Under the auspices of Mirabai films and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the AIDS 'Jaago' Project presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bharadwaj, Farhan Akhtar and Santosh Sivan that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS.
1. BLOOD BROTHERS:
Dir.: Vishal Bharadwaj
Cast: Sidhhartha (of Rang De Basanti fame)
Ayesha Takia
Pawan Malhotra
Pankaj Kapur
BB starts off in a mysterious fashion, with Arjun Dutt (Siddhartha) following Pawan Malhotra everywhere, right upto the building he lives in. Pawan Malhotra smells something fishy and confronts him. From then on begins the story of Arjun, how he was leading a happy, marital life before he is diagnosed with HIV. How this one revelation changes his life forever, as he just leaves everything, out of the blue. How another discovery again turns the course of his life forms the rest of the plot.
Vishal Bharadwaj nicely builds it up like a thriller in the initial 3 minutes. The sequences leading up to Arjun's diagnosis and the reason which he initially believes that led to his state are very engaging and seem very real and probable, especially when viewed from the urban perspective. However, what happens thereafter, with Arjun just running away from everything because of the lack of enough strength to face his wife, and the sequences thereafter leave you a bit puzzled. What actually happened there?? is what you think. Even Pankaj Kapur's character is an enigma. But, things become clear in the concluding minutes when Arjun discovers something which shocks him and how that changes his life.
Short films are the arena where directors get the chance to prove their mettle. In a 3-hour movie, the director has all the time in the world to come to the point and then drill it in the psyche of the viewer( though in no way is that an easy job), but in a 20 minute feature, the contraint of time restrains a build-up. Vishal Bharadwaj, for once, moves away from his literary adaptations which has been his fetish for his last 3 films, and puts it in an urban setting. Except for the portions where Arjun leaves home and wanders around befuddled, virtually in drunken stupor, which confuses the viewer, he is in form yet again this time. The way he drives home the point in the last few minutes, gives hope, like the light at the end of the tunnel, even though that light is from the fire which burns on a candle which is about to melt down, informing the viewers that AIDS does not mean a 'dead end' to the road of life.
Performance-wise, the spotlight is on Siddhartha who delivers a very honest performance. See him in the scenes where he realizes the blunder he has committed and the expressions of guilt and sadness on his face, when he lacks the guts to face his wife, and you realize that Rang De Basanti was not a fluke. Hopefully, we see more of him in Hindi cinema.
Pawan Malhotra comes up with another dependable performance, especially in the last few minutes. Ayesha Takia and Pankaj Kapur are adequate in their parts. Pankaj Kapur, I feel, was wasted in his part, though his character still had that spark which he has shown in the performances in his earlier films with Vishal Bharadwaj.
Overall, a good film which does drive home the point and also clears some misconceptions about HIV and AIDS.
My Rating: ***
Watch it here: http://www.jaman.com/movie/Blood-Brothers/0HsYuptHveNs/
2. POSITIVE
Dir.: Farhan Akhtar
Cast: Boman Irani
Shabana Azmi
Arjun Mathur
There are certain films which you watch and forget. And there are certain films which linger on in your mind even after the show is over. Cinema entertains and enlightens. But on a more deeper level, the most powerful films are those which establish that soul-to-soul connection with the audience. It is that emotional connect which impels people to follow what a film preaches, and shining examples are films like Lage Raho Munnabhai and Rang De Basanti. Another one in that list is Positive.
Positive catapults Farhan Akhtar into a different league altogether. Praises have been showered on him after Dil Chahta Hai and Lakshya. But this one's very very special. This is, in my honest opinion, his finest work till date. With no 'stars' to boast of here, as compared to the rest 3 which had known lead actors, Positive weaves a poignant tale around 3 lives, who are hit, in varying degrees by this deadly disease.
Positive begins with events narrated from the eyes of a child, whose mother is a home-maker and father, a fashion photographer. The family looks the quintessential happy family, but inside there is something not-so-right about it. The child looks on at his father, puzzled and bewildered, seeing his father flirt with his female model clients. His insecurities increase seeing his parents fighting, when he tells about this to his mother. As the boy becomes a teenager, negativity between him and his father reaches such a level, that he flies off to South Africa for further studies. A few years later he comes back when he gets to know his father has contracted AIDS.
The film starts off well, in a nice, subtle and child-like manner, with events unfolding in front of the tender eyes of a toddler. The confused expressions of the child are noteworthy when he does not understand his father's weird behaviour towards the models. As a viewer, you know what is in store, even though the father tries to talk his way out of a home fight. And then , the most touching portions begin when the teenage son sees his father, helpless, on the hospital bed. The sequences thereafter force out that odd tear out of your eyes, they are so touching. From start to the finish, the film flows like a breeze, with at no point, looking like the director's skill has been constrained by the time factor.
Farhan Akhtar shows that rare maturity, which some directors imbibe after directing atleast 10 films. The way he has handled the entire plot, hats off to him. Every scene, every shot, every camera angle is loaded with the stamp of a creative genius. The film is like a soulful song: it has a poetic start, a meaningful body and metaphoric finish, with the tone reaching its crescendos at crucial points in the film, with the film hammering-in the point in the human psyche that AIDS does not affect a person, it affects those who love him as well, and their suffering is no less than the patient himself.
Performance-wise, each and every actor gives a heart-tugging performance. Boman Irani as the father, gives the performance of a lifetime here. Give this man a script like Positive and then see him fly. Undoubtedly, one of the finest actors in the country today, Boman Irani proves that there is an ocean of talent inside just waiting to be tapped. BRILLIANT!!
Shabana Azmi plays the mother, and gives yet another restrained performance. She is as usual, extremely good.
Arjun Mathur as the teenage son, is a discovery. He is just awesome!! Watch his outburst in the hospital lawns when he tells his father that he has sold his camera. The unrestrained flow of emotions sweeps you along with it as well. Hoping to see more from this fantastic actor.
Overall, a must watch film, be it for the message or for the treatment.
My Rating: ****
Watch it here: http://www.jaman.com/movie/Positive/0Xx3EGJchtzo/
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