Dushman to Doctor Ji, Bollywood and its representation of medical experts

National Doctors Day 2024 will be celebrated on July 1. Many films have been made in Hindi cinema about Indian doctors in different eras, in which they have been depicted from their dedication to humanity to their corruption. On the occasion of Doctor's Day, a look back at the artists from the world of cinema who have immortalized the character of a doctor.

Early years of portrayal of doctors in Bollywood films

The changes in society are reflected in cinema through stories. Although in every story the character is associated with a profession, when it comes to doctors, many limitations and ethics are also associated with them. Hindi cinema presented such an image of doctors in its early days. Perhaps the first portrayal of a doctor in cinema was in the romantic drama film 'Dushman' (1939). Starring KL Saigal, Leela Desai, Nazmul Hasan and Prithviraj Kapoor, this film was directed and written by Nitin Bose. The tuberculosis patient, i.e. the hero of the film KL Saigal, is eventually cured with the help of the doctor. This was the time when the country was in turmoil on the freedom struggle front. Cinema conveys the message of humanity and cure from a disease like tuberculosis through the story of doctors.

This trend continued in the film 'Doctor' (1941) as well. The hero Amarnath (famous singer Pankaj Malik) devotes his entire life to serving the villagers during the cholera epidemic. A few years later, IV Shantaram's film 'Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahani' (1946) is the true story of an Indian doctor rising above the country's boundaries and placing humanity above all else. During the China-Japan War, a team of Indian doctors was sent to help the Chinese soldiers.

In fact, the dedication of doctors towards society is reflected only in the early films. This trend continued in the film 'Anuradha' (1960) released a few years later, in which Balraj Sahni's idealistic character ignores his family and remains devoted to the patients.

Display of responsibility

With time, the stories also took a turn. 'Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi' starring Rajkumar and Meena Kumari tells the story of a love affair between a doctor and a nurse. While 'Aarti' (1962) showed the story of a doctor taking advantage of his profession through Dr Prakash (Ashok Kumar). Despite all the bitterness, it maintains the belief that doctors are not dishonest in their responsibility. After this, 'Anand' (1971) and 'Tere Mere Sapne' (1971) brought a different perspective on doctors.

“Tere Mere Sapne” powerfully tackles the condition of doctors in rural India and the preconceived ideas about them. In “Anand”, through the phrase “Babu Moshai, zindagi badi honi chahiye lambi nahi”, we try to show that doctors are more concerned with the length of life than its quality. In this text, the relationship between patient and doctor is closely examined.

History of the Society Associated with Physicians

After portraying medical professionals as gentle, kind and self-sacrificing, the portrayal of doctors has changed. Yash Chopra did the most daring experiment in his film 'Silsila'. In this film, Sanjeev Kumar's character, who plays a doctor, remains silent even though he knows everything about his wife's extramarital affairs. This doctor, who treats the illnesses of others, does not allow himself to become cardiac in spite of unfavorable circumstances. It is his strength that captivates the audience. At the same time, the filmmakers did not shy away from showing the unethical practices or negligence that emerge in the healthcare system.

An example of this is the film “Bemisaal”, starring Vinod Mehra and Amitabh Bachchan. In this film, Dr. Prashant, played by Vinod Mehra, charges high fees to perform illegal abortions. Then, the death of a patient during an abortion turns her life upside down. Quite literally, this film shows the downsides of making excessive profit from your profession.

After this, many popular films like 'Meri Jung' and 'Ek Doctor Ki Maut' were released. 'Ek Doctor Ki Maut' is the story of a doctor who is involved in developing a vaccine for leprosy, whose success makes his entourage jealous. This shocking story tells the truth about our society and how talents are being scorned.

When the doctor's form changes in the movies

Many aspects related to doctors were seen in the stories after the year 2000. In this one, 'Munnabhai MBBS', which is among the most successful films, first started the treatment and then completed the formalities , then 'Jaadu Ki Jhappi' caught everyone's attention. . Salman Khan's 'Kyunki' showed a different way of curing a mentally ill patient by the doctor.

'Vicky Donor' (2012) starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam and 'Udta Punjab' (2016) starring Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt presented a story that went out of the box. 'Vicky Donor', based on sperm donation, talked about bringing happiness in the lives of childless couples. 'Udta Punjab', based on drug addiction, investigated the causes and effects of drug addiction and showed the efforts of a doctor.

In this context, it is worth mentioning Naseeruddin Shah's 2015 film 'Waiting'. The film shows a patient admitted to the hospital who is struggling with the disease and whose relatives are trying to adjust between the hospital and normal life.

The most controversial film on the medical profession was 'Kabir Singh' starring Shahid Kapoor. The film was severely criticized for glorifying violence in the name of love and promoting misogyny. In the film, Shahid plays the role of an angry surgeon who behaves violently with his girlfriend Preeti (Kiara Advani). The operation he performs in a drunken state raises many questions and questions his career. This portrayal of a doctor has shown in depth the impact of negligence towards the profession.

When authenticity meets humor

The story of 'Good News' starring Akshay Kumar was based on in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which sperm are exchanged. This story of two couples shows the women's point of view and the realization of their dream of becoming a mother. In the film 'Doctor Ji', Uday Gupta (Ayushman Khurana), who wanted to become an orthopedist after completing MBBS, is very uncomfortable when he becomes a gynecologist. This film raises this question but fails to show it properly. Cinema has always incorporated changes in the medical world as well as technology into the story. Apart from these issues, there are many stories related to the medical world that will continue to shake people from time to time by becoming a part of cinema in times to come.

However, the best portrayal of what a media pundit has to endure, especially in difficult times, is perfectly exemplified by Amazon Prime's hit series, Mumbai Diaries. The series is based on the November 26 Mumbai attack and shows the true royalty of medical soldiers in difficult times.