There have been endless talks about how Bollywood has entertained and educated society. Cinema has always been considered a strong source tool for enlightening the masses about sensitive matters like mental health. Over the years, the Hindi film industry has evolved in its depiction of psychological struggles, moving from caricatured portrayals to more nuanced narratives that spark conversations.
For instance, a report in Vogue mentioned an example of how a movie helped an individual to start considering mental illness as a true ailment. According to the portal Bhavani Iyer, the screenwriter of Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Black,’ narrated that her house help told her that her (house help’s) father-in-law was suffering from ‘Black wali beemari.’. “She didn’t say he’s gone mad or something to that effect. She didn’t know what it was, but there was a certain degree of understanding that this is an illness, which cannot be lumped in with others,” mentioned Bhavani Iyer.
In a conversation with ETimes, Dr. Dona Singh, a clinical psychologist, also mentioned that after ‘Taare Zameen Par,’ she saw how more parents came forward to talk about their child’s dyslexia. They got a better understanding that dyslexia is a neurological problem, and the person suffering from it requires proper medical attention. The movie also gave them the courage to start speaking about the matter.
Dona Singh said that the parents who visited her confessed, “We didn’t know about these problems; we got an understanding after watching the film.”
However, has every movie made on mental health issues been able to do justice to the topic? How aptly and carefully is Bollywood dealing with a topic as sensitive as mental health? Here in this long-form we discuss the topic in detail:
The stigma and stereotypes
In the earlier days, Bollywood had a more sensational way of dealing with mental health issues. Exaggerated performances and misleading storylines were more than a common sight. Mental illness was depicted more through fear, humor, or outright villainy. And how can we forget the poorly lit asylums?
Movies such as ‘Khamoshi’ (1969) and ‘Kudrat Ka Kanoon’ (1987) are a few examples where the portrayals reinforced stereotypes instead of promoting understanding.
Characters facing psychological challenges were often portrayed as violent, irrational, or wholly disconnected from reality, which perpetuated damaging stereotypes. Instead of delving into the complexities of mental illness, these stories typically used the cliché of a troubled protagonist finding “healing” through love or divine intervention.
Weighing in on how cinema concentrates more on drama than talking about the actual issue, Dr. Dona Singh said, “It has been noticed that makers chose to make the plot melodramatic, and they chose stereotypical subjects. They try to add more cinematic elements.”
“Movies have a lot of power, and a lot of good things can be done through this medium. However, for the sake of drama, we deviate from the issue. For instance, whenever a mentally ill patient is shown, most of the time he is shown as a violent, aggressive person. Having said that, let me add that the depiction is much better today, as earlier for every mental issue the ultimate solution shown in movies was shock therapy,” she added.
“So a lot of patients come to us asking in fear, will there be shock therapy? Will we be chained? It is all a lack of correct information. Be it mental health, hypnotherapy, or magic, these are the subjects people aren’t aware of. So whatever they see in the movie in respect to these topics, they believe it,” said Dr. Singh.
She continued, “You have a lot of responsibility when you make a movie about such a topic. If you show the person suffering only as aggressive, then people will think the patient is mad.”
Reel vs. real therapy
For most mental health issues, people are given both medication and therapy. Doctors believe that while medicine helps soothe the pain and makes the journey a bit easier, therapy helps cure things from the root. Films like Dear Zindagi (2016), starring Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan, offer an insightful take on therapy and emotional well-being.
The movie showed the protagonist who seeks help from a psychologist without being labeled as “crazy.” The main idea was to normalize the dialogue on mental healthcare. However, the way Shah Rukh Khan portrayed the role of a ‘therapist’ wasn’t lauded by several medical professionals. The ways of therapy shown in the movie and the emotional bond shared between him and Alia were called out for being unprofessional and unethical.
In various other films as well, a therapist’s room is shown in a sky-rising building with a view and a couch. Yes, the couch is a must! However, the reality of the profession paints a different picture.
“None of the movies have come close to showing how professional therapy is done. Therapy is confined to a room. No, we don’t go out on a beach; we don’t have all those fancy things. A lot of patients have told me they were expecting a couch, and all you have is a small room with just a few chairs and a table. It is like any other medical profession. Would you expect your physician to check you on a beach? Similar is the case with therapy,” said Dr. Dona Singh.
