Bollywood frequently makes films about romance, but they rarely go past the charming wooing stage. It frequently skips over the necessity of hitting reality and delving into potential relationship problems.
There are, however, a few films that did not shy away from challenging topics and also addressed the social taboos that surrounded them.
Here is a list of a few movies that addressed the stigma associated with pre-marital sex, infertility, contraceptives and much more.
1. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
The film, which stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar, is a remake of the Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham. Sugandha and Mudit decide to get married after Mudit successfully wins her over. However, before the wedding, they learn that he has erectile dysfunction, which causes their relationship to suffer. The Anand L. Rai film deals with a subject that is rarely discussed in the romance subgenre and the stigma around it.
2. Helmet
Most Indians still hesitate to purchase condoms from shops, and some are ashamed to even mention the term. This quirky comedy investigates people’s attitudes and mindsets when purchasing condoms from stores in full daylight, tackling the exact subject of contraceptive usage.
3. Salaam Namaste
The early 2000s movie centres on Nick and Ambar and their conventional boy meets girl love story. The story’s central themes, however, are live-in relationships and premarital pregnancy. It’s especially fascinating because Ambar is shown in the movie as a strong, self-reliant woman who manages everything on her own.
4. Masaan
A portion of the movie, which is set in Varanasi, focuses on the life of Devi Pathak, a young woman from a tiny hamlet who is blackmailed for money after police officers discovered her hooking up in a hotel room. Because premarital sex is stigmatised, a very natural act causes changes in her entire life.
5. Vicky Donor
Vicky Arora, a charming Punjabi who decides to donate sperm, is the subject of the movie’s opening episode. He eventually falls in love with Ashima, but their union is soon jeopardised when it is learned that she is infertile. The comedy does a great job of covering the infrequently spoken topic of fertility.
6. Good Newwz
The movie focuses more on the topic of having children by artificial means, which is not widely accepted in our culture. Following in-vitro fertilisation, two couples with the same last name wait for their unborn children. They discover that each couple’s sperm has been combined with the other, which causes problems.
7. Janhit Mein Jaari
The tale of a young woman who, inspired by a crusade, accepts a difficult job selling condoms in a small Indian town in the MP region. The story of the difficulties she encounters in the face of societal taboo and how she handles the opposition from her family and the entire town.
8. Kya Kehna
The main character of the movie is Priya (Preity Zinta), who defied ‘Indian tradition’ when she became pregnant outside wedlock. Instead of having an abortion, she made the decision to have the baby. She discovers at that point that she must embark alone on this journey as teenage pregnancy is frowned upon.
9. Lipstick Under My Burkha
Lipstick Under My Burkha follows the secret lives of four women seeking a little independence, especially to express their sexuality, in the packed byways of a small town in India. These four women, who feel constrained and stuck in their respective worlds, reclaim their desires via subtle acts of bravery and covert rebellion.
10. Khandaani Shafakhana
The central theme of Khandaani Shafakhana is the stigma and taboo surrounding the subject of sex. When Mamaji (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), who owns a sex clinic in a small town in Punjab, dies, his niece Baby Bedi inherits the business (Sonakshi Sinha). Baby stands at a crossroads, caught between her responsibility to her family and the greater good.
11. Lust Stories
Four short stories on love, sex, and relationships in contemporary India are explored in the anthology film Lust Stories by four of India’s most prominent directors. The film explores a sizable portion of taboo topics in our culture, including infidelity, the class disparity in romantic relationships, extramarital affairs, and female sexual pleasure.
And it is about time we get more films exploring the subject.