Throughout, the cinematography by Ravi Varman and the set décor by Sabu Cyril

are of the highest order. The music’s okey-okey.

There are some oddities, like the one-armed opponent lawyer portrayed by Mita

Vashisht with the relish of Mogambo khush hua.

Still, it goes without saying that the acting crew is of the essence in this

intimately-scaled picture. Salman Khan invests star value and sincerity in a

half-baked role. Abhishek Bachchan is first-rate as the lawyer storm-tossed by a

welter of insecurities.

Undeniably though, the enterprise belongs to Shilpa Shetty who delivers a

sensitively etched, career-best performance. And to Revathy who had the guts to

be bittersweet and proud of it. Good way to go!

khalid@...

http://web.mid-day.com/columns/khalid_mohammed/2004/august/91130.htm

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