This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
George is a middle class man working a corporate job. He hooks. Up one night with Simeon, who had been hanging out with his homophobic friends earlier. Its only the next day that George sees Simeon working a Kapana stand. Since Simeon is in closet, he initially freaks out but eventually gives in and a sort of love relationship starts between the two men, although that still bothers Simeon when they are in public. George on the other hand has good support both from his colleagues and family. As you can expect, there is forced drama when Simoen suddenly finds out that George is actually HIV positive and feels been lied to. George explains him his point of view and Simeon's sister finally educates him about HIV and PrEP. Finally Simeon gets his head around and gets back together with George.
The film doesn't end on a clear note whether Simeon is now ok with being out and open being who he is. I guess Namibia's Jawas don't make it easy. But with a supportive family, you can also see that George is able to live almost freely being who he is. The production quality is quite alright and decent story but it never manages to go beyond just an ordinary story. It had the potential for being emotional and gripping, but the acting seems quite forced. You never connected with any actor to feel for them and that, in my opinion, is a huge flaw. Having said that, since the film is only an hour long, and I was quite focussed on what's going on. Its an easy breezy watch. The film has been produced by an activism group, which I think deserves special mention and kudos for taking such a brave step in trying to educate not only people from their country but also internationally.
Kapana is not a perfect film by any means, but when you take into account the country, the laws and probably the first gay film, this is still worthy of your time and will give you a different look into Namibian queer relationships, relationships with someone living with HIV while highlighting the power of love. (5.5/10)
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