Anjaan Stigma

India has a history of the negative stigma directed toward mental health; according to NPR, it can be “[concluded] that the government doesn 't consider it a priority.” There are multiple things that show this stigma such as the incrimination of mental illness, poor treatment facilities, or even belittle gravity of it as a whole. Anjaana Anjaani is a unique movie that “begins on an antagonistic note and then shifts into a whole new terrain of quirky need,” (Times of India) displaying an inability to cope with the challenges in favor of a more lighthearted predicament. The movie sympathizes with India’s depression stigma by contending that morality is black and white as opposed to a sliding greyscale; subsequently, the movie depicts two depressed …show more content…
The movie conveys the image very much with the use of the color. In the beginning, we see two people standing in the darkness on the Manhattan Bridge which was abnormally dark given the infrastructural light constructed on the actual infrastructure. As we follow the two, once they are admitted to the hospital, which is admittedly an environment that is filled with bright, white colors and light, they are draped with gowns reflecting a dark green. Once we are exposed to typical families who seem to display what’s considered the American dream, the colors are vibrant, pastel, and simply light. There are multiple instances during which the main characters, who do fight both depression and suicidal tendencies, interact with the so-called American dreamers, and the families are fully clothed with a light color palate while Akash and Kiara are clothed from head to toe with black. When Kiara’s friend gets married, the entire bridal party is draped with white or vibrantly colored saris; whereas, Kiara is in a silky black dress and wearing a leather jacket. In the final scene of the movie, Kiara and Akash are still wearing black at the dark bridge at night, but when they are treading the dark water, and the couple gets engaged to be married, they’re finally drenched with light …show more content…
The video strode through what depression is considered to look like when there is a lack of attention to the matter: they attempted to commit suicide, they attempted to correct it by filling a void with something superficial, and they came to the resolution that getting married would correct all of their problems. Being depressed looks like having some melodramatic episode like a suicide attempt followed by the denial of medical attention and an attempt to self correct. Being depressed looks like having a manic episode when you try to get happy as if it’s a switch that can be turned on and off. Being depressed looks like self correction failing time after time until some conclusion can be made which may lead to a discovery that divulges deep into oneself to determine a problem and solution. Depression looks like a mess that’s not worth cleaning