Bollywood and over the top family dramas go hand in hand. We Indians just love all the drama that goes on not just in movies but also in life don’t we? No wonder then that Bollywood thrived on such family dramas during the 80s and 90s and the Barjatya’s were the god of such family dramas. For very long most of the Bollywood family dramas had just one formula; A loving son/daughter, a doting father an equally loving and sacrificing mother, a caring sister/brother and some family turmoil which eventually gets solved and they come back to being a happy family once again!
However, with time the Bollywood family dramas have changed too. There have been family films lately which are based on dysfunctional families, beautiful father-daughter relationships, flawed families, a gay father etc. But the one thing that is constant and common is the bond that families share with each other and also the family values we take home from these films. We have put down a list of some of our all-time favorite Bollywood family dramas, while some of these movies are the typical picture-perfect family films, some break away from the idea of ideal families but we love all of them nonetheless!
Hum Saath Saath Hain: Teaches Us How Families Stick Together
Image Credit: Movie – Hum Saath Saath Hain
Without a doubt, Hum Saath Saath Hain gets the first mention as the film shows us a typical Indian family. The different emotions of different family members, the love and bond they share. The film teaches us to stay united over minor family disagreements, it teaches us how a family is always there to stand by us no matter what may come.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham: Shows Us How To Stay United At Heart
Image Credit: Movie – Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham is a typical Karan Johar family film that has an ensemble cast and revolves around family values and issues. The film is all about the changing dimensions of relationships but how the family stays united at heart through it all. It’s a beautiful film about relationships and family.
Baghban: Opens Our Eyes To The Plight Of The Aging Family Members
Image Credit: Movie – Baghban
It’s one of the films every youngster should watch especially in today’s time when we have everything we want except for time for our aging parents. The film teaches us how to respect our elderly parents when they need us the most. The film is not only sure to open your eyes but also leave you all misty-eyed.
Kapoor & Sons: It’s All About A Dysfunctional Family
Image Credit: Movie – Kapoor & Sons
Kapoor and Sons is not about a typical Indian family but show a realistic side of a totally dysfunctional family. It’s about family conflicts of a different kind. Kapoor & Sons is an emotional film and show the intricacies of a middle-class life. There are quite a few warm, fuzzy and tear-jerking moments in the film.
Piku: A Heartwarming Relation Between A Father-Daughter
Image Credit: Movie – Piku
Unlike most stereotypical Bollywood family films where the sons are normally shown as the ‘ghar ka chirag, in Piku it’s all about how a daughter takes charge of her aging, ailing father. Their relationship debunks the myth that only sons are good enough to support their parents in their old age. Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan who plays the daughter and father respectively in Piku played their parts to perfection. The movie was a welcome break from melodramatic typical family movie plots.
Dil Dhadakne Do: Nothing Like The Typical Filmi Families
Image Credit: Movie – Dil Dhadakne Do
Zoya Akhtar’s Dil Dhadakne Do is unlike the typical filmi-families, that are too perfect to be true and proclaim unconditional love for each other. It’s about a husband and wife who invite their family for a cruise to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and how they have life-changing experiences as a family. How a can of worms open up and how the family finally opens up about their issues.
Dear Dad: Celebrates An Unusual Father-Son Bond
Image Credit: Movie – Dear Dad
Dear Dad is the story of a happy family falling apart when the father, Nitin Swaminathan played by Arvind Swamy, decides to come out of the closet. All of this happens while the father and the son are on a road trip en route to the teenaged son’s boarding school in Mussoorie. The father reveals that he is gay and all hell breaks loose.
All said and done; happy, sad, dysfunctional, normal, however families may be, like Karan Johar says,”It’s all about loving your family!”
Read Also: It’s International Day Of Families Today And Here’s What You Can Do
