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Oh brother!
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Playing an HIV positive patient wasn't easy for Sanjay Suri in his film
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Photo: S. Subramanium
FILMY FUNDAThe film's high on effort, low on budget, says Sanjay
You don't quite expect to hear this for an opening line from a debutante producer: "I did not want to turn producer." Why did he then?
"I had a nice script. I went to many producers, but each time every producer tried to incorporate changes in it according to his own whims and fancies. Some said `Is mein gaane dalo' some others suggested an item number. Some even advised me to make its core subject HIV as a subplot. So its integrity was getting lost. Finally, I decided to produce the film on my own. And my old friends Vicky Tejwani, Onir and Raj Kaushal (of Shaadi Ka Ladoo fame) joined hands with me. We divided the budget of Rs. 2.5 crore among ourselves and made a film that we wanted to," says a beaming Sanjay Suri about his film My Brother... Nikhil, released to encouraging response.
It is the story of swimming champion Nikhil, played by Sanjay, who, when he discovers he is HIV positive, finds his family's attitude changing towards him. His sister, played by Juhi Chawla, is his only emotional support. "The research part was a revelation in many ways," relates Sanjay. "I got to know of things like an HIV positive woman in Guwahati being killed by her in-laws."
Portraying the HIV positive protagonist himself was another testing phase. "It was physically very taxing. I lost eight kg for the film. It was not easy to portray a terminally ill patient. I shaved my head to look ill and went through the intricate details that would form an emotionally charged scene."
The film got a boost when stalwarts like Victor Banerjee and Lillete Dubey immediately agreed to work in it without bothering about money. "Their acting skills brought more respect to the film," says Sanjay.
This "high on effort, low on budget" film, he says, is meant for urban audiences. "Even if it makes one family in each city think, my purpose is met," he declares.
RANA SIDDIQUI
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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