It had to happen: a musical about euthanasia. Of course, nearly every film coming out of Bollywood is a musical, but director Sanjay Leela Bhansali has tried to make Guzaarish (The Request) a lush melodrama with Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles.

The plot, as in most musicals is not the most important element. An impossibly handsome Goan magician – the world’s greatest – becomes a quadriplegic attended by an impossibly beautiful and devoted nurse. After 14 years in a wheelchair, he wants to die. His mother, an apprentice magician, and an old flame enter the plot as well. It culminates in a courtroom drama. With dancing. And songs.

Controversy is swirling around the film. Actors have complained that there is too much English in it. A novelist has sued, claiming that Mr Bhansali stole the plot of his unpublished novel, and a lawyer has sued because it impugns the professional standing of lawyers because euthanasia is illegal in India. Guzaarish’s launch will take place on November 19.