'This Is It' for Jackson fans

PANAJI: For one last time, the Thriller returns. On the big screen, that is. A documentary on Michael Jackson's last days, 'This Is It', releasing today, lets you take one last peek at the Man in the Mirror. It's already been four months since his unexpected death, but the crotch-grabbing, falsetto-hitting king of pop's aura just refuses to die down.And not surprisingly, expectations for the film are high. "It'salmost like seeing Michael alive," says Nikhil Gangavane, founder of theofficial Indian Michael Jackson fan club. Others, like Aries Fernandes, thinkthe film will be close to real but that "a movie will never do justice to hislegacy". The Margao-based sound engineer had his date with the legend set onJanuary 7, 2010 in London. "Watching him live would be an altogether differentexperience, something I will never be able to see...," he rues.'ThisIs It' was conceptualized after the star's death on June 25 this year ignitedunprecedented mourning, grief and sympahty worldwide. The film is directed byKenny Ortega, who was also to direct the series of 50 ill-fated concerts thatJackson would have performed at London's O2 Arena. The movie is pieced togetherfrom over 100 hours of rehearsal footage, and is presently scheduled to run fortwo weeks.A month after advance bookings opened, the film hasgarnered a lot of curiosity. "There've been lots of enquiries, especially fromschool and college-going students," says Joseph Pereira, unit manager of Inox,Goa, himself an ardent Jackson fan. He says the response has forced him toincrease the number of screenings per day from the originally-contemplated one,to five. Sony Pictures Entertainment, the film's distributor, hasrecognized the interest 'This Is It' has invoked from non-Metros. "Curiosityabout the film has been huge in smaller centres, so we will be releasing it insmaller towns. However, we will not be dubbing the film in Hindi," says AnjaliMalhotra, spokesperson for Sony.'This Is It' has received advanceaccolades from Jackson's long-time friend Elizabeth Taylor, who enjoyed aprivate screening. She said "the film should be nominated in every categorypossible", adding in a series of tweets, "It is the single most brilliant pieceof filmmaking I have ever seen. It cements forever Michael's genius in everyaspect of creativity." However, it would be foolish to believe that all is rosy, for some fans have demanded that 'now they want the truth'. The 'This is not it' online campaign rues the fact that Jackson deserved the help he wasn't given. The campaign says "The true story behind it is one of neglect, greed, and inhumanity," and appeals that if you see the film, you should do so with different eyes. But with whichever eyes you see it, the poemMichael Jackson recites towards the end, Planet Earth, is bound to get many alacrimal gland moving in unison. His final sign-off? "Planet earth, gentle andblue, with all my heart, I love you." The Thrill's gone.