Indian Film Industry To Release Second Feature Addressing HIV/AIDS
The Indian film industry -- known as Bollywood -- has released its second "mainstream" Hindi-language film that addresses the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, AFP/Yahoo! News reports. The film -- titled "My Brother Nikhil" and directed by Onirban, who only goes by one name -- is set in the southern Indian resort state of Goa and tells the story of a swimmer who is loved by everyone in his family until they learn that he is HIV-positive. When they discover his HIV status, his family, friends and colleagues abandon him, but his sister offers him "unwavering support," according to AFP/Yahoo! News. The film stars Indian actors Sanjay Suri as the HIV-positive swimmer and Juhi Chawla as his sister. "The basic message of the film is about love, acceptance and on the backdrop is HIV/AIDS," Onirban said. Chawla said the film is "simple and highlights the AIDS problem too," adding, "It is about accepting a person who is affected by HIV. We just hope it clicks at the box office" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/24). "Phir Milenge," the first mainstream Bollywood Hindi film to focus on HIV/AIDS in India, was released last year. The film, directed by Revathy Menon, tells the story of Tamanna, a female advertising executive who is fired after her employer discovers she is HIV-positive. Tamanna then files and eventually wins a discrimination lawsuit against her employer. The film examines the stigma, discrimination and ignorance associated with HIV/AIDS in the workplace, as well as how people can address HIV discrimination through the country's courts (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 8/24/04). However, "Phir Milenge" was not received well, according to AFP/Yahoo! News (AFP/Yahoo! News, 3/24).
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