Everything about the party was perfect: a prestigious venue, tasty food, tranquil ambience, soft music, the who’s who of attendees … a host, gracious to the point of being patronizing… the guests, well behaved to the point of being plastic…. Many remarked that such a party had neither been organized nor attended for many moons now. Everybody, including the critics and detractors were pleased with the proceedings. An ideal party in all ways!

And then he walked in….

A sudden hush descended on the party…. It was as if the party had just got a wisp of death… suddenly, everybody was as determined to exit as if the entrant was not a man but death itself…. the host was as lost as a condemned man staring at his death … in minutes it was all over…. The party as well as the people!

Why? Well… the new arrival had AIDS!

Welcome to the world of human beings wherein, not satisfied with the distinctions of race and religion; caste, creed and community; sex and sexuality, we – the paragons of human destiny - have come up with a new discrimination, one based on a virus – HIV!

High time for I was surprised that man who had the audacity to partition lands, winds, seas, skies, Gods and everything on earth and in space would wait and remain silent when it came to the virus… Indeed it was not to be so… for Man proved himself yet again and yet another discrimination was born. And so I come here today to discuss the discrimination that is the real bane of a man afflicted with the virus- discrimination so rabid that it transforms the infected person into the dead long before he’s dead.

Discrimination is so deeply rooted in the human psyche that it takes guts to talk about something as ingrained as this hydra-headed serpent… and hence it’s commendable on the part of Revathy to come out with a movie that addresses discrimination of a set of people for having contracted an affliction, much to their misfortune. The movie also raises a poignant point when it strives to understand whether society has the right to condemn someone for his actions or does the individual’s right to dignity is sacred.

Phir Milenge is a beautiful movie… a movie that goes beyond the hype and hoopla of the condition but bores deep into the life of the affected person and depicts sincerely the trauma and the humiliation the patient undergoes on a daily basis. The movie does not preach but in it’s own imposed silence points out the festering wounds on human polity and makes a telling statement on the same.

Shilpa Shetty as Tamanna performs the role of a lifetime with a brilliant portrayal of a boisterous and brilliant woman who finds herself caught and strangled in the twin cages of HIV and discrimination. As a rose that slowly gets crushed in the hands of fate, Shilpa is absolutely natural. Watch out for that dreamy quality when she meets Salman at a party after years, the shock on being informed about her affliction, the depression that she undergoes, the betrayal that is writ large on her face on being informed about her dismissal, the grit she displays to fight her case in the court… just goes about to prove yet once again what a good director and a good script can achieve if the focus is unswerving and the actor unyielding.

Salman Khan in a cameo performance impresses immensely. The actor has a few scenes to get into the skin of his role but he not only manages to enter into the character but towards the end of the movie also manages to do the impossible –to gather sympathy from a crowd that blames him for Shilpa’s plight. Watch out for those poignant silences, they are immensely empathic and draw you deep into the psyche of a man who’s waiting for death to claim his body while his soul longs for another go at life. The sense of guilt is reinforced by his eyes that quiver but cannot connect, as his attempt to live is resplendent on his face like the rays of a fast-vanishing dusk.

Abhishek Bachchan as the lawyer who fights for Shilpa delivers a commendable performance. Although he proves his métier in the initial scenes, he fails to take the role to another dimension with his monologue, which unfortunately is the only jarring point in an otherwise perfect screenplay. The role of a conscientious lawyer has been done to death by a number of brilliant actors but Abhishek manages to put his own spin to the character.

Mita Vashisht plays the role of a prosecuting attorney to perfection. The role is a continuation of the one she did in Ghulam but Mita manages to add a different shade to the role and manages to hold her own in a shallow characterization. Her ruthlessness shines through the courtroom and makes a joke of all the other actors.

Kamalinee Mukherjee as Tamanna’s younger sibling is absolutely endearing. Although her voice could do with a little modulation training, and she would do well to curb her spontaneity at times, the girl performs each and every scene with a quiet aggression that marks her out as a potential actress of the future. Although in the initial stages, she is just like any other kid on the block, her maturity towards the end is what makes you sit up and take notice.

The supporting cast is all fired up… specifically Nasser who shines as Abhishek’s no-nonsense and practical legal mentor. Somayajulu endears himself to the viewers in his short cameo. Revathy is commendable as the doctor and her performance is a study of how a brilliant actor can control his expressions, gestures and facial movements without making a mockery of the urgency of the scene.

The music, although composed by a medley of composers fails to connect with the story and hence there are no memorable gems for one inclined. However, the background musical score scores in its innovative orchestration… especially with the usage of the drums, the violin and the piano.

Revathy proves her capabilities by creating a movie that goes beyond the ordinary. Although the film is clearly inspired by the Tom Hanks classic Philadelphia, to her credit, director not only manages to indianise the script but also presents it in a highly coherent narration. The subtle hints of passion have been captured so beautifully that there is no hint of the vulgar. Also, look out for subtle hints of discrimination like the hesitant handshake, the drooping of jaws and the alienation of friends that have all been wonderfully captured. Revathy proves her competence by using everyday gestures to prove her point and wisely stays away from clichéd mannerisms. Even then, the movie fails to become a modern-day classic since somewhere down the line the empathy painstakingly created over the first half is lost.

In retrospect, in one of the lingering scenes of the movie, the young Kamalinee looks back at her sister and firmly chides her by saying that if you do not want others to discriminate against you, first and foremost learn to respect yourself. Maybe this particular statement is the need of the day.

Nothing could have conveyed the message in a better way.

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