''My Brother… Nikhil'' is a 2005

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n film set in

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, based on the life of Dominic d'Souza. The movie portrays the life of the protagonist, Nikhil, from 1987 to 1994, when AIDS awareness in India was considerably low.

Onir Onir (born Anirban Dhar, 1 May 1969) is an Indian film and TV director, editor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his film '' My Brother…Nikhil'', based on the life of Dominic d'Souza, starring Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli ''i ...

, the film director, stated that the film is based on true historical fact, and the standard disclaimer about fictitious content was just a compromise with the Indian government to gain permission to make the film.

Plot

This film is set in

between 1986 and 1994. Nikhil Kapoor (

Sanjay Suri Sanjay Suri (born 6 April 1971) is an Indian actor and film producer of Hindi cinema. He made his debut in the film '' Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999)''. He went on to star in many supporting roles, but finally got his big break with '' Jhankaar ...

) is the state all round swimming champion. His father Navin Kapoor (

Victor Banerjee Victor Banerjee is an Indian actor who appears in English, Hindi, Bengali and Assamese language films. He has worked for directors such as Roman Polanski, James Ivory, Sir David Lean, Jerry London, Ronald Neame, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Shyam ...

) has raised his son to be a sports man, a dream that he never achieved for himself. His elder sister Anamika (

Juhi Chawla Juhi Chawla (born 13 November 1967) is an Indian actress, film producer and entrepreneur. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of Hindi cinema from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Recognised for her comic timing and v ...

) teaches in a primary school and loves him dearly. His mother Anita Rosario Kapoor (

Lillete Dubey Lillete Dubey (born 7 September 1953) is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was the ...

) adores him and from her he inherited his artistic side to his personality. After Nikhil is diagnosed with HIV his life falls apart. He is removed from the swimming team and his parents throw him out of their house. One day he is arrested because he is HIV positive. He is kept in forced isolation by law as the Goa Public Health Act allowed the government to isolate HIV positive people. His parents desert him and his friends move away. The only people who stand by him are his sister Anamika, her boyfriend Sam (Gautam Kapoor) and his friend Nigel (

Purab Kohli Purab Kohli is an Indian television and film actor, model and former video jockey. Career Television Kohli started his career as an actor with the 1998 television show '' Hip Hip Hurray'' on Zee TV and earned recognition through video jockey ...

). Despite facing threats from the community, Anamika and Nigel are able to secure his release with the help of a lawyer. Nikhil is unable to find a job at first, but then becomes a music teacher. Anamika and Nigel start an AIDS assistance organization called People Positive. As Nikhil develops AIDS he is reconciled with his mother and finally his father. After Nikhil's death, his parents begin to treat Nigel like a son.

Reception

The film was highly appreciated worldwide and Juhi Chawla won the Zee Best Actress Critic Award for her performance.

Cast

as Nikhil Kapoor *

as Anamika *

as Navin Kapoor *

Lilette Dubey Lillete Dubey (born 7 September 1953) is an Indian actress and theatre director. She has worked in Indian and international theatre, television and films in Hindi and English languages. Dubey began her career with Barry John in Delhi and was the ...

as Anita Rosario Kapoor *

as Nigel D'Costa *

Dipannita Sharma Dipannita Sharma (born 2 November 1979) is an Indian actress and model. Career Sharma came into the limelight after making it to the final five of the Miss India 1998 contest. She also won 'Miss Photogenic' title in the same contest. She has wa ...

as Leena Gomes *

Shayan Munshi Shayan Munshi is an Indian actor and model. He made his debut in the 2003 Bollywood film Jhankaar Beats and has performed in award-winning films such as ''The Bong Connection'' and ''Carnival''. Shayan has hosted Television series like ''Cook Na ...

as Kelly Menzes * Gautam Kapoor as Sam Fernandes *

Peeya Rai Chowdhary Peeya Rai Chowdhary is an Indian actress. Peeya Rai was married to model Shayan Munshi, who was a controversial witness in the murder trial of Jessica Lal. in 2006, but separated from him in 2010. She played Lakhi in Gurinder Chadha's '' Bri ...

as Catherine *

Sujoy Ghosh Sujoy Ghosh is an Indian film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. He has directed ''Jhankaar Beats'' (2003), '' Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak'' (2005), '' Aladin'' (2009), ''Kahaani'' (2012), ''Kahaani 2'' (2 ...

in a Special Appearance *

Dia Mirza Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and social worker who predominantly works in Hindi films. Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Mis ...

in a Special Appearance

Soundtrack

References

External links

* *
''My Brother... Nikhil''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

review
''My Brother... Nikhil''

AfterElton TheBacklot.com (TheBacklot), founded in January 2005 as AfterElton.com (AfterElton), was a culture website that focused on the portrayal of gay and bisexual men in the media and was the companion site of AfterEllen.com (AfterEllen). TheBacklot wa ...

review {{DEFAULTSORT:My Brother...Nikhil 2005 films 2000s Hindi-language films HIV/AIDS in Indian films Indian LGBT-related films Films set in 1987 Films set in 1994 Films set in Goa LGBT-related films based on actual events Films distributed by Yash Raj Films 2005 LGBT-related films 2005 directorial debut films