Vibrant and emotional in its storytelling, Bollywood has always been forward in addressing the difficult themes, and one sensitive topic that it has conveyed very strongly on the screen is cancer. Inspirational stories, moving acting, and emotional music, the Hindi cinema has brought out the challenges, power, and endurance of cancer-affected people. These documentaries not only bring awareness but also make the process of patients and their families humane and provide hope and understanding. This article tries to review Bollywood movies that very sensitively handle the issue of cancer, and after viewing it, one can never forget it and start talking about life and loss, and bravery.
As time passed, creators have chosen different formats to be used with the theme of cancer, and some of them are really tear-jerking movies, others are love, jokes, and self-victory. These stories not only illuminate the physical cost of the disease but also the emotional and, indeed, psychological impact that the disease has on love lives and identities. With humans at the heart of their stories, Bollywood has succeeded in putting the personal aspects of being ill in a very easy and inspirational manner. So here are some of the prominent movies that have earned their place on the big screen by their seriousness and effectiveness in painting the picture of the journey of cancer.
Dil Bechara
Dil Bechara is a heart-touching depiction of cancer through the eyes of a young girl, Kizie, who has cancer, thyroid cancer. The movie also has a perfect balance between the pain of her situation and light moments about love, joy, and finding herself. As Kizie drives through hospital visits and emotional exhaustion, the friendship with Manny, a fellow cancer patient, provides light in her life. The final film drives home through the power of music, comedy, and honesty that we ought to live to the fullest and cherish life as hard as it may seem to have a cut life span remaining.
Kalank
Sonakshi Sinha reprises the role of Satya Chaudhry in Kalank (2019) as a strong-willed and committed woman who suffers from terminal cancer. Dev is married to his first wife, Satya, who lives with him after treatment to make sure of his future by having Roop, a young lady, and eventually to marry Dev to provide him with good company after her demise. She has little screen time but a very strong emotional impact. When she finds out about the little time that she has and gives Dev to another person, the moment is depicted in a reserved and symphonic way. As per reviewers, the last tearful scene of Sonakshi is especially heart-rending and leaves viewers with an impression.
KaalaKaandi
In Kaalakaandi, Saif Ali Khan acts as Rileen, whose life twists upside down after being diagnosed as having terminal cancer in stomach, and he would perhaps only live up to a few months. As he is overcome with the horrible news, he drops his teetotaler ways and goes on a drunken, drug-addled journey, roaming his way through Mumbai, indulging in everything he has never done before. Dark comedy is applied in the film to show his emotional turmoil, fear, and the feeling of wanting to enjoy every moment in the face of his death.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, cancer has also been presented in the movie through Alizeh, a character who is played by Anushka Sharma, who comes to know she has cancer of stage four in the second half of the movie. The illness will mark a turning point in the story and add emotional depth to the story, as well as dwell upon unrequited love, pain, and acceptance. The movie delicately depicts how Alizeh prefers to spend the rest of her life according to her own will, and what is important is friendship, reminiscence, emotional comfort, and not some prescribed imaginations of romance.
Katti Batti
In Katti Batti, cancer is brought out as a tragic twist in the story. The character Payal, portrayed by Kangana Ranaut, is in the grips of terminal cancer and desperately tries to avoid suffering by pushing away her partner, Maddy (Imran Khan), so as not to make him witness her dying. The movie also addresses the emotional fallout of love, loss, and sacrifice, and slowly transforms into a dramatic film. The fact that Payal is ill also gives the story more meaning, as he has experienced how love prevails even when someone dies.
Waqt: The Race Against Time
With Waqt: The Race Against Time, the emotional backbone of the film lies with Amitabh Bachchan, who plays a man with a terminal disease with an unending time limit in hand. His time is up in knowing that he has to prepare his boy, Aditya (Akshay Kumar), to become responsible. The film employs cancer as a device not only to create the plot but also to facilitate the emotional growth of the father and his son, ultimately leading to reconciliation. It combines family dynamics with notions of death and legacy, as well as love.
Bollywood might have changed the way they are presenting cancer on screen, starting as a mere background story to a touching story of character and the heartbreak of the journey with cancer. With love stories, family, and dark comedies, through them, the big important debates of trying to make sense of mortality, resilience, and the importance of time came up. By bringing cancer to the mainstream cinema, Bollywood is not only spreading awareness, but is also providing support in terms of empathy and support to the many people who may be struggling under the influence of the same.
