FILM
REVIEW: MY BROTHER NIKHIL (2005)
Director: Onir
Producers: Raj Kaushal, Vicky Tejwani, Sanjay Suri and Onir
Cast: Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Suri, Dipannita Sharma and Victor Bannerjee
Radio
Sargam Rating: 6/10
BACKGROUND:
Bollywood recently embraced the topic of AIDS in the movie Phir Milenge (starring Shilpa Shetty and Salman Khan). The drama received some acclaim, but flopped at the box office. Is Indian cinema ready for a second attempt at covering the subject?
SYNOPSIS:
Nikhil Kapoor (Sanjay Suri) is a popular and hugely talented guy from the swimming fraternity. He hails from Goa and defeats all his competitors including Kelly (Shayan Munshi) with ease. His father Navin (Victor Bannerjee) is his coach and wants him to be a sportsperson.
Nikhil works hard and even wins sports scholarships. His mother Anita (Lillette Dubey) also supports him. But the person who stands by him the most and loves him the most is his sister Anu (Juhi Cahwla). The story is told through her eyes, hence the title.
Nikhil’s girlfriend Leena Gomes (Dipannita Sharma) and friends Nigel de Costa (Purab Kohli) and Sam Fernandez (Gautam Kapoor) egg him on in life. Then one day a huge calamity befalls him and practically everyone deserts him. Nikhil’s world is shattered after the news is revealed he’s HIV positive. Barring Anu and Nigel, no one wants Nikhil, not even his father. Anu takes care of him as her kid brother and sees him deteriorate as his aspirations and goals in life sink to the bottom of the pool.
CRITIQUE:
My Brother Nikhil talks about the trauma of an AIDS victim. The film looks at how an AIDS patient could easily be ostracised by society. It shows the trauma of a family where one of the members has been afflicted with a major problem and how no one wants to befriend such a person or be known as someone close to such a person.
Sanjay Suri plays both roles of the swimmer and the victim with considerable ease. Juhi Chawla stands like a rock by him and has shown tremendous maturity as an actress. These two performances are well supported by Victor Banerjee and Purab Kohli as well. Other performances are just fine. The background score in quite interesting and holds your attention.
Director Onir is very honest to his script. The film being a release for the multiplexes seems to be a good bet as it holds high promise. One of the few films this year that I loved watching.
Anyone following the trend today and making hot films could have easily ruined this film, but Onir, stands like a rock and gives a decent product getting his actors to deliver some good performances as well.
Lack of stars in the film could however affect the film’s business. But an interesting film, nevertheless. Worth a watch!
Reviewed
by: Tony
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