Mumbai, India (CU)_ Bollywood has dealt with numerous controversial and critically acclaimed subjects, and most of them have even become box office hits. One such subject is surrogacy. Many movies from 2021 Mimi to 1983 Doosri Dulhan have touched the subject of surrogacy and were successful. Take a look at another set of Indian films that dealt with the concept of surrogacy over the years.
Mimi
Bollywood’s most recent surrogacy film Mimi was released this year and has received lots of applause from the audience for demonstrating the challenges of surrogacy. Mimi was directed by Laxman Utekar, and features Kriti Sanon in the lead role. She plays the role of a dancer who chooses to be a surrogate to let her Bollywood ambitions come true.
Filhaal
Filhaal is a surrogacy film featuring Tabu and Sushmita Sen in the lead roles and was directed by Meghna Gulzar. Tabu plays the Rewa Singh role and Sushmita Sen plays the Sia Seth role. The story follows the two close pals Rewa Singh and Sia Seth. When Tabu is unable to conceive, her buddy volunteers to be the surrogate mother. Sushmita Sen and Tabu gave powerful performances in the film, which also depicted a very realistic representation of the changes that such a big step can bring to relationships.
Chori Chori Chupke Chupke
One of the famous Bollywood films to address the concept of surrogacy was Chori Chupke Chupke. A young couple employs a sex-worker to help them carry their child. However, when the surrogate gets attached to the husband and falls for him, she insists on keeping the baby, and things become challenging for the couple. The film features Salman Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Preity Zinta in the lead roles and was directed by Abbas Mustan. The film deals with the taboo subject in a Bollywood style.
Doosri Dulhan
This 1983 film features Shabana Azmi, Sharmila Tagore, and Victor Banerjee. The story follows a childless couple who finally choose surrogacy and employs a sex-worker to carry their kid. Doosri Dulhan was released in a time when the subject of surrogacy was not much familiar with the society, and as a result, it was not commercially successful. It also depicted sex work in a subtle and liberal way.
I Am
Surrogacy was the main subject of Onir’s critically praised anthology I Am, titled I Am Afia. The film features Nandita Das and Purab Kohlistory, and the story follows a woman waiting to get pregnant at a fertility clinic. I Am depicts a single woman’s yearning to become a mother, and her fear of how society will react to her unique path.
Dasaratham
This Malayalam film featuring Mohanlal was directed by Sibi Malayil and was released in 1989 and is widely regarded as one of India’s best surrogacy films. A wealthy businessman who has no other ambition in life blindly spends his days just drinking. However, his life changes as he becomes close to his cousin’s child and wishes to have his own kid. He then employs a surrogate couple who are in severe need of cash. The surrogate initially decides to finish off the process quickly; however, she soon becomes attached to the baby growing inside her. Dasaratham garnered huge applause, and it was even adapted into a Marathi film called Mazaa Mulga.
9 Nelalu
Surrogacy was the main theme of this 2001 Telugu film directed by Kranthi Kumar. To rescue her severely injured husband, a woman was compelled to agree to be a surrogate for a wealthy couple. Considering the dreadful situation and being backed into a corner with no hopes of luck around her and the need to save her partner, she agrees to be a surrogate. As a result, more issues arise in her life. The social disgrace that surrogate women face was explored in this film.
