Infidelity And Modern Relationships, 5 Bollywood Films Exploring The Theme

You must have come across the word 'infidelity'. The word derives from 'lack of faith' and 'disloyalty', as in 'infidel' which is the denial of belief in a certain thing. These days, we mostly use it to describe a relationship when one partner tries to find intimacy outside of the said relationship.

Contrary to popular belief, infidelity is neither uncommon nor particularly male behaviour, or always leads to breakdown of a relationship. In modern relationships, infidelity has become common.

According to research, about 70% of people don't discuss with their partner what counts as cheating. Lack of discussion about infidelity prevents us from reaching a closure. Just as much as love, infidelity, and betrayal are parts of life, adultery has always attracted filmmakers due to the variety of emotions it explores, the nuances of each character it portrays, and most intriguingly, the way it is portrayed.

5 Bollywood Films On Infidelity

Gehraiyaan

Gehraiyaan is the one film that first comes to mind. It takes a deep-seated look at the many complexities of modern human relationships, starting with why they begin cheating and ending with where they lead. The emotions are at their peak, and the storyline is great.

Picture credit: Screengrab from Gehraiyaan trailer

Haseen Dillruba

The film that dealt with infidelity before Gehraiyaan was Haseen Dillruba, starring Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, and Harshvardhan Rane. Rani, played by Pannu, has an extramarital affair with Neel, played by Harshvardhan, while she is married to Massey. The movie talks about infidelity, however, glorifies violence, toxic masculinity, and misogyny.

The Lunch Box

In the movie The Lunch Box, Saajan (Irrfan Khan) and Ila (Nimrat Kaur) form an unexpected connection over a lunchbox that eventually turns into love. The superb performances of the actors and the gripping story, which demonstrates how a lack of minor communication can break a relationship and how only minor communication can also establish a connection, undoubtedly a must-see film.

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Life In A Metro

In Life In A Metro, Shilpa Shetty's character, Shikha, is in an adulterous relations with Shiney Ahuja's character, a theatre performer. While her husband (Ranjeet), played by Kay Kay Menon, dates his office assistant, Kangana Ranaut (Neha). The relationships shown in in the film  was believable, as was the aftermath.

JugJugg Jeeyo

JugJugg Jeeyo, a recently released movie, on the other hand, has a lot of potential to tackle complicated issues like lying and betrayal in marriage, but it's mostly played for laughs. The portrayal of Anil Kapoor's character is that of an obviously selfish man-child, and you never learn the circumstances surrounding his decision to choose the other woman. He explains to his son at the beginning that he did it out of boredom, and when he apologises at the end, he simply repeats it because he is now alone and feels apologetic half-heartedly.

A still from JugJugg Jeeyo.

It is mostly poor communication or a total breakdown of it which breeds greater misunderstanding and heartache. Relationships are also changing with changing times. It is refreshing to see that our mainstream cinema is portraying characters with flaws as protagonists. Which are the other films you will like to add to this list?