The Role of Popular Narratives in Stimulating the Public Discourse on HIV and AIDS: Bollywood's Answer to Hollywood's Philadelphia.

The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the role of a popular Hindi film, Phir Milenge (We Will Meet Again), in stimulating the AIDS-related public discourse in India. Starring mega-actors and directed by an award-winning director, the Bollywood Hindi film Phir Milenge exemplifies what is commonly referred to as the entertainment-education communication strategy. We discuss the entertainment-education strategy in HIV/AIDS prevention, including the role of popular mainstream feature films in stimulating the public discourse on HIV and AIDS. Our multi-pronged research design to gauge Indian audience responses to Phir Milenge is described, and the results presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]