Church makes Bollywood AIDS film

[Guest guest]

Church makes Bollywood Aids film

By Zubair Ahmed, BBC News, Mumbai

Bollywood and the Roman Catholic Church in India have jointly

produced a commercial film highlighting the problem of Aids.

The film Aisa Kyon Hota Hai (Why Does This Happen?) with the

Bollywood staple of music and dance, is releasing across India on

Friday.

Father Dominic Emmanuel, who wrote the screenplay, says the church

was worried about India's eroding values.

India has five million HIV-positive people, official statistics

show.

This is the first time cinemas in Indian cities will show a

commercial film produced by a religious institution.

India's Roman Catholic Church has been worried about the breakdown

in inter-community relationship and the rapid spread of Aids in the

country.

India has the world's highest number of HIV-positive cases, after

South Africa.

Father Dominic says the church chose to spread their message through

the popular medium of Bollywood because of its wide reach.

He believes the film - made in collaboration with YMCA and some

other non-government organisations - is not preachy but has a strong

message.

" The film highlights the dangers of risky sex, " he says.

It also spreads the message of religious harmony in a country which

has experienced Hindu-Muslim clashes and where attacks on churches

and Christians have been on the rise in recent years.

'Not Preachy'

Bollywood heroine Rati Agnihotri, who made her debut in 1981 with

the hit film Ek Duje Ke Liye (For Each Other), plays the role of a

single mother who raises her son.

Newcomer Aryan Vaid, plays the role of the son who contracts Aids

through unsafe sex.

It also features music from well-known singers Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu

Nigam and Alka Yagnik.

The low budget film cost nearly $288,000 and the controversial film-

maker Mahesh Bhatt, whose films are known for steamy, bold scenes,

has helped with the production.

The money made from the film will be spent on good causes, Father

Emmanuel says.

Christians make up about two per cent of India's population of more

than one billion people.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4719970.stm