India watched Game of Thrones and HOTD. Is it ready for incest on big screen?
When House of the Dragon Season 3 showed Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen kissing his mother, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, the internet erupted. Even for a
When House of the Dragon Season 3 showed Prince Regent Aemond Targaryen kissing his mother, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, the internet erupted. Even for a franchise that has made incest one of its defining themes, the moment left many viewers stunned and reignited a familiar debate: how far is too far in storytelling? Yet, despite the shock, most fans understood the scene within the context of George RR Martin's fictional world, where the Targaryens have long practised incest to preserve their bloodline. It's disturbing, controversial and morally uncomfortable, but it is also a recurring narrative device that audiences have, over the years, come to associate with the world of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. Read Full Story Now imagine the same storyline unfolding in a mainstream Indian film. Not hinted at. Not metaphorical. An explicit central plot involving incest between close family members. Would Indian audiences embrace it as fiction, or would the film be rejected left, right and centre? That question feels more relevant than ever as global audiences continue to consume stories that challenge social taboos while Indian mainstream cinema largely stays away from one of society's biggest taboos. Is India ready to watch incest on the big screen, or are there some boundaries that even fiction cannot cross? The answer isn't as straightforward. Indian cinema has largely steered clear of incest as a central theme, treating it as one of the last remaining taboos on screen. While filmmakers have occasionally brushed against the subject with extreme caution, they have rarely explored it head-on. Even on OTT, where storytelling has become far more daring, examples are few. Ba***ds of Bollywood, the popular Netflix series created by Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, briefly brushes against the theme, albeit in a satirical and largely unintended manner. Television, too, explored a similar conversation years ago with Laut Aao Trisha. Then there was Haider (2014), where director Vishal Bhardwaj subtly invoked undertones of the Oedipus complex through the relationship between Haider (Shahid Kapoor) and his mother Ghazala (Tabu). The psychological concept describes a son harbouring unconscious romantic feelings for his mother while viewing his father as a rival. Yet, unlike the West, where such narratives are often woven into mainstream fiction, India continues to keep the subject firmly at arm's length. That's where the conversation becomes far more complicated. Unlike OTT, if films dealing with such sensitive themes release on the big screen? Will it ever have takers in the audience? Biggest taboo While we contemplated the answer, filmmaker Tejas Deoskar shared his perspective. The director, who has helmed projects like Ground Zero, Chhatriwali and more, told IndiaToday.in exclusively why incest remains one of the biggest taboos in Indian cinema.
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