Guzaarish

Bollywood pays homage to the Oscar-winning Spanish film ‘The Sea Inside’. Like the original, this focuses on an invalid’s legal right to assisted suicide. Ethan (Hrithik Roshan) a wizard becomes a quadriplegic after one of his daring magic tricks goes horribly wrong. His lifeline is his faithful sexy Goan nurse Sofia (Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan). Frustrated, he petitions (‘requests’) the Indian court to grant him ‘Ethanasia’ as he jokes. This handsomely shot and earnestly acted film is solid entertainment which never compromises its emotional integrity or soft-pedals the failure of the Indian judicial system to sanction euthanasia. The sexual chemistry between the two beautiful leads is credible and erotic. Its largely unsentimental treatment of its doomed protagonist results in a surprisingly uplifting weepie.