It had to happen: a musical about
euthanasia. Of course, nearly every film coming out of Bollywood is a
musical,
but director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has tried to make Guzaarish (The Request) a
lush melodrama
with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles.
The plot, as in most musicals is not the
most important element. An impossibly handsome Goan magician – the
world’s
greatest – becomes a quadriplegic attended by an impossibly beautiful
and
devoted nurse. After 14 years in a wheelchair, he wants to die. His
mother, an
apprentice magician, and an old flame enter the plot as well. It
culminates in
a courtroom drama. With dancing. And songs.
Controversy is swirling around the film. Actors
have complained that there is too much English in it. A novelist has
sued,
claiming that Mr Bhansali stole the plot of his unpublished novel, and a
lawyer
has sued because it impugns the professional standing of lawyers because
euthanasia is illegal in India. Guzaarish’s launch will take place on
November
19.
