WALKING A FINE LINE

With the boom of OTT, a variety of subjects have found their way to the digital platform. One of them is the human mind. Some makers have focused on different mental disorders as the central theme of their stories and narratives. For instance, Manav Kaul in the recent film Nail Polish and Abhishek Bachchan in the web series Breathe: Into The Shadows (BITS) portrayed characters with multiple personality disorder. Not only does the subject need sensitive handling, but it is a challenging task, too, says Mayank Sharma, director of BITS. “One has to be extremely sensitive and responsible when it comes to narMakers on OTT delve into personality disorders, attempting to balance science and fiction, and not reinforce myths rating a story or creating a character who is going through mental disorder,” he says, adding that he not only did extensive research but also had three psychiatrists in the research team, right from the writing stage to discuss every detail of the story. “We received appreciation for the way we had created the character, staying true to all the nuanters

EXPERTS CAUTION MAKERS TO NOT AGGRAVATE STIGMA AGAINST MENTAL DISORDERS THROUGH STORIES, SAY A DISCLAIMER MAY BE HELPFUL

ces, while displaying the right complexities of a person going through Dissociative Identity Disorder, from audiences and psychiatrists around the world. Any subject, if researched well and executed with authenticity, finds acceptance,” he states. Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty feels makers should maintain a balance between science and fiction, and not aggravate stigma through their stories. “Freedom of expression is a right but one has to draw a line. One needs to be very careful not to reinforce false beliefs and stigma against mental illness... The liberty to weave a tale is a right and disclaimers towards the end may give the right balance,” he suggests. Kaul admits he walked a tightrope while playing the two characin Nail Polish. He says, “I am glad people loved the complexity of the story. I wasn’t dressed as a woman, but I believed I was one, while doing the scenes. It was a tough role and I’ve never done anything so difficult. We were sensitive about the portrayal. It could have gone wrong, which I was prepared for. But people loved the character, Charu Raina. I’ve got letters for her, which shows they connected to her. That’s the beauty of OTT, that one can do movies and roles such as these, that also taps into audiences who crave for experimental stories.”

(L-R) Stills from Nail Polish and Breathe: Into The Shadows