Portrayal of Mental Health Issues in Manichitrathazhu and TaareZameem Par

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Anoop K Ajay, Abhinand J Raj, Gopika Unni R, P S Aiswarya, Shilpa M Chandran

Abstract

The American Psychiatric Association outlines mental illnesses as health conditions involving changes in one’s emotion, thinking and behaviour, or a combination of these associated with distresses in one’s personal, social or occupational functioning. Indian cinema has explored mental disorders with a particular stereotypical and hyperbolic fascination for decades. According to studies, the media exaggerates and distorts mental illness’s danger, criminality, and unpredictability. Current project analyses how this elicits adverse reactions such as fear, rejection, scorn and ridicule. In addition to these inaccurate representations of the clinical picture of mental illnesses occur several instances where its management, treatment and rehabilitation are wrongly depicted. Indian cinema has thus been stated to be about 30-40 years behind Hollywood’s standard of portraying mental disorders. There has been an increasing incidence of mental health disorders over time. About one in seven people suffer from illnesses of varying intensities in India, as per statistical reports of 2019. Cinematic depictions have a significant influence over a population amidst which supernatural beliefs and practices are plenty, and mental illnesses are mistreated or even left undiagnosed due to lack of sufficient awareness in this regard. After that, the following study critically analyses the Malayalam film Manichithrathaazhu (1992) and Bollywood film TaareZameen Par (2007), given these crucial issues.




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