Loved Darlings on Netflix? 5 other films on domestic violence you should watch

 As several people tuned into Alia Bhatt-starrer dark comedy Darlings on Netflix, news broke of an NRI woman's death by suicide over domestic violence in New York. Darlings told the story of Badru, trapped in an abusive marriage, but viewers found satisfaction in the revenge thriller. But in the real-life parallel, there was no happy and empowering ending for Mandeep Kaur.    

Mandeep Kaur's death in New York, US, due to domestic violence has shaken India and brown communities abroad. Kaur, 30, died by suicide on August 3, at her New York home after suffering nearly 8 years of domestic violence at the hands of her husband and in-laws.

Kaur was married to Ranjodhbeer Singh Sandhu and had two daughters, aged six and four, with him. Both Kaur and Sandhu hailed from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh. Sandhu works as a truck driver and runs a transport business. 

Kaur's parents alleged that Sandhu and his family would demand Rs 25 lakh in dowry and would beat their daughter up for not birthing a son. They also alleged that once, Sandhu had kidnapped Kaur and locked her inside a truck for 6 days. 

Mandeep Kaur also left behind a tearful and haunting video telling her parents back in India about her decision to end her life.

This is the story of abused NRI wife Mandeep Kaur. In her last video, the 30-year-old with two kids cited why she decided to give up on her life.
Watch yourself. #MandeepKaur #NewYork #DomesticViolence #NewsMo #RE pic.twitter.com/dSWZaSEgAH

— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) August 6, 2022

"…I tolerated my husband's torture for the past 8 years thinking that one day he will mend his ways," she's heard saying in the video. 

Mandeep Kaur's story is similar to that of several women in India and those living abroad, trapped in abusive marriages. Society often discourages them from breaking off such marriages, resulting in death or life-long trauma and suffering. Indian cinema has portrayed the different forms of ordeal in various movies.   

In the latest, Darlings even has disturbing similarities to the life led by Mandeep Kaur. Like Badru, Kaur also hoped that her husband would change his abusive ways, only to learn that he won't. 

Here are 5 other Indian films that portrayed domestic violence on-screen:

1. Thappad

The Taapsee Pannu-starrer 2020 film Thappad, meaning a slap, is quite a different story than most movies on domestic violence. While most movies on domestic violence show the victim becoming a survivor after tolerating years of abuse, Amrita from Thappad is different. The movie's and Amrita and Vikram's turning point is just one slap. After being slapped by Vikram at a party, Amrita files for divorce, not allowing society to tell her that it was just one slap. But her journey tells us that even the law doesn't side with an abused woman.  

2. Parched

The 2015 movie Parched tells the story of four women from rural Rajasthan. The movie tells the tale of women going through not just one social evil (domestic violence) but multiple. It portrays marital rape, child marriage, dowry, etc and the tale of how the four women overcome these evils. 

3. Akaash Vani

2013 movie Akaash Vani is a romantic story dressed in social lessons. The protagonist of the story Vani is forced into a marriage with Ravi, who emotionally abuses her and pressures her into having sex with him. Unlike other movies, Akaash Vani doesn't show the obvious physical abuse in a relationship, but the mental torture that many women endure. Abusers get away with gaslighting victims and others. Vani is eventually able to leave the marriage with the help of her friends and love interest Akaash. 

4. Provoked

The 2006 film is a British biopic based on Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who killed her husband after suffering years of physical, sexual and mental abuse at his hands. Like Mandeep Kaur, Ahluwalia was also an Indian woman being abused by her husband while living abroad. The real Ahluwalia tried to seek help from her family only to be asked to stay back; she also tried to flee the marriage only to be found again; her last try was to burn her husband fatally. 

5. Agni Sakshi

This 1996 film tells the story of a possessive lover whose love eventually turns into abuse. Bollywood has a history of romanticising possessiveness in relationships, but in real life, such relationships often turn out to be abusive. Agni Sakshi lifts the veil off of the romance in aggression. Manisha Koirala, Jackie Shroff and Nana Patekar star in the lead roles. 

Mandeep Kaur unfortunately did not get a happy ending like the movie protagonists, but the fight for justice is on. Kaur's parents have filed an FIR against Sandhu's family in India. Sandhu has also been arrested in New York. Kaur's family is seeking custody of her two daughters. NGOs in the US have also stopped Sandhu from cremating Kaur's body and are trying to send her body back to India, to her parents.