Exhaustive literature is available in the portrayal of mental illness in the English language films. However no major studies are available around the portrayal of mental health in Bollywood movies which in fact is consumed by nearly 25-30% of the world population.

in the era of unprecedented growth in visual medium, we wish to study the portrayal of mental illness in Bollywood cinema and how effective this medium is to create awareness around mental health and stigma.

Literature search with a specific purpose to identify any available literature on mental illness in South Asian cinema was undertaken. to create a synthesis of portrayal of mental illness, its impact on cultural consumption with its advantages and deficiencies. This was followed by a listing a cluster reviews of Bollywood films that have characters with mental health problems to identify how these illustrate both the condition and reactions to them.

These findings were compared with the literature surrounding mental health and the Indian culture to show if the perceptions correlate. The information was collated to see any patterns and 6 such patterns were identified.

Results

Recognising these motifs are crucial for public and clinician alike in contact with the population open to the influence of these films to not only understand the phenomenology of mental illness in this populace but also some of unique cultural factors, medication, stigma and charting out appropriate management plan. (On-going)

The details of the synthetic factors will be presented in the results and discussion.