5 Films on Societal Taboos With Brave Protagonists - Deepika Padukone's Chhapaak to Rakul Preet's Chhatriwali

Cinema has the solid power to inspire, empower and enlighten the audience making them socially conscious with its narrative. Films that highlight an array of issues which don’t find space in our daily lives, often because they challenge our preconceived notions and stereotypes are clutter-breakers. Take a look at a few of these films on ZEE5, Netflix, Prime Video and more set out to change perceptions and captivate us to sit upright and take solicit action.

Let’s have a look at some of the empowering movies which destigmatise societal taboos with a noble intent:

This Radhika Apte starrer is a story about rural women from a village in Northwest India. Three women Bijli (Surveen), Lajo (Radhika) and Rani (Tannisththa) who live in a patriarchal village of Rajasthan that thrives on masochism. While Bijli is a dancer and a prostitute, Rani is a widow raising her son on her own and Lajo is a wife trapped in a violent marriage and accused of being barren (banjh). The film highlights how women always end up paying the price for societal superstitions and taboos. 

This Akshay Kumar starrer is based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, a Tamil Nadu-based social activist who breaks the menstrual taboo in his region by inventing the sanitary pad machine. In this film, Akshay Kumar’s character is surprised when he witnesses his wife using an unhygienic cloth and goes on a mission to provide pads for her and other women in the village. The film challenges the silence and stigma around menstruation in India.

This Kriti Sanon starrer shows the dreams of a small-town girl that are big enough to not fit into the narrow-minded society and her house’s meagre income. The source that can take her to the film city Mumbai is by becoming the surrogate mother for an American couple who run away when they get to know that the child will be born with a disability. The film shows the discrimination that people with disabilities face since birth, at times even by their parents and sheds light on adoption and surrogacy.

This Rakul Preet Singh starrer is a slice-of-life tale set in Haryana. Sanya[Rakul Preet Singh] who plays the quality control head in a condom factory is shy and embarrassed about her job initially but soon realises the importance of safe sex and then takes it upon herself to destigmatise the conversation around sex education. The film aims to drive home a strong social message on the importance of male contraceptives and safe sex.

This Deepika Padukone starrer is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal.  It shows how the acid attack survivor goes against all odds to reclaim her identity. The film is a stark reminder that crimes of this magnitude affect people from different strata leaving them traumatised for life.