My Brother... Nikhil (2005)

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Director:

Onir

Writers:

Onir (story)
Amitabh Verma (dialogue)

Release Date:

25 March 2005 (India)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Famous swimmer Nikhil Kapoor (Suri) deals with the repercussions of announcing the fact that he has HIV/AIDS.

Plot Keywords:

Swimmer | Social Outcast | Brother Sister Relationship | AIDS | Homosexual

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Sanjay Suri	...	Nikhil Kapoor
Juhi Chawla	...	Anamika "Anu" Kapoor
Purab Kohli	...	Nigel De Costa
Victor Banerjee	...	Navin Kapoor
Lillete Dubey	...	Anita Rosario Kapoor
Dipannita Sharma	...	Leena Gomes
Gautam Kapoor	...	Sam Fernandez
Shayan Munshi	...	Kelly Menzes
Peeya Rai Chowdhary	...	Catherine
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Agnivesh Barreto
Raineera Barreto
Philip Colaco
Sanya Cotta
Amit Dhawan
Sujoy Ghosh
Sandeep Kulshestra
Shweta Kwatra	...	Advocate Anjali Menzes
Diya Mirza
Keshav Nadkarni
Dev Thakkar

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

India

Language:

English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Goa, India

Company:

Four Front Films

Trivia:

This is the first mainstream Indian film to address the issue of homosexuality.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Schau mir in die Augen, Kleiner (2007)

Drama with a capital D

To draw an audience and gain access to distribution channels in India, the director selected an actress of considerable talent and fame. Her title role (she's the sister of the proud gay man Nikhil about whom the story revolves) no doubt adds mass-market appeal and human warmth to this film.

But it's the writing, directing, and pacing of this drama that pulls you in and never lets you go. There are many aspects of Indian culture touched upon, but the central story is universal. When you watch this film, every little nuance of dialog and on-screen action will immediately resonate with some important person or event from your own life.

It's exceedingly rare to find a screenplay that can accomplish so much in 120 minutes (a pleasant not-too-long length given some of the 3-hour Bollywood fare out there). The director keeps the focus on one four-letter word throughout: LOVE. The family values shown in this film should be seen and felt by everyone.

When I walked into the screening here in Boston, I expected something a lot lighter. Instead I got the AIDS drama of a lifetime, it really blew me away. AIDS has never been among my favorite film topics; there are too many me-too melodramas and preachy films with cardboard characters out there. Be prepared to shed a few tears, not just of sadness but of pure joy at seeing people caring for one another in the way we all want to be loved.

A young doctoral student from China wandered into today's screening by accident, and struck up a conversation to ask me what to expect. He opted to sit through the film instead of touring the art museum. Afterward I asked him if he was glad he saw it. He said no, he's seen a lot of cases (of AIDS-related ostracism) like this in his homeland: it must have been hard for him to watch. But I'll bet he'll remember this story years from now, as I surely will.

This is a thinking and caring person's drama. Don't miss it!