The thread of equality

Sheetal & Gurnaz Kaur

“Hey brother, There’s an endless road to re-discover

Hey sister, Know the water’s sweet but blood is thicker

Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you

There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do!”

If the lyrics of Avicii’s Hey Brother sums up the common emotion experienced by siblings world over, there’s another art form that has captured the brother-sister bond in every transforming shade that exists. We are talking about filmmaking.

This Raksha Bandhan, we bring you the films and series that have paved the way to positive changes in on-screen representation of the sibling relationship.

The wind of change

True stories on brother-sister bond make for a successful pitch for Bollywood biopics like Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Sarbjit. These have set the record straight for those who think women have no meaningful role to play as sisters. Be it Aishwarya as Dalbir Kaur in Sarabjit who depicts the determination to get her brother back from a Pakistan jail or Milkha Singh’s sister played by Divya Dutta, who is his pillar of strength, they have brought to viewers the reality of having a sister, unlike those clichéd characters from the past where a sister meant liability.

Actor Abhishek Banerjee points out at roles like Aarya played by Sushmita Sen and Dimpi Pandit (Harshita Gaur) in the web series Aarya and Mirzapur, respectively, that have brought in a different aspect of brother-sister bonding for the audience. He says, “The role of Aarya is written for there exist many Aaryas who would step up to the occasion while their brothers aren’t strong or sensible. And there are many Dimpis in real life who would move out to follow their own path.” About the real-life brothers and sisters of today, nothing matches so closely as Dil Dhadakne Do’s Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra’s relationship. Their love and understanding for each other give sibling goals. Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan too had a great chemistry as orphaned brother-sister in the film Josh.

The co-dependency

From the black-and-white era to today’s digital world, the bond of brother-sister has never been ignored, only it has evolved. And now they are on par with each other. For starters, the all-time Bhai figure for the audience, Salman Khan has played a supporting role of a brother in the film, Bandhan (1998). The film stood apart because it had a unique story of loving brother who went on to stay with his sister post-marriage. And more than a decade later, Salman and Tabu stoodshoulder-to-shoulder while facing the villains in Jai Ho, it only confirms that the brother-sister bond is all about sharing the responsibilities, worries and happiness.

The strength in togetherness

Director Nagesh Kukunoor has explored this relationship in not one but two films, Iqbal and Dhanak and both have won him National Awards. Much like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, with Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman as brother-sister, was ahead of its time, Onir’s My Brother…Nikhil redefined this bond. In this a brother (Sanjay Suri) takes refuge in her sister’s (Juhi Chawla) company when his parents abandon him for being an HIV-positive gay. Onir says his films are a reflection of his life. “My sister, who is the eldest, is the one who actually has the final say in the family. She has been my biggest support system even in terms of dealing with my sexuality. So, when I was writing it, I thought if I wanted my story to be told by somebody, it had to be my sister, who for me is a reflection of strength. Our relationship is of mutual support,” he says.

The director believes there is still a gap that needs to be filled when it comes to the depiction of brother-sister bond in Hindi films. He says, “I always had a problem with most portrayals of brother-sister relationship. It’s always the bechari sister (reminds us of the epic parody scene of Sharman Joshi’s family in 3 Idiots).”

While the process has changed for better, what’s lacking according to him is, “There aren’t so many films that focus on a relationship that’s such a big deal in India. We need to keep redefining things and what better way than using cinema as the catalyst?”