Why Bollywood films need to stop trivialising suicide A still from Anjaana
The famous scene in Sholay (1975) where an inebriated Veeru climbs up the water tank and threatens to commit suicide if he can’t be with his beloved Basanti is considered to be one of the funniest in cinema history. And that was recreated in Raja Babu (1994), and even Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994) has a subtle reference to that scene. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Bollywood films have time and again used the context of suicide as an irrelevant incident or merely for comic relief.
With the sad passing of actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Samir Sharma, the big question arises whether it’s time for Bollywood to be sensitive in such portrayals.
Writer Kanika Dhillon, who penned Judgementall Hai Kya (2019) which dealt with mental health issues, says, “Whenever we pick up such topics, a certain c level of commitment and responsibility should be shouldered so that unknowingly we don’t harm th he cause or spread any sort of misinformation. If the conversation around these disorders will be normalised and correct information is mparted, responsible filmmakers fi won’t reduce these conditions c to gimmicky portrayals.” p
Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava S says that she can’t really remember any Hindi filmi that dealt with mental health or suicide in a sensitive manner.
“I think this is reflective of I ndian society that continues to stigmatise s mental illness. It will take sensitive filmmakers and a sensitive audience for th hings h to change. Right now, ndia as a society continues to be in denial and our cinema reflects that,” the Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) director muses.
While art reflects society, actor Shweta Tripathi feels somewhere films also are very instrumental in shaping the though process of the society and so the onus lies on filmmakers to take the conversation forward in a nonregressive and casual way.
“It’s high time that through our films, we open conversations about mental health awareness, issues and illness. Support is very important from our films. When the narrative changes in films, the society will change as well,” she asserts.
While slamming Bollywood for using the tool of suicide just for effect, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri opines, “It has been happening for a while now. But an incident like this (Rajput’s death) is a rude wake up call to everyone to deal with matter of mental health and depression in a more sensitive manner for sure.”
Dhillon further feels that not just films, but it’s about time that through art, public discussions, awareness drives and any and every means at the disposal of our policy makers, “We as a society need to be encouraged to talk about our issues and disorders without being judged or shamed”.