The
infallible link between music and medicine can be stretched through the
former’s interventions and applications use in clinical medicine as a strategy
for curing ailments. If one has to talk about medical science and cinema, then
cinetraphy too has been considered as an
interesting remedy for treating patients with mood disorders and depression
etc. Cinema entertains us, hence, it is a great stress buster too. However, this
essay does not deal with the therapies which can be propagated by watching
movies. In fact, this is about the different medical themes which found its
place in the movies, selected Hollywood and Bollywood flicks, and which in a way
reflects the indispensable link that medical science and movie shares through
the platform of society.
After reading the introduction of this essay, some of the readers might
get images of Dr.Zhivago (1965), the Oscar-winning romantic drama which was loosely
adapted from the novel of the same name by Boris Pasternak. It is true, movie-goers
throughout the ages has given importance to the script, the acting, and the
casting without noticing how medicine has been highlighted in some of the
record breaking movies whether it be romantic movie, comedy, drama or sci-fi. If
a movie lover is asked to pick ten of her favourite
movies, then unsurprisingly at least one
of the movies could be related with medical science (my assumption, but it won't be wrong). Needless to say, the bond
between medicine and cinema has been an enthralling one and it can hardly be
ignored. In this essay, medicine is used synonymously with the institutions of
hospital and clinics and also in its literal sense.
In
recent times, many movies of different
genres plotting on various themes has been made. Movie with themes of courage
and overcoming obstacles has inspired many viewers, John Nash’s biopic titled, A Beautiful Mind (2001) where Russell
Crowe has portrayed the role of Mr. Nash whose brilliance is overshadowed by
his Schizophrenic attacks, however as the years passes Nash learns to ignore
his hallucinations. This movie was not only a commercial hit and an Oscar
winner, but also, it won the appreciation
of many. Lamhe (2006) which was
loosely based on the life of a Bollywood actress’ battle with schizophrenia was
heart wrecking and conveyed a subtle message of how painful a mental disorder
can be to the patient and to those who love and care for them.
The
issue of ‘surrogacy’ has not escaped movies, focusing mainly on the emotional
journey of women when her womb becomes the shelter of hope for childless
couples. The Bollywood movie Filhaal…
(2002) was one of such kind, where the acceptance and the denial of the new
found responsibilities was highlighted. Interestingly, the hit Indian Bollywood
comedy Vicky Donor (2012), wherein the protagonist donates sperm
to meet the expenses of his luxurious lifestyle, does not only take the audience for a ride of
laughter, but amidst all the confusion the issue of sperm donation is
highlighted in such a manner that we feel empathy for the protagonist. On a
serious note, it does not only sprinkle the issue as to whether the sperm
donation as a means of business is a money- making franchise in itself but also it makes us ponder as to whether it is
ethically justifiable. My Sister’s Keeper
(2009), an American drama, a story about a girl conceived by means of
in-vitro fertilization just to save her older sister from acute promyelocytic
leukemia, makes the viewer to feel the blend of emotions of love, hope, and devotion often surpasses the
magnificence of medical science.
Apart
from all the glorious things the medical science has performed, one cannot
ignore the fact the discrimination and the exclusion which a patient undergoes
due to the society’s shallow understanding of this disease is quite painful. It
destroys not only the optimistic life of the patient but also acts as an hurdle
for the medical science, as at the end of the day the relationship between
medical science and society cannot be ignored. Some of the movies have
highlighted this issue as in a larger scale it forms a social issue to deal
with, the 1993 movie Philadelphia
where Tom Hanks plays the role of AIDS patient who has to face discrimination
in his workplace and finds rejection
among his peer groups was an eye opener for many; it was one of the first mainstream
Hollywood movie to come up with the issue of HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia. And
the Band played on (1993), an American docudrama, based on a book by Randy
Shilts and directed by Roger Spottiswoods
was a highly applauded for it dealt with the discovery
of the AIDS virus wherein the actor Matthew Modin, who plays the role of Don
Francis, a researcher at the Center for Disease Control, battles with apathy in
the public, government, and healthcare
system. The film hovers around Francis who seeks to find the cause behind a
mysterious series of death in the gay community in San Francisco, Los Angeles
and New York City starting around 1978. Bollywood movies, Phir Milenga (2004) and My
Brother… Nikhil (2005) are based on the themes of the discriminations faced
by the patients of HIV/AIDS.
Notably,
laughter as a medicine has not been neglected by the scriptwriters. Patch Adams (1998) the comedy-drama starring Robbie William where humour and compassion are used as medicine for
treating patients is something challenging, it breaks the medical norm of
maintaining a strict professional relationship between the patients and the
doctors. National Award winning Bollywood comedy drama, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S (2003) runs on the same theme, where the
protagonist tries to treat the patients with ‘laughter therapy’ and is
successful in doing so.
Furthermore,
in Bollywood depiction of the use of traditional medicines has not been
ignored. If we pick a period movie we can see, there are no such thing as brand
medicines. Hilarious, but berries and leaves from deep forests acts as the
healing ointment for the injured protagonist which leads to a remarkable
recovery. If someone has a huge interest in action movies and has not escape
the reels of Asian martial art movies then they would agree that in some of the
movies the relationship between the hero getting injured and being treated by
the traditional medicinal knowledge of his master
is inescapable. As cliché can have it, classic cowboy movies too depict scenes
where the hero gets shot by the despicable villain, and the bullet on his arm
is removed by heating the knife on a candle so as to disinfect the wound, which
in a way can be considered as a layman’s understanding towards the knowledge of
septic, in good humour, it might be something the movie script had demanded.
The
universal appeal of a movies is such that no matter what the genre is, be it be
action, comedy or drama, movies entertain us irrespective of social strata. Movies
based on social realities bring awareness to people at large, inspirational
movies benefits us by inspiring us, movies on historical figures and biopics
gives us an opportunity to contemplate on simple truth of life. Apart from the beam lights of the silver screen, and
the applause of a commercial hit, what cinema can do for the medical science is
an interesting subject to deal with. The much praised Indian movie, 3Idiots (2009) best
scenes revolve around the hospital, and the one where the woman (the female protagonist’s sister) delivers her baby with the help of a
vacuum (not in hospital though) is epic. One of the striking points will be of bringing the cultural, political
and social issues on diseases and highlighting it in the cinema, also to show
how policies have been failing (if it does) time and again, and to bring about
measures to control such problems but not in a sharp and suggestive tone.
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