Bollywood movies that talked about important issues

Bollywood movies have always been known for their larger than life portrayals and colorful cinematography. With singing, dancing and lots of drama and action, they make an all-in-one entertainment package. But that’s not all there is to them. While they do entertain through conventional means, they also raise topics that are unconventional. Issues that make up a major part of our society but are hardly talked about or just plain ignored.
Here are a few movies that did exactly that –

PADMAN

Talking about women’s health in India and that too menstrual health? Not unless it’s the main focus of a multi starer Bollywood flick. Padman is a 2018 drama-comedy that stars Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, and Radhika Apte. It’s the story of Laxmikant, who takes it upon himself to create affordable, sanitary pads and raise awareness about menstrual health after he sees his wife, Gayatri suffering. It was inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu.

PINK

Pink is a 2016 movie starring Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu and Kirti Kulhari. It raises the issues of Gender Inequality, harassment, blame-shifting and society’s overall apathetic attitude towards the increasing crime rate against women.
A must-watch movie for the way it handles such sensitive issues and the star-cast’s splendid performances.

CHAAPAK

Deepika Padukone starred Chaapak is inspired by the life of Laxmi Agarwal, an acid-attack survivor and social activist. It also stars Vikrant Massey and Anand Tiwari. It raises a sensitive issue but does it in a beautiful yet heart-wrenching way. Deepika’s portrayal of Malti will make you cry but at the same time, her strength is something inspiring.

MASAAN

Masaan is a 2015 drama-romance which talks about casteism, corruption and the social stigma around pre-marital relations. It is directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and boasts of a super-talented cast assemblage which includes Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chaddha, Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, and Pankaj Tripathi.
For this one, we have no words as we don’t want to undermine the impact and message this film delivers. So do watch it… if you haven’t already.

SWADES

Shah Rukh Khan stared 2004 movie Swades talks about the brain drain that most of the developing countries face, India is no different. It’s considered one of King Khan’s best works and a must-watch movie if you want a story that’s both meaningful and musically sound.

TABLE NO. 21

One word for this one- Underrated. Rajeev Khandelwal and Paresh Rawal starer this 2013 thriller talks about ragging and how it destroys lives. The pacing and the direction is good but what hits the hardest is the story itself.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR

2008 blockbuster and one of the few movies that actually talks about a really pressing issue- the education of differently-abled kids and how lacking we are as a society when it comes to accommodating them.

Now we know everyone has watched it more than once and cried along, but it’s important to highlight the importance of the issue this movie raised. The condition of differently-abled children is still far from satisfactory in our country and as such we, as the citizens, should bring it up more often on public platforms.

It will make the general public more aware and will encourage the government to create more policies in benefit of the children, who are the future of our country.

Though Amir Khan did a splendid job with the movie, it was just that- a movie and nothing’s going to change unless we open up to these issues more.
It goes for all the other films raising social issues too. They can only do so much… at the end of the day, it’s us who can bring the real difference.