When filmmakers take inspiration from real incidents that occurred in different parts of the world and in different time frames, we get a surprising take at what might have actually happened during that incident. Here’s a look at six different Indian movies that are heavily inspired by real incidents that happened in our country.

1.Article 15 (2019, Hindi)

Article 15, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is inspired by multiple true events. 2014 Badaun gang-rape allegation where two Dalit girls were brutally raped by upper-caste men, 2016 Una flogging case where Dalit members were ruthlessly thrashed by the upper caste for false accusations of killing a cow. Though the entire film is fictional, these incidents have been incorporated into this social drama to strengthen the representation of caste dynamics that is still prevalent in our society.

2. Kedarnath (2019, Hindi)

Kedarnath is a romantic drama movie that is directed by Abhishek Kapoor and marks the debut of Sara Ali Khan. The film that stars Sushant Singh Rajput is based on the devastating 2013 floods that struck Uttarakhand. The film, however, doesn’t primarily revolve around this incident and takes it only as an inspiration for the climax. Recreating the horrifying incident on screen is indeed a challenge that the makers have carried out successfully. As the horrendous waves strike Kedarnath, we gasp for breath and are left in tears when the waves devour Mansoor (Sushant Singh Rajput).

3.Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017, Hindi)

The end credits of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha mentions that the movie is inspired by the real-life of Anita Narre from Madhya Pradesh, who refused to go back to her husband Shivram’s home because it had no toilet. The film also acted as an extended promotion of the country’s sanitation programs and was lauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the awareness that the film attempts to create.

4. Traffic (2011, Malayalam)

Traffic is a movie that defined the new wave of Malayalam cinema (or as we popularly call ‘New Gen’ cinema). It is based on a real-life incident that happened in 2008 in which a patient, who was suffering from threatening heart disease in Chennai, was saved by the precise coordination of doctors from two hospitals and the city’s traffic police. They transported a donor’s organ for a heart transplant within eleven minutes. The film turned out to be a huge success and was subsequently remade in Tamil and Hindi

5.Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathira Kolapathakathinde Katha (2009, Malayalam)

The film is inspired by the novel of the same name written by the director Renjith’s friend TP Rajeevan. The novel itself is based on a true story set in the 1950s about Manikyam, a young girl who was raped and murdered by a feudal landlord’s son. Mammootty appears in three different characters in this mystery thriller. According to the writer TP Rajeevan, this case happens to be the first reported murder in Kerala.

6. Theeran Adhigaram Ondru (2017, Tamil)

The movie is based on the heroic lives of the underappreciated Tamil cops who solved a series of crimes over a span of ten years, without access to any modern technology that is available today. The mission was called Operation Bawaria and involved criminals from the tribal communities of Rajasthan who came to villages of Tamil Nadu and committed cold-blooded murder to loot the families.

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