Phir Milenge (We'll Meet Again)

Short abstract

Directed by Revathy

Rating: ★★★

Although India is home to the largest film industry in the world, its “reel life” bears little resemblance to real life. The explanation given is that movies need only entertain, as the masses come to the cinema to forget their worries and dreary lives. Thus, plots are often hackneyed: the good poor guy defeats the rich bad guy, winning the damsel in distress in the process. Lately, however, we have begun to see movies that have dared to be different and original.

Figure 1.

Credit: PERCEPT PICTURE CO PVT LTD

Phir Milenge, directed by Revathy, an actress of repute now turned director, is one such film. It takes on the world of HIV and AIDS, a topic that directors have shied away from so far. Tamanna (played by Shilpa Shetty) is an advertising hotshot who discovers that she is HIV positive as a result of a one night stand with her old crush, Rohit (Salman Khan), who has turned up from New York after a gap of 10 years. Her company suddenly finds her “incompetent”—notwithstanding the fact that she has just won some awards—and she loses her job. Sensing clear discrimination in this, she goes to court with the help of a lawyer, Tarun (Abhishek Bacchan).

Shetty is marvellous in her role. She emotes well, whether as the hard working, committed advertising executive or as a grieving woman on learning her HIV status or as someone determined to fight the system. Above all, she has shown bravery in playing an unglamorous role—that of an HIV positive person—again uncommon in Indian films. It would not surprise me if she wins accolades and awards. Khan is subdued, a role he plays to perfection. The conflicting emotions of Shetty's boss, who is also her mentor, are evident on the actor's face. Some of the court scenes are of middling quality and could have been improved. However, the idea of having an unsympathetic woman lawyer acting for the defendant but a man for the plaintiff is new. The film makes no scientifically unsound statements, although a small amount of cinematic licence is taken.

Celebrities the world over have a greater influence on people's thinking, beliefs, and imagination than the most stringent of laws. Philadelphia and And the Band Played On, two remarkable American movies on the topic of HIV and AIDS, are unlikely to have been seen by most Indians. Phir Milenge uses the medium to show people that HIV is not spread by breathing or touching someone or sharing food. Ignorance about the disease is the key problem that society must address, says the lawyer. Significantly, his first reaction was to reject the case and dash off to his doctor for fear of having been infected. Later, his conscience reminds him that his profession is one where making a difference in the life of one person can lead to a change in the lives of many others. Using the advertising world as the background is perhaps a cliche. However, that a single fling—and a heterosexual one at that—can result in HIV infection should get the message across that anyone can become infected. Even a single event of risk taking, in this context, can be dangerous.

HIV will remain a major problem in India for many years. It is estimated that five million people in India are HIV positive, in a population of a little over a billion. The National AIDS Control Organisation's website says that more than 78 000 people have AIDS. Even if people's lack of awareness can be addressed, poverty and other problems will take their toll. Counselling is recommended at the time of collection of a sample for performing the diagnostic test. Most hospitals, however, do not do this for lack of trained counsellors. Even the doctor in this film (which, to my pleasant surprise, is set in the hospital I work in) merely informs her of the positive result, without counselling her.

This film shows that there is hope for Indian cinema. Whether this will translate into hope for India and the world in its struggle with AIDS remains to be seen.