International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – 5 Bollywood Movies That Deal with Domestic Violence

Although considered as a reflection of whatever happens in society, movies rarely take up important issues to display in their content. However, Bollywood has been working on some of the growing issues like casteism, racism, identity politics, and gender in recent years. When it comes to the representation of women in Hindi cinema, there is no doubt that the primary role women play is that of the protagonist’s lover. Nevertheless, recent movies like Gangubai Khatiawadi, Neerja, Raazi, Chapaak, and Thappad, among many others have portrayed women in the main role.

As today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, below are the 5 Bollywood movies that focus on gender-based Domestic violence-

Bollywood Movies that Deal with Domestic Violence

1. Darlings 

Directed by Jasmeet K. Reen, and starring Alia Bhatt in the main role, Darlings shows the inner workings of the internalization of domestic abuse in marriages. Although it works on reversing the elements of violence, the movie deals with the question of abuse and domestic violence quite well as it portrays the skewed understanding of domestic violence as something that is natural in romantic relationships and should be overlooked as a habitual aspect. 

2. Thappad 

“Ek Thappad- magar nahi maar sakta”- Just one slap, but he cannot do that as well. Starring Taapsee Pannu in the main role, Thappad is a journey of self-discovery of a housewife as she undergoes the tragic incident of getting slapped by her husband at a big party. The slap changes the wife’s entire approach to life as she realizes how much she has dedicated herself to her husband and his family and has forgotten to live for herself. The slap works as an eye-opener for her and she embarks on the quest to find herself again independent of any male figure. 

3. Provoked (2006)

Featuring Aishwarya Rai, Provoked is the story of a woman who was tortured and abused by her husband for almost a decade. After she is tired of the continuous cycle of violence, she decides to kill her husband. The film ends on a thought-provoking note as she comes out in public to ask for help and tell the world her side of the story. 

4. Akaash Vani (2013)

Directed by Luv Ranjan, Akaash Vani is an echo of several stories of the girls who were married against their wishes to men they did not even know because of their parents. It follows the story of a bride who has to go through marital rape and the treatment she gets from her parents when she tries to get out of the abusive relationship. It shows how societal pressure and the concept of reputation hinder the freedom of abused women. 

5. Satyaprem ki Katha ()

One of the most mature movies on gender-based violence in recent times, Satyaprem ki Katha stars Kiara Advani and Kartik Aaryan in the lead roles. The movie follows Satyaprem, a middle-class man, who falls for Katha and decides to marry her. However, Katha is still recovering from her breakup where she had to engage in sexual activity with her boyfriend against her consent. The movie shows how Satyaprem deals with Katha’s trauma and once again restores her faith in love. 

Conclusion-

Here are some of the movies that showed the various aspects of violence in women’s lives. Sometimes it is their husband, sometimes it is their partner- and sometimes it is the society and families who inflict further mental violence on them because of the concept of women’s honour and reputation. Which of these movies have you watch?

Also Read – Women Who Shaped Indian History: 9 Influential Female Figures