One of the most underrated-ly complex relationships is of siblings. They are oft-times the source of our struggles and conflicts during our growing up years but they are the only people with whom we maintain life-long relationships; for the most part.
Today, on Siblings Day, we wonder what are some of the popular films that beautifully portrays this bitter-sweet relationship of siblings.
Read on to know our top 11 favourite films which can be watched with your sibling on Siblings Day during lockdown:
1. Pather Panchali (1955)
‘Pather Panchali’ (A song of the Little Road) by Satyajit Ray is an exquisite portrayal of the bond of a brother-sister duo; Apu and Durga. The film based in Nischindipur, rural Bengal 1910 and talks about the human relationships and aspirations of every individual in the impoverished families in that era of Bengal.
Pather Panchali is available on YouTube for a free watch with good screen quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHOPu556bJQ
2. Satte Pe Satta (1982)
An adaptation of the Hollywood musical ‘Seven Brides for Seven Brothers’, ‘Satte Pe Satta’ is one of the most adored hits of its time. Even after 38 years of its release, this film is one of the most entertaining to beat your quarantine blues. In this, seven brothers live on a large farmhouse and they are “uncivilised” and unsophisticated bumpkins whose life takes 180° turn when the oldest brother Ravi played by Amitabh Bachchan brings a bride Indu played by Hema Malini.
‘Satte Pe Satta’ is available on Amazon Prime, Netflix. It can also be watched for free on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjqlQ8ewF4A
3. Dil Dhadakne Do (2015)
A dramedy by Zoya Akhtar, where an elite and aristocratic but equally dysfunctional family goes on a ten-day cruise across the Mediterranean to celebrate the Mehra’s 30th wedding anniversary. The family is so disrupted that the dreams and aspirations of the descendants are overlooked. The son, Kabir who wants to be a pilot is utilised to run a company and a daughter, Ayesha is married off just because love outside of class is against the certain sense of propriety of the privileged. The film depicts the subtle conservatism and supremacy which is the face of the most affluent. However, what remains constant is the constant support of the brother-sister to each other.
The film is available on both Amazon Prime and Netflix. It can also be rented on YouTube:
4. Angoor (1982)
Adapted from Shakespeare’s play ‘The Comedy of Errors’, Angoor is everything about deliberate falseness where two brothers are named Ashok since they are twins as per the logic of their father Raj Tilak played by Utpal Dutt. However, in an unfortunate event, the twins get separated and destiny brings them together in the end of the play. The concept falls under the farcical comedy genre. Few of the stage adaptations of the original play are available on YouTube.
The Hindi adaptation of Angoor is also available on the same platform.
Before Angoor, the play was first adapted in Bengali in 1963 called Bhrantibilas which is also available on YouTube.
5. Kapoor & Sons (2016)
Another modern-day, complex relationship drama is well-portrayed in Shakun Batra’s Kapoor & Sons – which narrates the story of two estranged brothers Arjun and Rahul played by Siddharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan who comes back to their dysfunctional family after their grandfather suffers cardiac arrest. The film depicts the human fragility, the wounds of our losses, memories of past and as a result, the pain that we inflict on each other.
The film can be watched on Amazon Prime and Netflix.
6. My Brother … Nikhil (2005)
Based on the life of Dominic Desouza, the movie portrays the life of Nikhil who is HIV positive, hence ostracised by not only the society but his own parents. The only people who stood by his side is his sister Anamika played by Juhi Chawla and his boyfriend Sam played by Gautam Kapoor. The film is important in many different ways; it talks about the Goa Public Health Act, HIV and homosexuality at the time when these topics were considered as extreme taboo.
Here is the YouTube link of the film:
7. Little Women (2019)
Based on the novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott 1968, the 2019’s film adaptation is the seventh of the bildungsroman narrative – the-coming-of-age tale. This is the story of beloved March sisters, who are determined to live life on their own. The classic is timeless and regardless of the time it was originally written or adapted, the film has some remnant of every era intact in it.
The film can be rented on:
8. Masoom (1983)
Another Indian dramedy from 1983 by Shekhar Kapoor is actually an adaptation of Man, Woman and Child by Erich Segal. Though, the first Indian adaptation has been done in Olangal, Malayalam. Indu played by Shabana Azmi and DK played by Naseeruddin Shah’s happy marriage goes upside down when a child from DK’s past affair enters their life. The film talks about not only the complexity of motherhood and fragility of marriage but it also shows a very innocent bonding of brother and sisters irrespective of the predominant definitions of siblings.
Watch Masoom here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Bf43KmL67c
9. Chaalbaaz (1989)
Loosely based on Hema Malini’s Seeta and Geeta, Chaal Baaz is an Indian slapstick comedy which is also in a way an example of the intentional comedy of errors. It portrays two twin sisters who are seperated by birth; one is meek and innocent while the other is fiery and street smart. The two interchange their roles in two different households to defy all odds of the patriarchal society.
10. Cake (2018)
Have you seen Kapoor & Sons? Cake feels like an extended narrative of the same but in Pakistan. A dysfunctional and estranged family moves around keeping a secret of the family in their heart. When they come back to their roots in Karachi, everything unfolds and lets us enter their world of extreme conflicted and relationships.
The film is available on Netflix.
11. Judwaa (1997)
Okay… this one may not match with our other films on the list. But it was one of the hits in its time when it was originally opened. Loosely based on Jackie Chan’s ‘Twin Dragons‘ (1992), the film stars the most popular actors of the time Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Rambha. It was well-received with the mass audience for its collaborative comedy between Khan and Dhawan.
Tip: (Remove your ‘isms’ binocular off )
You can watch the film here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaloT95dYRE
The list includes few of the Bengali films and also the adaptations of South Indian and English films, but as Parasite’s director Bong Joon Ho says, “Once you overcome the 1-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films”.
