Films That Boldly and Sensitively Portrayed Socially Relevant Topics

Right from Khwaja Ahmed Abbas' Cannes entry 'Neecha Nagar' (1946), the films of V Shantaram, Bimal Roy, Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, and the parallel cinema wave have explored social themes with courage and empathy.  Lest we think filmmakers today are not willing to address difficult subjects in their cinema, here is our pick of films that have in recent times tackled complex stories boldly and sensitively.  

Doctor G:
 This directorial debut of Anubhuti Kashyap is a medical comedy that revolves around a lone male gynecology student Uday Gupta, played by Ayushmann Khurrana. Even though Uday wants to join the orthopedics department, his low marks send him into the gynecology field, where he hesitantly trains under Dr. Nandini Srivastava (Shefali Shah). The movie, with a series of hilarious incidents and moments, shows the struggles and dilemmas of Uday, trying to understand the gender dynamics in his environment.  Apart from discussing the gender norms set by society, it also has a  non-preachy message about discarding patriarchal notions while dealing with women and their issues. The movie produced by Junglee Pictures is distributed by veteran producer Anand Pandit. The movie released this October also stars Rakul Preet Singh as the female lead.
  
Badhaai Do:
Apart from exceptions like 'Fire', 'My Brother Nikhil', 'Margarita with a Straw' and 'Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan,' Hindi films have refrained from delving too deep into same-sex relationships.   Harshvardhan Kulkarni, in the recent hit 'Badhaai Do' does a commendable job of normalizing LGBTQ+ relationships without striving to make a big, dramatic statement. The story of two misfits; Shardul (Rajkumar Rao) , a gay policeman and Suman (Bhumi Pednekar),  a lesbian physical education teacher is both witty and moving as they get married to find their own little pockets of joy away from the prying eyes of society.  The film subtly shows how one's sexuality cannot be suppressed for long in an attempt to please society and family. The film also deserves extra marks for not stereotyping gay and lesbian communities. 

Anek:
North-Eastern narratives remain conspicuous by their absence in the Hindi film industry but the Anubhav Sinha directorial, ‘Anek’ tries to tackle geopolitical tensions in the region by telling a very relatable human story. Ayushmann Khurrana plays a secret agent who sets out to infiltrate a separatist group but as he learns more and more about the social and political issues affecting the citizens in the region, he is forced to shed his prejudices. The movie also discusses the racial discrimination and alienation faced by North-Eastern citizens in other parts of the country and draws parallels with the Kashmir imbroglio. The movie produced by Anubhav Sinha with T-Series also stars Manoj Pahwa and Andrea Kevichusa in lead roles. 

Thank God:
 This Indra Kumar directorial in a very witty way encourages the audience to introspect about the choices they make and the way their lives and relationships are affected by ambition, greed and heedless desires. The story is told as a non-preachy morality fable where a real estate broker (Sidharth Malhotra) meets with an accident, wakes up in heaven. He is then drawn into a 'Game of Life' by Chitragupt (Ajay Devgn) which forces him to confront his own follies. The film also stars Rakul Preet Singh and is co produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ashok Thakeria and Sunir Kheterpal. Deepak Mukut, Anand Pandit and Markand Adhikari.
 
Jalsa:
Directed by Suresh Triveni, 'Jalsa' depicts with great insight how justice means different things in different strata of society. The story is told through the perspectives of  Maya Menon, a firebrand, an upright journalist known for her ethics and principles, and Rukhsana, her house help. Both women are strong, courageous, and devoted to their families and their jobs but one day a freak accident changes their lives and puts them on opposite sides of truth and justice.  The movie portrays the turmoil of two mothers who despite their differences find the humanity in themselves to forgive each other and heal. The 2022 OTT film is produced by T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment.