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Straight from his heart
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Playing an HIV positive patient wasn't easy for Sanjay Suri
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Mission possible Sanjay Suri, the default producer PHOTO: S. SUBRAMANIUM
You don't expect to hear this for an opening line from a debutant 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 they tried to incorporate changes into it. Some said, `Is mein gaane dalo.' Others suggested an item number. Some even advised me to make its core subject HIV, 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 crores among ourselves and made a film we wanted to," says Sanjay Suri about My Brother... Nikhil, released to encouraging response.
The message
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 incidents like a HIV positive woman in Guwahati being killed by her in-laws." So I deliberately tried to get across a message to the audience, that is, `what if it happens to me'."
Portraying the HIV positive protagonist himself was another testing phase. "I lost 8 kg for the film. I shaved my head to look ill and went through the intricate details that would form an emotionally charged scene. For instance, I had to transport myself to a position where I felt emotionally drained, thinking, what if somebody in my neighbourhood gets to know of me (Nikhil) being HIV positive, how will he react?
I got so involved in the project that I didn't need glycerine in any scenes in which I had to cry. I must say, the hangover remained for quite a long time," he recalls. The film got a boost when stalwarts such as 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. He chose Juhi Chawla for the role of a sister though she played his wife in Jhankaar Beats. "She exudes warmth, looks supportive, endearing and yet vulnerable. And when Shah Rukh and Aishwarya can play lovers (Mohabbatein) in one film and brother and sister (Josh) in another, why not us?" he questions. 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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