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Watch These Powerful, Sensitive Movies For National Girl Child Day

Watch These Powerful, Sensitive Movies For National Girl Child Day

7 thoughtful and relevant Bollywood movies to add to your own list.

Dear Zindagi: This 2016 film showed how parental discrimination against girl children can impact their mental health as adults. The Gauri Shinde film boldly spoke of mental health issues that are usually swept under the rug by families and the way daughters are castigated for displaying their hurt, anger or pain. The film starred Alia Bhatt, with Ira Dubey, Kunal Kapoor, Angad Bedi, Ali Zafar, Yashaswini Dayama, and Rohit Suresh Saraf in supporting roles. And of course Shah Rukh Khan as Dr. Jehangir Khan who helps Kaira look forward to her future. 

200 Halla Ho: Where does systematic violence come from? Does it stem from social and economic disparity, caste lines, and a flawed justice system? Yoodlee’s 200 Halla Ho tries to answer these questions by addressing sexual violence against Dalit women. Inspired by true events, the film shows us how young women and girls, when born on the margins of society at times, have fought for their dignity in the absence of any social or legal system that guarantees their safety. The film stars Amol Palekar, Rinku Rajguru, Barun Sobti, Sahil Khattar, Saloni Batra, Upendra Limaye, Indraneil Sengupta, and Flora Saini.

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Ajji: Sexual violence against the girl child is symptomatic of a society that has lost its moral center, its humanity. This film discusses one such incident in which a grandmother waited for a moment of retribution for the rape of her granddaughter, whom she considered to be disposable. The grandmother meticulously planned revenge on the man who raped her granddaughter, because she knew that justice was denied to victims who had no privilege. Additionally, the film addresses problems in Indian culture and tradition, particularly with regard to boy children and their place in society.

Article 15: Anubhav Sinha's gritty film Article 15 looks at the reasons for caste-based violence and the rape of two minor girls in UP. What kind of mindset makes men rape two teenage girls, kill them, and hang their bodies from a tree? The story unfolds in a small town in UP where caste divisions are deep and power manifests in sexual violence, brutal discrimination at all levels, and the normalization of inequality. This film could be considered a microcosm of the fast-spreading ills that are ailing our society. Ayushmann Khurrana stars with Nassar, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Sushil Pandey, Veen Harsh, and Sumbul Touqeer.

Highway: Highway is a film that tackles many themes, including the suppression of memories of sexual abuse and the conspiratorial silence that families impose around such issues. Leading up to a cathartic moment when Veera (Alia Bhatt) confronts her abuser in front of her entire family, the film is also about finding authenticity and freedom in a world that forces individuals, especially women, to conform.

Secret Superstar: This Bollywood film is about daughters born into conservative families who struggle to live their dreams and reach out for the stars. It also tells the story of parenting and how mothers can help their daughters break free of patriarchal constraints. Secret Superstar features Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arun, and Tirth Sharma.

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