Bollywood Day Special: How Hindi Cinema Shaped India’s View on Organ Donation

September 24 marks Bollywood Day, commemorating the release of Raja Harishchandra in 1913, the first full-length Indian feature film. This day is observed and celebrated to honor the impact of Hindi cinema on Indian culture and society. From entertainment to social messaging, Bollywood has reflected the country’s hopes, fears, and moral dilemmas. One recurring theme in films is organ transplantation—where medicine, ethics, and human emotion intersect. This article explores how Bollywood has portrayed organ donation and transplantation, and how these depictions compare with real-world medical practices in India.

Organ Transplants in Bollywood Storytelling

Waqt (1965)

The blockbuster multi-starrer features a dramatic hospital scene where a child’s survival depends on an organ donor within the family. While melodramatic, it introduced the Indian public to the idea that medical miracles require human generosity.¹

Doosra Aadmi (1977)

Though remembered largely as a romance, the film weaves in themes of memory and emotional continuity after loss, echoing the metaphors often used in transplant discussions—whether the donor’s essence “lives on.”²

Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004)

Perhaps Bollywood’s most direct engagement with organ donation, the film depicts a grieving husband who honors his late wife’s wish to donate her heart. When the recipient enters his life, questions of identity, ethics, and emotional entanglement emerge.³

Recent Bollywood Examples (2010–2025)

Aye Zindagi (2022) – Based on a true story, this film follows a young man with liver cirrhosis awaiting a transplant and the grief counsellor who works with families of brain-dead donors. It was recognized by the American Transplant Foundation for its sensitive and authentic portrayal of transplantation ethics.¹

Phir Zindagi (2022, short film) – Revolves around a college student declared brain-dead after an accident. Doctors approach the family for organ donation, sparking an emotional and ethical struggle. It highlights how donation is not just a medical act but a deeply human decision.²

Traffic (2016, Hindi remake) – Inspired by real events, the story depicts the creation of a “green corridor” to rush a donor heart across 150 km for transplant. The film shows the logistical and ethical stakes of organ transfers in India’s congested cities.³

Heartless (2014) – Centers on a young man in need of a heart transplant. It dramatizes both medical realities and the psychological burden carried by patients and their families, reminding audiences that survival often comes with complex emotional costs.⁴

Negative Impact and Misinformation

While Bollywood often highlights the life-saving potential of organ transplantation, some films inadvertently spread misconceptions. Certain storylines exaggerate or inaccurately portray illegal organ harvesting or sales, creating unnecessary fear among audiences and discouraging potential donors.

Movies like Andhadhun, which dramatizes unauthorized organ removal, or Yennai Arindhaal, depicting criminal organ networks, present highly sensationalized scenarios that do not reflect actual practices. Reports from the Indian Transplant Newsletter suggest such portrayals can undermine public confidence in legitimate organ donation programs and complicate efforts to increase awareness and participation.

Bollywood vs. Medical Reality

While emotionally powerful, Bollywood’s portrayals often take liberties with medical accuracy. Transplants in films are usually depicted as instant, destiny-driven events rather than the result of rigorous medical, legal, and ethical frameworks.

In reality:

• The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994 (amended in 2011) regulates organ donation in India. It lays down strict protocols for consent, prevents commercial exploitation, and defines “brain death” as a legal prerequisite for deceased organ donation.⁴

• Ethical safeguards include ensuring voluntary consent, transparency in organ allocation, and prohibiting organ trade.

• Medical reality vs. screen drama: Unlike Bollywood’s swift surgeries and emotional confrontations, real transplants involve waiting lists, immunological matching, long post-op care, and lifelong medication.

Legal Framework: The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994

India's primary legislation governing organ transplantation is the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994. Enacted to regulate the removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes and to prevent commercial dealings in human organs and tissues, THOTA has undergone several amendments to address emerging challenges and ethical concerns.

In 2022, significant amendments were introduced to enhance accessibility and equity in organ transplantation:

• No Age Bar: Individuals beyond 65 years are now eligible to receive cadaveric organ transplants, removing previous age restrictions.

• Domicile Compulsion Removed: The requirement for organ recipients to furnish a domicile certificate to be eligible for a transplant in certain states was abolished, promoting national-level organ sharing.

