The Expression Hub

Starring: Sanjay Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Purab Kohli, Victor Banerjee, Lilette Dubey

Directed By: Onir

Genre: Sports Drama

“The love between a brother and a sister is like a flame that never dies. It only burns brighter with time .”

Anonymous

Today is the third Sunday of June, which is supposed to be Father’s Day also. So, a very happy Father’s Day to all the lovely fathers out there. You are your daughter’s first love and superhero to your kids. It is your sacrifices and lessons which define the future generation. Maybe one day there will be an article highlighting the role played by fathers in our lives. Till then, I on behalf of every son and daughter would love to thank all the fathers out there. Coming back to the theme of the month in which we honor the LGBTQ community through the articles. Today’s pick revolves around a son, a brother who was a good human being and was the apple of the eyes for every family member of his life as well as the love of his life. But, circumstances force him to fight a battle which was really heart-wrenching and a highly exhausting battle which no man should have ever fought. Read on to find out more.

Story Line: My Brother Nikhil is a story which is based on the real-life story of Dominic D’Souza and was a film which was much ahead of its time. The film is set in 1986 and 1994. Nikhil Kapoor is Goa’s swimming champion-a dream which has been fostered by his father Navin Kapoor as he could not achieve it by himself. He has an elder sister named Anamika who is a teacher by profession. Though he is supposed to be a sportsperson, he is also shown to have an artistic side to his personality. All is supposed to be going alright until he becomes diagnosed with HIV(Human Immuno Virus). After, the diagnosis his entire life starts to fall apart. Firstly, he is thrown out of the swimming team, then his parents disown him and the final nail in the coffin is when he is arrested for the same and is kept in forced isolation under the Goa Public Health Act. The Act allowed the government to isolate HIV positive people. The only people who stand up for him in his tough times are his sister,her fiancee and his love-Nigel.What follows is a very emotional struggle for the basic human rights and how the dreaded disease takes upon his life and life aftermath.

Scrutiny: This is a story that was way ahead of its times. A story which forces us to look into various issues like human rights and the stigma which surrounded around HIV-AIDS as a disease. This is a story which is supposed to be an eye opener and a movie that raises voice on various social issues. A beautiful story set in Goa which takes a ugly turn yet manages to carve a place in the hearts of the viewer. Apart from the beautiful story line and cinematography(my God the beaches of Goa have been so elegantly shot that it is sure to give you travel goals.) the performance of each and every actor in this one is worth appreciating. Even though Juhi Chawla and Sanjay Suri are supposed to be the actors who will earn your praise; but there was one actor who stole the limelight according to me and really deserves a mention because he is to be frank, a really under-rated gem that the Hindi film industry has and he is Purab Kohli. His act as Nigel in the movie will just melt your heart . He is the rock in Nikhil’s life and is always there for him providing him his unconditional love and support despite the challenges faced by both of them. This I feel is what true love is all about-when you value your lover’s happiness more than yours and make their happiness your first priority. Had he been a person who had cared only for his status , maybe he wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up firm and fight for what was wrong. That type of commitment is very rare to find in a person. One of the sad things I felt was that when Nikhil gets diagnosed with HIV, the very parents who were proud of his existence fail to stand up for him. Instead, they feel as if he has brought them disgrace by contracting the disease. Though they try to reconcile with him but the lack of awareness and stigma around the disease makes them discard the very son they were proud of. Such was the sad state of a disease which was not only contradicted through intimacy but there were other reasons a few years back. Although the reason is not revealed but it is interesting to note how people behave when they get to know a person has contradicted the disease. They treat the person who has contracted the disease as if he or she is an offender. The person who is supposed to receive love and support during such difficult times is ostracized by the society. The director who is also the writer of the story has surely done a commendable job to portray this through his work.

The Sentiment: A bold movie which handles such a sensitive topic in the most sensitive manner giving us a lot of lessons of life while taking us on a super emotional journey is how I will describe this one. This movie was way ahead of its time. Though it did not have the masala to make it a commercial blockbuster. But it still manages, to strike a chord with the audience. So, definitely a movie to watch out for. The only tip I would love to offer for this one is that before you do sit for this one is that do sit with a box of tissues or with a big handkerchief. This one is definitely going to make you cry a lot. And if you are a person who is averse to showing a lot of emotions , you can skip this one even though it will be like missing something really beautiful. So, do let me know about your experiences about this one as well as the pieces of work you want to hear about . I will be happy to express my thoughts about the same. Till then take care and lots of love to everyone. Will meet you next week with another interesting pick.

Que: What is the name of the NGO which Anamika and Nigel start to raise awareness about AIDS?

a. Positive People

b. People Positive

c. People of Goa

d. Peaceful People