1. Dil Dhadakne Do

From sexism in families to restrictions put on love, Dil Dhadakne Do takes a deep dive into these topics, while but with jokes, music, and dancing. Simply unmissable, this gem by Zoya Akhtar.

2. Gully Boy

Koi doosra mujhe batayega main kaun hai?

This one dialogue (which, by the way, was improvised by Ranveer Singh) sums up the movie. It is all about chasing your dreams no matter how bizarre they seem or how little support you have. It also shows what it means for a child to make their parents proud.

3. Hindi Medium

In this one, a very affluent Delhi family changes its entire lifestyle just to get their daughter admitted to a big school. Reason? The parents don’t have a command on the language, hence the chances of them clearing the interview are minimal. 

The struggle of the couple and their inferiority complex show a mirror to the society.

4. Wake Up Sid

If you look around, you will find at least one kid or a teenager or even an adult, who doesn’t know what they want to do with their life. It is because they are still trying to figure stuff out – and that’s completely okay as long as they are aware of their responsibilities and don’t take things for granted. 

Wake Up Sid is the story of one such ‘lost guy’. 

5. Udaan

This movie gives one the perspective about being overly strict with children. A step taken to make them more disciplined, stifles their growth, and eventually, they have no one to turns towards. That’s not what you’d want for a kid, would you?

6. Dangal

Based on the true story of the much-famed Phogat sisters, it’s a movie about a father’s stubborn desire to make his daughters champions of a sport largely associated with men.

As kids, they borderline hate him for not letting them have fun like other children of their age, but as they grow, they realise what it means to win a medal for the country. 

7. Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga

Though I won’t call it a cinematic marvel, it is definitely an important movie in terms of its representation of the LGBTQ+ community. One of the very few mainstream films to tackle the topic without inhibitions, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga touches you 

8. 3 Idiots

3 Idiots serves as a reminder that marks are important, but only so much; and that the real value of education lies in learning.

It is also a commentary on the mad race to the top, that turns both students and their parents, into people they are not.

9. Queen

A woman is told that the guy she is going to marry is her first priority – and she believes it. In fact, her conviction is so strong, that it takes separation from the said man in order for her to realise what’s actually important in her life.

Rani, by going to Paris alone on her honeymoon, empowered many women stuck in the forced mundanity of their lives. 

10. Taare Zameen Par

This one is not just a lesson in parenting, but an overall guide on how to act around and support a child with a learning disorder. Thanks to the brilliance of Aamir Khan and incredible Darsheel Safari, there are scenes in the movie that leave you shattered and you just want to go and hug little Ishaan. Can’t recommend it enough.

11. Rang De Basanti

This work of genius by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is the story of a bunch of college students who find themselves in the middle of a national crisis. In times when dissent can land you in jail, the movie becomes all the more relevant. 

12. Chak De! India

Not a very conventional choice, I know, but this is such an important movie in terms of understanding what it means for a woman to be an athlete in India.

How their family treats them, how their partner treats them, how the country treats them – and how they, despite all the naysaying, keep working towards their goals. 

13. Highway

What are the parents’ responsibilities towards their kids? To give them a good education, shelter, food – and most importantly, a shoulder to lean on. Sadly, many people stop at the first 3.

Result? The kids grow into broken adults who don’t know what it feels like to be home, even as they live in it. Highway touches upon this and beautifully so.

14. Masaan

This movie is like poetry and it talks about many things that most kids want to discuss with their parents, but don’t. Sex, expectations, dreams are just a few of them. Masaan shows the relationship between fathers and their kids, and how this dynamic changes with respect to gender, social status, etc. 

15. Dear Zindagi

The conversation around mental health is gaining pace in the country and if there’s one movie you should watch to understand childhood trauma and therapy, it’s this one. Dear Zindagi feels like a conversation with a friend. Best friend. 

Go on, then. Let it be a family movie night.