Speaking about mental health issues has become a common thing nowadays among the youth. There are dedicated pages and groups on Facebook, Instagram, and all other social media pages. Clubhouse groups and Twitter spaces host meetings to speak about mental health awareness. People share their thoughts openly, and getting the help of a psychiatrist is no more a taboo. And, several times in films, issues related to our perspective towards mental health issues have been addressed in a very subtle manner. 

Films are not just made to preach and persuade. There is a commercial aspect as well. The ultimate goal is to make the film profitable. Thus along with all those commercials aspects, some of our directors bravely wrote a concept that touched the topic of mental health awareness. 

Starting with the film Anjali to Vaaranam Aayiram, several films have tried to normalise discussions around mental health. Scroll to see!

Anjali 

Anjali is a film made ahead of its time if looked at from a mental health perspective. The film deals with the story of a dying mentally disabled child. Without being preachy, the film shows how we should take care of a mentally ill child. Forget about the kids, and if we look at a deeper note, the kids shown in the film are a reflection of ourselves. From being hated for her condition to becoming one of the favorite kids in that apartment, the change in perspective towards Anjali is a treatment to our minds.

Keeping the same child-centric issue, Another film that was made way ahead of its time was Aalavandhan. The film might sound like a story of a schizophrenic man. But the film had another perspective that was lesser spoken about at the time of its release. 

Aalavandhan 

Aalavandhan is a film that speaks about child abuse and its consequences. Though the film doesn’t touch that concept on a deeper level, having such an idea in the plot is again away ahead of its time. When this film came, most of them were not aware of the concept of child abuse and its impact on mental health.

As we grow, we face a lot of struggles in life, and the losses these struggles incur might lead us to depression. Depression has become a common issue these days. Especially these covid times gave a lot of pressure as one could not go out and spend some free time. 

Another important problem to be addressed these days is depression. Depression can be cured through psychological counseling. Through the process of counseling, we get to know about a theory that could help one come out of depression.

Vaaranam Aayiram is a film that spoke about depression and how a young boy Suriya comes out of that stage of his life. Leaving out the negative sides of Suriya becoming a drug addict. The positive side of the film is his interest in physical activities. 

Vaaranam Aayiram 

Having Vaaranam Aayiram in this list might sound a bit surprising. But the film showed an important and most common issue nowadays. Depression is said to be a mental issue that most of us fail to notice. Suriya was in that state when he lost Meghna. There is a psychological reason behind the changes in his character after he travels to Kashmir and returns home to start his workout sessions.

Kumbalangi Nights

Kumbalangi Nights is an important film in this list that came in recent times. The film has a particular scene that breaks the myth revolving around the idea of taking a professional’s help for a mental health problem. Saji Napoleon’s (Soubin Shahir) character in this film is written in a way to break the stigma of treating a person who undergoes counseling as an alien or even as a patient. 

This is just the beginning. Young directors in the industry have started taking this concept seriously. Since the understanding of mental health concepts is improving day by day, our Indian cinema audience could expect a lot of films written with a proper understanding of a mental health issue in the future years.