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International Journal of English and Comparative Literary Studies Website: https://bcsdjournals.com/index.php/ijecls ISSN: 2709-4952(Print) 2709-7390(Online) Vol.2, Issue 3, 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47631/ijecls.v2i3.254 Unveiling the Forbidden: Exploration of the Uncanny ‘Other’ in Bollywood Films Priyanka Basu Abstract The paper explores how multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia are represented in selected Hindi films (Karthik Calling Karthik. Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Aparichit, Madhoshi) and how they affect the attitudes of the common people. Psychoanalytic theory is employed to analyze the concept of mental illness as depicted in these films. The protagonist in the films is a sufferer of either multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, or mental illness, and these psychological states are central themes. After analyzing the films, it could be stated that Bollywood has moved beyond presenting religious rituals as a cure to mental illness. Psychiatrists gained importance in Hindi films, successfully representing some of the symptoms of multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia. However, the films just mention the treatment procedures and presented them as an easy method. Hence projecting the treatment of mental disorders in Hindi films remains less serious and fictional. Filmmakers should research and investigate the real patients, their families, and doctors before making films on mental illness. Keywords Doppelgänger, Multiple Personality Disorder, Bollywood, Mental Illness, Films IJECLS 31 Priyanka Basu, Unveiling the Forbidden: Exploration of an Uncanny ‘Other’ in Bollywood Films Unveiling the Forbidden: Exploration of an Uncanny ‘Other’ in Bollywood Films Priyanka Basu Humanity has always been in quest of identity: to explore who we are in reality or who we believe we are. This uncertainty of double personality is planted in the unconscious of the human mind. In the present era of selfies, it is hard to imagine a situation when people might have been afraid of their image. The German theory of doppelgänger asserts that seeing one’s double is a fearful experience and sometimes it becomes the harbinger of death(Schneider 52). Rooted in this mythical concept, multiple personality disorder is the type of mental illness, where the patients originally suffer from the presence of two or more distinct and complex identities, each of which commands the behavior of the patient and often results in the disorder of the functioning of consciousness and identity(Kluft 258). The family of the mentally ill patient thinks that revealing the mental condition of the family member will badly affect their reputation in society. In India, people still believe that mental illness is related to black magic and ghosts, which often leads to the ignorance of the medical condition. This perception gets strengthened through the unrealistic representation of mental disorder in Bollywood films. Although the digital era marked a gradual shift in Hindi films where the popular movies try to substantially portray different aspects of mental illness. Films are important mediums to confront the stigma of mental illness and breaking stereotypes. The term Doppelgängerwas first coined by Jean-Paul Richter in 1796, and it became popular in the nineteenth century caused by social disruptions of the industrial revolution. Doppelgängeras well as split personalities became a common motif in the writings of the Victorian authors and after that many films have portrayed mental illness of split personalities and schizophrenia, inspired by such novels. As Freud has asserted that the double is a figure that is ‘to be considered identical because of looking alike’ (Freud, The Uncanny 386). Moreover, according to Freud, the double ‘possesses the knowledge, feeling and experience in common with another person, so that his self becomes confounded, or the foreign self is substituted for his own – in other words, by doubling, dividing and interchanging the self ‘( Freud, The Uncanny 387). A person who has gone through this experience of self-dissolving often is a subject of self-alienation that mostly ends in madness and often gives rise to suicidal thoughts. Thus, the doppelgänger motif combines the ‘uncanny horror with the psychological inquiry into the dark chambers of the human psyche’ (Faurholt 220). This motif is classified as: firstly, the alter ego which is a replication of the main character who appears to be either the victim of an ‘identity IJECLS 32 International Journal of English and Comparative Literary Studies, vol.2, no.3 (2021) theft’ committed by a mimicking mysterious self or subject to obsessed hallucinations, often termed as ‘schizophrenia’. Secondly, the split personality that appears as a dark double, the monstrous half of the protagonist, a cruel fiend that acts as a ‘physical manifestation of the dissociated part of the primary self’ (Faurholt 226). In both of the cases, the victim suffers an identity crisis. In the case of the identical alter ego, it belongs to the mirror stage which asserts the essentiality of identifying with an outer image for developing an ego, on the other hand, the split personality belongs to the Oedipal stage which declares the requisite of demonization of that side of the self which is socially unacceptable. The doppelgänger narrative focuses on the duality of the protagonist who is either the twin of the identical second self or split into opposite selves. The identical alter ego represents the excessive sameness, whereas the split personality appears for the exact contrast, so the doppelgänger acts as a threat to the life of the protagonist, because his identity is endangered either by the inseparable sameness of the identical alter ego or by the contrariness of the split personality. The doppelgänger is a ‘harbinger of death, because its presence threatens to annul the identity of its host’ (Faurholt 227). In films that deal with an identical alter ego the protagonist tries to combat the process of identification with an extremely similar doppelganger who seems to get blended with his own identity. Alternatively, in the case of cinemas that deal with a split personality, the protagonist makes the deadly mistake by othering the part of his self, that monstrous self which could only be finished after its deadly confrontation. In this way, the doppelgänger motif destroys identity formation by toppling the process of identification and othering. Films try to portray the people suffering from a mental disorder caused by delusional misidentification where the person experiences the delusion of having a double or a doppelgänger with a similar face but having different character features which are known as the syndrome of subjective doubles. Subjective double is commonly existed with other mental illnesses, like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, and it is often diagnosed during the treatment of schizophrenia or other disorders involving psychotic delusions. Today we live in a society where we have somewhat moved beyond stereotyping people with mental illness and this becomes possible by educating people about mental health. Making films about mental illness motivates the audience to be aware of using proper language and to remove the stigma associated with mental illness. This paper attempts to look into the anxiety of being the ‘other’ as it is represented in Bollywood films. This paper also explores how multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia is represented in selected Hindi films (Karthik Calling Karthik, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Aparichit, Madhoshi) in the twenty-first century and how it affected the attitudes of the common people towards the people suffer from mental illness. Schizophrenia is a chronic, serious mental disorder that affects the thought process, behavior and emotions of a person. Schizophrenia involves delusions, hallucinations, hearing voices, disorganized behavior, losing communication with reality, etc. Schizophrenic patients lack the awareness of consulting a psychiatrist. It is the responsibility of the family members and well-wishers to help them. Suicidal thoughts are often associated with IJECLS 33 Priyanka Basu, Unveiling the Forbidden: Exploration of an Uncanny ‘Other’ in Bollywood Films schizophrenia, so consciousness among people about mental illness is very important to reduce the risk factors. On the other hand, multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative identity disorder is related to childhood abuse and traumatic experiences. Multiple personality disorder is defined as ‘the presence of two or more distinct identities or personality states that recurrently take control of the individual’s behavior, accompanied by an inability to recall important personal information that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness’ (DSM-IV-TR 528). According to Comer, the ‘switching from one identity to another is triggered by a negative or stressful event or experience although, at times, occurring without noticeable indication’ (Comer 208). Bollywood has long had a fascination with mental health issues and has become an expert in featuring ‘doubles ‘to create a new genre of cinemas that are made on multiple identities of the protagonist. Portrayals of mental illness are prevalent in the media and studies show that they negatively influence public perception while sustaining the stigma (Pirkis et al 528). Psychiatry has transformed from the dark corners of asylum to the light of normal living within the community. Multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia

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