Phir Milenge ( ***1/2)

Star cast:Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Abhishek Bachchan
Director: Revathy
Running at: New Empire
Rating:***1/2


Rejoice. This is perhaps the first mainstream Hindi film with mainstream actors (like Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia in 1993) to tackle the emotional and social implications of the HIV virus. And the real hero of the film? Unquestionably, Revathy, the director.

Like Mitr, Revathy captures the joie and spirit of the "now" generation of women. We actually know what Tamanna Sahani (Shilpa Shetty) does for a living. She's not one of those Ms Rosy/Neeta type coquettes dreaming away behind a dreary typewriter. She's the creative head of an advertising firm bustling with new-fangled campaign ideas and generating gobs of moolah. Life's coming up roses for Tamanna and her yuppie set of friends. We also learn that a blast from her past re-enters her life in the form of Rohit (Salman Khan) from the US of A.

But destiny wills otherwise and Tamanna contracts the HIV virus. She informs her boss TJ Subramaniam, who is also a mentor of sorts. To her chagrin, he gives her the pink slip and she's served a dismissal notice.

Quite easily done? Not quite. Tamanna decides to slug it out in court. And takes on the firm which has chucked her out in a cavalier fashion. After a series of dejections with lawyers who have never handled a HIV client, hope finally floats in the form of Tarun (Abhishek Bachchan) who relents to take on Tamanna's case. Philadelphia, anyone?

To Revathy's credit the film is neither an indictment of our culture where everyting uncomfortable is swept under the carpet. Nor does it end up as a weepy, disease-movie. Rather, she incites compassion for the extraordinary existence of its lead character and doesn't reduce it to schmaltzy sentimentalism.

Ofcourse there are moments when the film veers dangerously towards being too verbose and preachy(Tarun's last speech in court).One also wishes that Revathy had adopted a livelier pace in the first half. Also, the Shilpa Shetty-Salman romance leaves you with many unanswered questions.

How nave of the worldly-wise Tamanna not to have known that Rohit was a cad. Also, what was that bit about her writing his phone number on her hand? Didn't she know that a google search would have helped her to find Rohit anywhere in the world? Yet for whatever missteps the film makes (framing a deeply tragic character study within the auspices of a courtroom drama, for one), its emotions are indelible and its risk-taking is appreciated.

Spare and elegiac, Phir Milenge benefits immensely from its cast, gorgeous setting (Dakshin Chitra in Chennai) and episodic plot, all of which put maximum focus on the actors and the emotional nuances between their characters. Raja Krishnamurthy as the Tamanna's boss pitches in a fine performance. Ditto South Indian actor Nasser as the senior legal eagle. In a brief cameo, Salman Khan evokes copious amounts of sympathy. As the lithe- spirited lawyer, Abhishek Bachchan is superb segueing effortlessly from careless to caring. He has slowly but surely emerged as a fine actor.

And at long last, shorn of her multi-coloured pancake and affectations, Shilpa Shetty is a happy surprise. Revathy has elicited a bravura performance from her and Shetty makes a huge impact as the brave-heart who refuses to be cowed down by an obdurate legal system.

Phir Milenge is important because it demonstrates the devastating effects of an ailment still discussed in hushed tones, capturing the "it can't happen to me" attitude and the subsequent, realization that, yes, it can. Highly recommended.