MUMBAI, Oct 3 (Reuters Life!) - A Bollywood director is using comedy to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in India, a country that has the world's third highest caseload living with the virus.
"Everybody comes to the theatre for entertainment and hates when someone gets preachy through a film," said director Prabhakar Shukla of the film "Anamika".
"I wanted to use comedy to lighten the tone of my subject which is a very serious one," he said. "My film is about relationships, about love and courage."
The recent box office success of films with more serious subjects such as relationships, riots and terrorist attacks has prompted Bollywood to break away from its standard song-and-dance-romance formula.
India, where about 2.5 million people are infected, has made few films on HIV/AIDS, including "Phir Milenge" (We Will Meet Again) and the acclaimed "My Brother Nikhil".
Discrimination against AIDS patients is predominant in India where families often disown HIV-positive members and children with disease are frequently thrown out of schools.
AIDS activists say lack of awareness, widespread stigma and discrimination have contributed to paranoia about the virus, although the country reported its first case over 20 years ago.
Shooting of "Anamika" is expected to begin in November, Shukla said.
source
"Everybody comes to the theatre for entertainment and hates when someone gets preachy through a film," said director Prabhakar Shukla of the film "Anamika".
"I wanted to use comedy to lighten the tone of my subject which is a very serious one," he said. "My film is about relationships, about love and courage."
The recent box office success of films with more serious subjects such as relationships, riots and terrorist attacks has prompted Bollywood to break away from its standard song-and-dance-romance formula.
India, where about 2.5 million people are infected, has made few films on HIV/AIDS, including "Phir Milenge" (We Will Meet Again) and the acclaimed "My Brother Nikhil".
Discrimination against AIDS patients is predominant in India where families often disown HIV-positive members and children with disease are frequently thrown out of schools.
AIDS activists say lack of awareness, widespread stigma and discrimination have contributed to paranoia about the virus, although the country reported its first case over 20 years ago.
Shooting of "Anamika" is expected to begin in November, Shukla said.
source
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