Although we rarely look to films to provide an educational experience, we expect to be entertained by the big screen at the very least. Real topics with a real impact were never pushed forward in the pipelines. But now, the world is changing and since cinema is a mere reflection of society, we’re only expecting filmmakers to get with the times. In recent years, we have seen a rise in the number of films that focus on taboo topics and the applause is audible all over the world. With movies like Pad Man and Toilet Ek Prem Katha talking about personal problems in a sensitive yet impactful way, Bollywood is marking a significant turning point in the kind of stories it is telling.
Mental Health has always been a topic that people shy away from – possibly because of a dire lack of knowledge in understanding that this is a reality. A lot of films in the past have shown mental health issues as something laughable or as a show of lack of strength, however the tide has turned and with an increase in the number of people speaking up, Bollywood has started listening. Dear Zindagi was a box office hit not just because of the A-list celebrities that adorned the screen. This movie became a personal therapy session that, at the very least, started a conversation in even the most orthodox and strict families.
“Judgmental Hai Kya?” is the next movie we’re keeping our eyes and ears peeled for – it deals with mental health and hallucinations. In a country that believes in the supernatural, we can only hope that people stop taking patients riddled with schizophrenia to priests or pandits. They deserve the actual mental health care they need and they must be treated with the utmost respect because they’re dealing with so much more than we can imagine. Bollywood has begun to embrace taboo topics, which has aided in uncomfortable conversations on the dinner table. It’s our hope that they keep on this path and soon the word ‘taboo’ will cease to exist from the dictionary of filmmakers.
