7 Bollywood movies on mental health that are a must-watch

Bollywood has been making movies focusing on mental health issues for ages. Below-mentioned is the list of such movies that highlight mental struggle.

By Arpita Sarkar

Published on May 15, 2024 | 11:59 PM IST | 217.5K

7 Bollywood movies on mental health: Dear Zindagi, Barfi and more

Image Credit: Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan (Screengrab from Dear Zindagi)

Bollywood movies on mental health rightfully focus on activities related to mental well-being and the prevention of mental disorders. Filmmakers have been aptly showcasing mental illness topics in various films, which became successful at the box office.

From Dear Zindagi, Karthik Calling Karthik to Barfi, the Hindi film industry has been producing movies based on mental health issues for ages.

Here are the 7 Bollywood movies on mental health that highlight the importance of it

1. Dear Zindagi

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Angad Bedi, Rohit Saraf, Kunal Kapoor, Ali Zafar, Ira Dubey
Director: Gauri Shinde
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Movie Genre: Drama, Romance
Release year: 2016
Where to watch: Netflix

Dear Zindagi is one of the most popular movies about mental illness. The film gives us a glimpse into life's different obstacles and how people deal with them. The story follows Kaira, a skilled cinematographer who is deeply committed to her work and aspires to direct her film one day. However, she suffers from psychological issues that stem from her childhood. But after seeking help from Jug (Shah Rukh Khan), a therapist, she gets well.

2. Karthik Calling Karthik

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Deepika Padukone, Shefali Shah, Ram Kapoor, Vivan Bhatena
Director: Vijay Lalwani
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Movie Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Release year: 2010
Where to watch: Netflix

Karthik Calling Karthik is a true representation of the mental illness called schizophrenia. In the film, Karthik (Farhan Akhtar) suffers from this particular mental disorder where he fails to understand reality. He has an alter-ego that is more assertive and advises him on how to live life. Towards the end, it is revealed that the strange caller was Karthik himself.

3. Barfi!

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ileana D’Cruz, Jisshu Sengupta
Director: Anurag Basu
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release year: 2012
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video

Barfi is one of the best movies that deals with the mental disorder. The story is about a complicated relationship between a deaf and mute person (Ranbir Kapoor), an autistic person (Priyanka Chopra), and a regular person (Ileana D’Cruz). Autism refers to the conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication.

4. Tamasha

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Himanshu Sharma, Piyush Mishra, Aparajita Sharma, Nikhil Bhagat, Ishwak Singh, Teddy Maurya, Sushma Seth
Director: Imtiaz Ali
IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release year: 2015
Where to watch: Netflix

In Tamasha, Ranbir Kapoor’s character suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder. This illness is characterized by one being carefree, reckless, and animated at one time and the next being shy, reserved, and dull.

The movie portrays how Ved (Ranbir) develops a deep love for stories that have a profound impact on his life and eventually start affecting his corporate career. To get away from the boring days of life, Ved decides to go to Corsica, where he meets Tara Maheshwari, played by Deepika Padukone.

5. Chhichhore

Cast: Shraddha Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput, Varun Sharma, Prateik Babbar, Naveen Polishetty, Tahir Raj Bhasin
Director: Nitesh Tiwari
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
Movie Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Release year: 2006
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

Chhichhore follows the hostel life of Sushant Singh Rajput and his six friends, giving us a glimpse of how once branded as losers, they fight to earn the respect of the same people who branded them as losers. The movie shows us how we can change our lives and make the best of what we've got. It also points to the general problems of parental pressure on children that result in mental health issues, as well as the effects of peer pressure.

6. Bhool Bhulaiyaa

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Paresh Rawal, Rajpal Yadav, Shiney Ahuja, Ameesha Patel
Director: Priyadarshan
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
Movie Genre: Horror, Comedy
Release year: 2007
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar

In Bhool Bhulaiyaa, we see an NRI and his wife coming to the country to stay in the latter’s ancestral home, ignoring the warnings about ghosts. However, inexplicable occurrences cause him to call a psychiatrist to help solve the mystery. Avni (Vidya Balan) gets interested in the legend of Manjulika and starts doing unusual things. Later, Aditya (Akshay Kumar) explained that she has dissociative identity disorder and associated herself with Manjulika.

7. Koi… Mil Gaya

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta, Rekha, Rakesh Roshan, Prem Chopra, Hansika Motwani, Johny Lever, Rajat Bedi
Director: Rakesh Roshan
IMDB Rating: 7.1/10
Movie Genre: Action, Drama, Romance
Release year: 2003
Where to watch: ZEE5

Rohit (Hrithik Roshan), a mentally ill young man suffering from a developmental disability, befriends an alien. Jadoo, the alien, realizes that Rohit has mental health issues, and he uses his powers to enhance his mental and intellectual ability. To nab the outlaw when the authorities find out about it, Rohit goes all out to keep his new partner safe.

The above-mentioned is the list of such movies that deal with various mental disorder issues. If you want to revisit these stories, then head towards those OTT platforms.

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