In 2001, when Sangzela Tlau, the then owner of Zozam Times, released his debut feature film, Sensiari, it had been eleven years since Mizoram recorded its first HIV/AIDS case
Sensiari went on to become the most critically acclaimed film in the state’s history, but what some may not have realised is that it was famous for a reason: the director had put his whole heart into the film’s production because it was produced with a purpose – to become an HIV/AIDS awareness movie.
In the movie, the protagonist dies due to HIV/AIDs with the female lead having contracted the illness. Now, twenty-five years later, preparations are ongoing for a sequel, one that will again focus on an HIV/AIDS message.
Mizoram continues to record the highest adult HIV prevalence in India. According to the latest data from the Mizoram State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), 35,086 HIV-positive cases have been detected in the state since the first case was recorded in October 1990.
Of these, 29,359 people are registered for antiretroviral therapy (ART), while 26,507 have started treatment. MSACS has also recorded 6,471 deaths among people living with HIV/AIDS.
The state’s adult HIV prevalence currently stands at 2.75%, significantly higher than the national prevalence of 0.20%. Mizoram also recorded the highest estimated HIV incidence in the country in 2024, at 0.90 per 1,000 uninfected population, compared with the national estimate of 0.05, according to the National AIDS Control Organisation’s India HIV Estimation 2025 report.
Despite the high prevalence, Mizoram has seen a decline in new HIV infections in recent years. MSACS data show that the number of people testing HIV-positive among general clients fell from 2,557 in 2018-19 to 1,628 in 2025-26, while the positivity rate declined from 5.28% to 2.22% over the same period.
For the first Sensiari movie in 2001, the funders were the Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR), a humanitarian and developmental relief arm of Lutheran churches in Canada, founded in March 1946.
According to Dr Jane Rinsangi Ralte, Project Director, Mizoram State Aids Control Society, “The relief group had come to Mizoram, and they had travelled across districts to understand how they could spread awareness on HIV/AIDS. I had introduced to them the concept of spreading awareness through the entertainment sector and had provided justification for the same,” she said. The group decided to fund the movie.
The Project Director emphasised the need to send a strong message to young people today. “The first Sensiari film created strong awareness. However, at that time, the main reason for the spread of HIV/AIDS was injecting drug users (IDU). Today, sexual transmission is the main mode of transmission. We need to send a strong message to the youth,” she said.
Ralte said Mizoram’s HIV prevalence remains significantly higher than the national average. According to her, Mizoram’s prevalence is around 15 times the national average and about five times that of Nagaland.
On why MSACS has turned to cinema to create awareness, Ralte explained, “We need new ways to create awareness, and that is why we have planned Sensiari II as a means of reaching people through entertainment. We are aware of the seriousness of the situation, and there is a need to educate people about HIV and how it can be prevented. Through Sensiari II, we want to combine education, entertainment and awareness in a new way. We want to produce the film carefully and are working with a talented filmmaker from Mizoram,” Dr Jane Ralte said.
The film, Sensiari, created a statewide sensation because of its storyline, cinematography, and because it was the first film in the state shot on a DV cam. The director, Sangzela Tlau, told EastMojo about his passion for the message when directing the film.
“At that time I had organised the first discussion on HIV/AIDS on TV, and when it came upon me to direct a film to spread a message on HIV/AIDS awareness I put my whole heart into it as this was a cause I was passionate about and I hope and believe that it had the impact we had set out to achieve,” he said.
Sensiari II will be directed by Raymond Colney, an emerging filmmaker in the Mizo film scene known for socially relevant storytelling. His critically acclaimed films include Mi Bo (Missing Person), Eleison (Have Mercy) and Maimizial, which won first prize at the Mizo Short Film Competition 2026. Mi Bo was screened as part of the “Windows into the Northeast” programme at the India International Centre in Delhi.
Talking about the ongoing shoot for Sensiari II, Raymond told EastMojo that Sensiari II will not continue the first movie’s storyline. The plan, he said, is for Sensiari II to be a whole new experience. “The tagline of the movie will be ‘The weight of what we believe in,’ and it will be based on true events,” he explained.
The shoot, funded by the MSACS with a budget of Rs 17 lakh, is ongoing, and they expect to release it around the first week of December.
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