Asukh (1998)

Evocative and provocative, this exquisitely crafted family drama revolves around Rohini, the film-star daughter of Sudhamoy and Geeta. Rohini, at 35, is caught up in an endless whirl of shooting schedules, to the extent that her ageing parents are hardly a part of her life. But things change when two things happen almost simultaneously. Rohini discovers that her longtime boyfriend has been having an affair with another actress.

The second jolt happens when her mother is hospitalised. Caught in the throes of an emotional crisis, Rohini finds the dual role she is called upon to play too difficult to handle. Her father expects her to be a woman in command, but at the same time looks upon her as his little girl.

However, Rohini's greatest challenge occurs after her mother comes home from the hospital. Just when she thought the worst was over, Geeta gets fever and is advised to have her blood tested for HIV. While her parents, ignorant about HIV and allied issues, are at peace with themselves, Rohini is petrified at the prospect of losing her mother.

And because her father could be the only source of infection, she is racked with doubt and fear. How will Rohini deal with the horror of the very idea that her parents could be suffering from AIDS? How will her relationship with her parents be affected? What will the blood tests reveal?