There has been done endless talks about how Bollywood have entertained and educated society. Cinema has always been consulted 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 nuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
For institution, a report in vogue mentioned an example of how a movie helped an individual to start consider mental illness as a true ailment. According to the portal bhavani Iyer, the screenwriter of Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan’s’ ‘Black wali beemii.’. She Didn’T say he’s gone mad or somenting to that effect. She didn’t know what it was, but there was a certain degree of undersrstanding that this is an illness, which cannot be lumped in with others, “Mentioned Bhavani Iyer.
In a conversation with Etimes, Dr. Dona SinghA clinical psychologist, also mentioned that after ‘taare zameen par,’ She saw how more parents came forward to talk about their child’s dyslexia. They get a better undersrstanding 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 about these problems; We get an undersrstanding after watching the film. “
However, hasover, has always movie made on men 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 discus the topic in detail:
The Stigma and Stereotypes
In the earlier days, bollywood had a more sensational way of dealing with mental health issues. Exagged performance 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 perfetted damaging stereotypes. Intead of delving into the complexities of mental illness, these stories typically used the click of a Troubled Protagonist Finding “Healing” through “Through or Divine intervention.
Weising in on how cinema concentrages 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 Il 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 shocke 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 are available aware of. So Whitever 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 easy, 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-bie.
The movie showed the protagonist who seeks help from a psychologist with being as “crazy.” The main idea was to normalize the dialogue on mental health. 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 hem and alia was called out for being unprofessional and neethical.
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 the 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 less a less 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 doesnys. The maximum we do do is a home visit. However, there also we would not be sipping coffee and having snacks and discusing things over a good spores. “
On the same subject, Dr. Rajesh Kumar, MD Psychiatry, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist, Added, ” Dear Zindagi ‘Picked Up A Vry Beautiful Topic, but the way it showed how the doctors and patient are cycling and having meals toge 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 starr, it was shown how the patient fell for the therapist. In addition to this, there was 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 countersference. So, when you see that movie, the basic idea of therapy and the ethics involved have not ben 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 very ben picking good topics, but the way they are depicted laces 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 thought a beautiful movie; It helped so many parents in diagnising the Learning disabilities in their child. 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 days-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 Bollywood 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 conducted on mental health should do justice to their theme, as that is their center 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 according, ”said Dr. Kumar.
Undersrstanding 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 laundter 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 treatment, which currently is used as a last responsibility. With the advancement in medicine and a better understanding of the need for medical care in mental conditions, shopk therapy is only used for severe cases.
Dr. Rajesh also mentioned that the word ‘pagal’ in any language or slang should not be Misuned. He Acknowledded How the Bollywood Industry, to an extent, undertands this issue, and thus, the title of kangana ranaut’s ranaut’s movie ‘mental hai kya kya’ was changed to ‘ Hai kya,
For the universed, the 2019 movie, Starring Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao, was initially criticized for its Insensitive Title, which was seen as trivializing mentaling. 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 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 get 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.
