Doctors in Cinema: 10 of our most favourite on-screen caregivers

Anand (1971) A definite tearjerker till date, this Hrishikesh Mukherjee classic will always be remembered for Amitabh Bachchan’s pre-stardom era portrayal of a deeply sensitive doctor treating a cancer patient, played by the formidable Rajesh Khanna. With memorable lines like “Pushpa I hate tears” and “babumoshai zindagi badi honi chahiye lambi nahi”, this film remains a standing ode to the resilience of doctors in the face of massive odds and the enduring power of the friendships we form over the course of our work. (Source: Movie still)

Dweep Jele Jai (1959) and Khamoshi (1970) Based on a Bengali short story titled Nurse Mitra, these two films made by Asit Sen in both Bengali and Hindi, starring the formidable Suchitra Sen and Waheeda Rahman, tell the story of a nurse and her unparalleled dedication towards curing mentally challenged patients - and the subsequent toll it takes on her own health when she falls in love with one of her patients. (Source: IMDB)

Guzaarish (2010) This seminal film on euthanasia by Sanjay Leela Bhansali has Aishwarya Rai playing the role of a nurse, styled like a Garcia Marquez heroine, who puts the focus on questions of morality and dedication associated with the role of a care-giver. One must also watch out for an equally endearing performance by Suhel Seth in the role of a doctor who is forced to make the choice of pulling the plug on a patient he has spent his entire life trying to keep alive. (Source: Movie still)

Agnishwar (1975) What is arguably one the legend’s best performances, this film starring Uttam Kumar is one of the finest underrated gems in Indian cinema on the ethics of practising medicine in a world that is bent upon corporatising the same. (source: Movie still)

Doctor Zhivago David Lean’s 1965 adaptation of this Russian classic, traces the life of the eponymous doctor played by a resilient Omar Sharif - as he navigates his profession of medicine and the poetic callings of his own heart. Torn between two women, his own wife back home and a nurse in his battle-field workspace, this is a must-see classic for enthusiasts of World War narratives. (Source: Movie still)

Dear Zindagi (2016) In a cinema culture that often romanticised the process of caregivers falling in love with their patients, here was a first where Dr. Jahangir Khan, played by the ever reliable Shah Rukh Khan, told a hurting Alia Bhatt that perhaps it was better if their lines remained uncrossed. But despite this heartbreak of a moment, Dr. Khan made us all realise not only the importance of emotional healing but also of innovative ways to look at and consider therapy - things as outrageous as playing kabaddi with the Goan sea waves. (Source: Movie still)

Silence of the Lambs (1991) There are few things in this world that are more scary than the prospect of a villainous doctor who threatens to have “an old friend for dinner”. Anthony Hopkins, in an Oscar-winning performance, stars as the cannibal, unhinged criminal in this chilling police-procedural drama starring Jodie Foster. (Source: IMDB)

Few prime-time series have seen the kind of reception that has been the share of Meredith Grey and her tribe. From starting off as a surgery intern to now becoming Chief of General Surgery, this show has like no other charted the journey - with the tribulations and trials - of a person invested in the field of medicine. (source: Still)

Contagion (2011) This underrated Steven Soderbergh drama rose to overnight fame in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak - owing to the gumption with which it appeared to have prophesied the absolute chaos that humanity descends into in light of a global pandemic. Starring a host of doctors, the most standout character is Kate Winslet who goes in search of patient zero, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, before succumbing to the virus herself. (Source: IMDB)

No list of doctors will ever be complete without a mention of our beloved Doctor Stephen Strange. Left impaired after a car accident, Dr. Strange proceeds to join a cult under the tutelage of the Ancient One before becoming a guardian of the Time Stone himself. One of the most loved characters of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this character immortalised by the unparalleled depth of Benedict Cumberbatch will always remain etched in our hearts for the sheer literalisation of the saying, that our doctors are nothing short of superheroes. (source: marvel.com)