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HBO’s new AIDS documentary visits India
MUMBAI: The ever menacing threat of Aids shows no signs of letting up. And making a further bid at increasing awareness about the dreaded disease is HBO, which has announced that it will air a new documentary special dedicated to this pressing concern. Titled Pandemic:Facing Aids it will air later this year in the US. It has been conceived by writer, producer, director Rory Kennedy.
This documentary takes a unique look at the epidemic, melding intimate personal stories with a global perspective. Pandemic: Facing AIDS comprises five stories of individuals with HIV and AIDS from around the globe including India revealing the diverse impacts that AIDS has had on their lives. The film aims to create a greater awareness and understanding of this epidemic, and to empower people to take action in the international fight against HIV and AIDS.
In India a former truck driver, debilitated by Aids, gives strength to his family and his village, and deals with the stigma associated with Aids. Since this connection is present it won’t come as a surprise if it pops up in the country at a later date.
HBO had earlier aired And The Band Played On which depicted the havoc Aids created in San Francisco. The Russian story focuses on a young couple whose use of IV drugs has left them infected with HIV and struggling with their parents for the right to raise their three-year-old son. We watch them cope with the epidemic in a country where the true scale of the devastation is just beginning to sink in.
At a Buddhist monastery in Thailand, viewers will get a glimpse of the pain that end-stage Aids patients suffer by following one former commercial sex worker on her quest to return to her village and family to die with dignity.
Speaking on the initiative Kennedy said, ” What I filmed in Uganda, India, Thailand, Russia, and Brazil has shaped and expanded my definition of suffering. Yes, I saw people dying from Aids. But I also saw people fighting against Aids people fighting for themselves and their families with incredible dignity and courage. And in this I found hope, in their faces and their stories I found the hope to carry me far beyond the numbers.”
Movie Channels
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat Premieres 14 Feb on Zee
Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat world TV premiere 14 Feb at 8pm passion meets politics.
MUMBAI: Cupid’s arrow just got a plot twist and it’s heading straight for your TV screen. This Valentine’s Day, Zee Cinema is turning up the heat with the world television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat, a raw, rule-breaking romantic drama that proves love doesn’t always come wrapped in roses.
Set to air on Saturday, 14 February at 8pm, the film stars Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, directed by Milap Zaveri. It dives headfirst into obsession, heartbreak, and the kind of unconditional love that leaves scorch marks. Rane plays Vikramaditya, a powerful politician whose all-consuming passion for actress Adaa spirals into chaos when his feelings go unreturned unleashing a storm of emotion, misunderstanding, and life-altering consequences.
The timing couldn’t be sharper. Audiences are clearly craving intense love stories over sugar-coated ones, and this film taps straight into that vein. Harshvardhan Rane already has a loyal fanbase from his cult hit Sanam Teri Kasam, which cemented his status as the go-to guy for heart-wrenching romance especially among younger viewers who keep the film on repeat.
Milap Zaveri captured the film’s beating heart, “This film is about love that doesn’t follow rules. With Valentine’s Day being a time when audiences gravitate towards romantic narratives, the television premiere of Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat on Zee Cinema felt like the perfect fit. The continued love for intense romances shows there is a strong emotional appetite for such stories.”
Rane himself called it a story rooted in messy, honest emotion, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat explores love in its most intense and vulnerable form where emotions are messy and deeply human. It’s a story that doesn’t shy away from passion or pain on Valentine’s Day making it even more special as it reflects the many shades of love people experience.”
Sonam Bajwa added her take, “Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat is not a conventional love story, it’s raw, intense and emotional. Valentine’s Day is usually associated with happy romance but this film explores love in its most vulnerable form.”
So if your Valentine’s plans include more than chocolates and clichés, tune in to Zee Cinema at 8pm on 14 February. Because sometimes the most unforgettable love stories aren’t the ones that end neatly, they’re the ones that leave you questioning just how far passion can push before everything changes.
