Actor-Director Roopa Iyer’s much awaited Kannada film Mukhaputa,’’ about children suffering from HIV/AIDS, is expected to hit the silver screen in the first week of January.
The film has won five awards at international film festivals including awards in Ireland and California. Roopa is making preparations to screen it at 120 film festivals across the world.
“My objective is to create awareness among the public on HIV positive children. There are wrong notions about HIV positive people in the society.
There is a lot of discrimination and stigma against people living with HIV,’’ says Roopa. If everything goes as per plan, Roopa intends to release the film in January. “I will be screening the film in one of the theatres in Bangalore. This film is not made to earn a profit but to create awareness. I am also not expecting it to complete a 100-day screening. I will be happy if it has an impact on the society,’’ explains Roopa.
Apart from directing, Roopa also acted in this film. She plays an educated woman who adopts an HIV positive girl child. “My character in this film conveys the message that HIV patients need love and not sympathy. I want to remove many misconceptions about AIDS from the minds of the people,’’ narrates Roopa. Roopa is busy as she is preparing for a fashion show at Dr B R Ambedkar Bhavan on December 9. Orphan children will share the ramp along with wellknown models from Bangalore.
“The objective of the fashion show is not only to generate funds for orphans and flood relief work but also to remind the responsibility of every citizen, including models, towards the society,’’ says Roopa.
She said that she received very good feedback from foreigners about Mukhaputa. She claimed that after she screened the film, two or three people came forward to adopt HIV positive children. “I think that I have achieved what I wanted if the response of foreigners is of any indication,’’ adds Roopa with a smile.