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 ...
Matteo and Riccardo are a couple and they are about to celebrate their sixth month of relationship. As they go on a hike, Matteo has an episode where he feels unwell. It is soon revealed that Matteo is HIV-positive. Surprisingly Riccardo doesn't leave and says he will support Matteo. But despite Matteo asking him also to get tested, he doesn't because he is likely afraid to get to know his own status. Matteo, meanwhile, in unsure about what treatment to take. When Matteo suddenly heads off to visit Enzo, Riccardo is initially suspicious, but he soon learns Enzo is Matteo’s uncle. Enzo helps both men process their feelings and gives the couple perspective about managing both the illness and their relationship from his experiences of all these years. He explains them how times in 80s were different for lovers and especially if you got HIV.
I think the film maker was trying to start a conversation around this topic, because believe it or not, with medical advancements, HIV is not that much talked about today but the fear still remains. Many things around HIV have changed today. The medicine has changed, and the illness can be managed. But, I feel the makers failed to bring forward the point. The only talk we hear is from Enzo from back in the day. Even though Riccardo doesn't run away by the news and knows that with undetectable status he is clean with Matteo; but at the same time he is sacred to know his own status. The film is filled with many affectionate and passionate scenes between the two actors who actually do a fantastic job, but then overall as a film, I was very underwhelmed and was expecting so much more. There is literally no conflict or drama here, despite having a strong subject in hands. (5/10)
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