Sunday Times - Friday, 3 September, 2004

Rarely are there the stories of those who are afflicted by it and how it affects them. And even if such stories exist, they are so distant that one can detach oneself from them.

The reality is that only when you've been directly confronted with Aids, do the consequences or the measures that need to be implemented begin to make sense.

Revathy has used stars whom we've come to love and admire to bring home the message. It's a laudable approach, as Bollywood stars are an integral part of the audience's psyche and are effective vehicles to convey a message. It's a pity that Revathy succeeds in addressing only some of the issues.

Apart from only scratching the surface, the film doesn't appear to offer much hope, because a sense of despair overrides any optimism.

While some of the myths about Aids are exposed, the condition is still made out to be a death sentence when, in fact, there are some who have achieved a reasonable quality of life despite being afflicted by it.

Tamanna (Shilpa Shetty) is a crea-tive director in a small but successful advertising agency. Her future looks bright, but a chance meeting with an old school sweetheart, Rohit (Salman Khan), changes her life forever. After sharing an intimate night, they go their separate ways, with both clinging to the hope that something more may come of it.

When Tamanna's sister, Tanya, is involved in an accident, she offers a blood transfusion. Then comes the bad news: she has tested HIV-positive. While it hasn't developed into full-blown Aids, the chances are that it will. After much soul-searching, Tamanna retraces her steps to the one-night stand with Rohit. But, try as she might, she fails to contact him.

Worse follows when her boss (played by Somayajulu, a brilliant actor), whom she considers a friend and confidant, turns against her by firing her for incompetence. Tamanna's life begins to crumble. Unable to come to terms with the turn of events, she withdraws into a shell.

Eventually she decides to take on her company for unfair dismissal, citing prejudice and gross discrimination. After a string of lawyers turn her down, Tarun (Abhishek Bach- chan) accepts her case, more out of pity than conviction. Together with his lecturer (played by Nasser, another fine actor), they challenge the establishment to procure justice.

Contrary to popular belief, this isn't Bollywood's first exploration of the Aids issue. Mahesh Manjrekar's Nidaan and Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhie attempted to address it without much success. The difference this time is that the high profile of the cast has given it prominence.

Shetty dominates the film with a sincere portrayal that tests her limited acting skills. While she struggles to come to terms with the nuances of her character, she scores full marks for effort. It is her best role since Dhadkhan, for which she earned a best actress nomination.

Khan's role is no longer than a quarter of an hour but is relevant to the plot. The disappointing aspect is that it calls for few histrionics and is one-dimensional. The fact that his destiny is a foregone conclusion means that his character evokes little sympathy.

The actor who really surprises is Bachchan, who is a breath of fresh air in a film with a sombre atmosphere. His character lifts the spirits with several brilliant scenes and some wonderfully delivered lines.

My favourite is the scene in which he reacts to a teacher who tells him to chill as he was only pulling his leg by saying, "I'd prefer if you didn't, they're long enough as it is."

I'm beginning to enjoy his acting and think he has a wonderfully understated presence in an industry in which heroes have to be larger than life.

Shankar Ehsaan and Loy's sensitive musical score is in keeping with the proceedings, and all three songs are appropriately placed.

There is a tendency in Bollywood to take the easy way out when addressing subjects that call for a more refined approach, and I've often wondered why. Something that I overheard during interval at the screening of the film may explain it. An elderly woman turned to her middle-aged companion (also a woman) and asked, "So what do you think?" Expecting her to say something along the lines of, "Shame, it's so tragic" - as Shetty's character had just tested HIV-positive - I was gobsmacked by her reply: "I like it," she enthused, "especially Shilpa's outfits. They look so beautiful, I wonder if my dressmaker can copy them for that big wedding we're going to next month?"

Is it any wonder that Bollywood makes the kind of films it does, I ask with tears in my eyes. After all, directors can only give audiences what they want!

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