Do Bollywood movies that break stereotypes have the potential to change the mindset of the public?

Cinema has perhaps the greatest potential to be the most constructive mass media instrument. Besides providing affordable entertainment for masses, it can easily become a means of mass instruction and mass education.

Cinema has certainly some clear advantages over other media. It combines primarily, both audio and video and is thus very appealing to the eyes and the ears. With the development of color cinematography and stereophonic sound, it is certainly one up on other media. The moral values conveyed through the medium of cinema have a lasting effect on the audience. The audience also has a moral, emotional involvement in the course of events, and the roles of various characters, their language and style of speaking does leave an impression on the spectators.

Often, people tend to follow certain popular personalities. For example; lots of people started to wield ‘Oppo’ and ‘Vivo’ phones, not because they cherish the features but because famous personalities like Deepika, Ranveer, Amir, etc, are promoting them. Most of the public really don’t care about anything, whatever they have discerned onscreen - they just start to hastily believe them, and eventually they start to trust and idolize them, blindly.

Just a mere advertisement can influence and opt the public to go for certain products which they are not sure about, so why can’t a properly organized and efficient movie contribute to bringing a change in the mindsets of people?

Pals, what do you think? Is it not possible? Is it a heart-wrenching tiring work to gift us such boon films? I don’t think so. Lots of films that motivate people and initiate from within - the good values and higher thinking oriented perceptions have been created with such little investments. ‘Trapped’ – a film, entirely filmed in a single flat room yet it didn’t fail to express the harsh truth and realities of life and there are still more.

If the Bollywood Industry yearns, it can certainly collaborate to generate movies that contribute to breaking down the stereotypes and can bring a change in the mindsets of people.

Stereotypes are almost everywhere - starting from your home to your schools/ colleges/ offices and public places. Some stereotypes get attention and people raise voices for them but some get ignored and buried under various social norms – nobody likes to express about them. Every stereotype should be taken care of and spoken, without having any fear or be judgemental or censorious or be ashamed of. And, Bollywood provides an excellent platform for doing so – a lot of topics which are not generally raised can be featured and induce a message to the abundance of people.

Don’t we have such films? Yes, we do have. Starting from Vicky Donar, Ayushmann Khurrana has constantly broken stereotypes by taking on a wide range of roles. Male protagonist roles often fall into the trap of stereotypical masculinity, Ayushmann has successfully and convincingly transformed into characters who challenge those very stereotypes through films like ‘Subh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan’. He has also brought about the issues we have with beauty stereotypes through films like ‘Bala’. And on the other hand, we have films like ‘Super 30’, where it states ‘Raja ka beta raja nahi banega, raja wohi banega jo hakdar hain,’ thus, delaying with stereotypes we often overhear from people, “underprivileged mass cannot dream bigger.” ‘Gully Boy’ also deals with such stereotypes.

So, really, do Bollywood movies that break stereotypes have the potential to change the mindset of the public in positive ways? According to me, it’s a ‘yes’. Cinema has the power to bring about change by triggering the right conversations among people and society. We do have such films but they are not enough, we need more to reach out, more films which could speak the unspoken, more films that could be the voice of the thousands.