India has the world’s largest film industry, but movies which highlight social issues are woefully few. There are, however, some notable films, which, aside from focusing on issues which are integral to society, are thoroughly entertaining. Without further ado, Corporate Citizen brings you the best Bollywood films on social issues
Padman is an upcoming Indian biographical comedy-drama film written and directed by R. Balki, featuring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Radhika Apte in lead roles, which is inspired from the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a social activist from Tamil Nadu who invented a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine and is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India.
Peepli Live is a black comedy which highlights the plight of farmers in India. The concept could have been a serious thought-provoking documentary but the humour in it made it a commercial success. The movie shows how politicians exploit farmers for their own gains. It also hints at how certain unscrupulous elements in the media will go to any lengths for a “good story”. The movie was also selected for the Sundance Film festival, the first Indian film to make that cut.
Antardwand won the National Film Award for Best Film on social issues at the 2009 National Awards. The film was based on groom kidnappings that took place in Bihar in the last decade. Eligible bachelors are abducted by a bride’s family and forcefully married so that they can avoid paying high dowry to the groom’s family. Groom kidnapping cases registered a surge after a period that marked the exponential rise in cases of women being mistreated by their in-laws because of their ever-growing hunger for monetary gifts from the bride’s family in the form of dowry, which is shockingly carried on in this day and age.
In India, parents excessively pressurize their children to study. Children who are weak in certain subjects or suffer from certain learning disabilities have to endure a lot of scolding and unfair comparisons. This hampers the child’s confidence and interest in studies. In Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan plays the role of a teacher who was dyslexic in his childhood. The movie shows the difficulties faced by a dyslexic child due to lack of understanding from the parents, and the high pressure to perform well in academics faced by young children who often aren’t equipped to handle it.
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha is a comedy film in support of governmental campaigns to improve the sanitation conditions, with an emphasis on the eradication of open defecation, especially in rural areas. The movie holds up a mirror to society, showing us how our superstitious villagers, lazy administration and corrupt politicians have actually converted India into an unhygienic cesspool. Women especially are treated more insensitively than cattle. The film was a major critical and commercial success in India, and it also cemented Akshay Kumar as a champion of social causes.
by Neeraj Varty