She also highlighted how therapists in movies are shown as over-friendly, and in reality, it goes against their set ethics. “As a therapist, I am not supposed to be over-friendly; I am not supposed to give therapy in a cafe. That simply doesn’t happen. The maximum we do is a home visit. However, there also we would not be sipping coffee and having snacks and discussing things over a good spread.”
On the same subject, Dr. Rajesh Kumar, MD Psychiatry, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, added, “‘Dear Zindagi’ picked up a very beautiful topic, but the way it showed how the doctor and patient are cycling and having meals together was wrong. It was far from reality. For us, boundaries are very important.”
Speaking on boundaries, he highlighted how in the Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan starrer, it was shown how the patient fell for the therapist. In addition to this, there were hints that Khan also had some admiration for Alia. He said, “When a patient feels for a therapist, it is called transference. When it is reciprocated by the therapist, it is called countertransference. So, when you see that movie, the basic idea of therapy and the ethics involved have not been correctly shown.”
So, does the problem lie in the execution of the issue?
Dr. Rajesh Kumar mentioned that over the last ten to fifteen years, it has been observed that Bollywood has been picking good topics, but the way they are depicted lacks in serving the purpose.
“Media is a very good teacher. Its reach can’t be described in words. People believe blindly in what is shown on the screen. Therefore, it is important that once they pick the right topic, they do justice to it. If you see in Hollywood, there’s ‘A Beautiful Mind’ and ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ that got everything on point. On the other hand, in Bollywood, we lack a little. For instance, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ was such a beautiful movie; it helped so many parents in diagnosing the learning disabilities in their children. It was very much on point with the diagnosis of the matter; however, it lacked in setting the tone right with its conclusion,” said Dr. Rajesh.
He continued, “In the end, it was shown that the child must have been given more liberty with his choices. However, that is not the end solution. There are many day-to-day activities that a child suffering from dyslexia can benefit from if added to his routine. Several school activities can help him. Also, dyslexia is not the only learning disability; various other conditions fall in the same bracket, which I believe should have been mentioned, if not elaborated on, in the movie.”
A movie comes with its own limitations, including everything in 3 hours of film can be challenging! Weighing in on this thought, Dr. Rajesh said, “See, if we talk about ‘Taare Zameen Par’ again, then you are focusing on your theme, the mental condition of a child. You didn’t deviate into a love story or anything else, so in this case, you should have added a chapter that would have talked about the medical care.”
“Films that are centered on mental health should do justice to their theme, as that is their central story and not a 20-min subplot,” he added.
What can be done better?
“The input of medical professionals should be taken at every point when making a film on such a topic. The final script and output should be reviewed by a medically certified professional before it is presented to the audience. Right now, I am also working with a scriptwriter for a serial dealing with mental health. So I have given them the main concept, and the episodes will now be crafted accordingly,” said Dr. Kumar.
Understanding that mental healthcare is no joke
“Also, through your portal, I would also like to request not to joke about mental conditions and mental health care. For instance, shock therapy, which is used for patients suffering from schizophrenia, depression, and psychosis, should not be used as a mode to induce laughter or add deviation in a movie. I remember that in a movie it was shown that during an electric therapy, the actor pulls off the wires and takes the current directly, and it was all shown in a comedic light. Please don’t show such things. We still get patients asking us, “Will the shock therapy be exactly as it was shown in the movies?” Then we explain that no, it is a registered method of treatment where a regulated amount of current is given to the brain,” shared Dr. Rajesh.
He added that shock therapy is one of the best treatments, which currently is used as a last resort. With the advancement in medicine and a better understanding of the need for medical care in mental conditions, shock therapy is only used for severe cases.
Dr. Rajesh also mentioned that the word ‘pagal’ in any language or slang should not be misused. He acknowledged how the Bollywood industry, to an extent, understands this issue, and thus, the title of Kangana Ranaut’s movie ‘Mental Hai Kya’ was changed to ‘Jugdementall Hai Kya.’
For the unversed, the 2019 movie, starring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, was initially criticized for its insensitive title, which was seen as trivializing mental illness. Following backlash from mental health professionals and advocacy groups, the title was changed to ‘Judgementall Hai Kya.’. Kangana Ranaut defended the film, arguing that it aimed to challenge societal perceptions rather than mock mental illness.
Big banners need to take big responsibility
Toward the end of the conversation, Dr. Rajesh highlighted, “Big production banners, producers need to make movies on such topics. Art movies will not be able to reach the masses or will not be able to leave an impression as huge as a big-budget movie with star value.” “So, this is another request to Bollywood,” he concluded.