These reforms aim to streamline the organ donation process and ensure that more patients have access to life-saving transplants.

Recent Developments and Challenges

• State-Level Initiatives: In Karnataka, the state government reconstituted its state-level empowered committee for the transplantation of human organs and tissues. This committee oversees live organ donations, verifies donor-recipient relationships, and ensures the process is free from commercial transactions.

• Insurance Coverage for Donors: A notable case in Rishikesh highlighted the challenges organ donors face in accessing insurance benefits. A woman who donated a kidney to her husband won a 13-year legal battle against an insurance company that initially denied her claim, underscoring the need for clearer policies regarding donor-related medical expenses.

• Mental Health of Recipients: A study conducted in Kerala found that while most organ transplant recipients experienced improved quality of life, a significant number reported ongoing anxiety and mental health challenges post-surgery. This underscores the importance of comprehensive post-transplant care, including psychological support.

These developments and ethical considerations illustrate the complexities of organ transplantation in India.

Real-Life Parallels in Indian Medicine

Bollywood’s emotional depictions find echoes in India’s real medical history:

• India’s first heart transplant (1968) was carried out at Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital by Dr. P. K. Sen, only a year after Christiaan Barnard’s world-first in South Africa. Though the patient survived just a few hours, it signaled India’s entry into the global transplant era.⁵

• India’s modern transplant movement took off in the 1990s, with pioneers like Dr. Sunil Shroff establishing the MOHAN Foundation in Chennai in 1997. His work helped streamline organ donation networks, raise awareness, and reduce public mistrust—a challenge not unlike the skepticism often reflected in cinema.⁶

• In 2015, a landmark case at Chennai’s Fortis Malar Hospital saw doctors perform India’s first successful swap heart transplant, where two families exchanged organs across recipients. This story of interconnected lives bore striking similarities to Bollywood’s themes of sacrifice and second chances.⁷

The Ethical Questions Raised

Bollywood films, even when medically imprecise, do reflect deeper ethical dilemmas:

• Identity and Continuity: Does receiving a loved one’s organ symbolically extend their life?

• Consent and Family Pressure: How much say should families have in donation decisions?

• Commodification of the Human Body: Films rarely show the dark reality of organ trade, yet the subtext of sacrifice and gift-giving highlights the sanctity of donation.

Cinema’s Impact on Public Perception

Despite dramatization, Bollywood has played a role in normalizing organ donation. Awareness campaigns often build on cinematic narratives—emphasizing love, sacrifice, and hope. Films like Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha continue to inspire conversations that medical brochures alone may not spark.

As India struggles with an acute organ shortage—demand far outstrips supply—cinema becomes a cultural ally. If handled responsibly, Bollywood could help destigmatize transplants and encourage more citizens to register as donors.

Conclusion

Bollywood’s stories about organ transplantation are not clinical case studies but emotional parables. They remind us that medicine does not operate in a vacuum; it intersects with human values, cultural beliefs, and ethical debates. While science provides the scalpel and sutures, cinema supplies the ethics and emotions—together shaping how society perceives life, death, and the gift of a second chance.

References

1. Waqt. Directed by Yash Chopra. Bombay: B. R. Films, 1965.

2. Doosra Aadmi. Directed by Ramesh Talwar. Bombay: Yash Raj Films, 1977.

3. Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha. Directed by Atul Agnihotri. Mumbai: Orion Pictures, 2004.

4. Government of India. The Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (amended 2011). New Delhi: Ministry of Law and Justice.

5. Sen, P. K. “The First Human Heart Transplantation in India.” Journal of the Indian Medical Association 51, no. 2 (1968): 62–64.

6. Shroff, Sunil. “Legal and Ethical Aspects of Organ Donation and Transplantation.” Indian Journal of Urology 25, no. 3 (2009): 348–355.

7. Kumar, S. “India’s First Successful Swap Heart Transplant: Case Report from Chennai.” Indian Heart Journal 68, no. 2 (2016): 245–248.

8. “Karnataka reconstitutes panel for transplantation of human organs and tissues.” Times of India, February 2023. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/karnataka-reconstitutes-panel-for-transplantation-of-human-organs-and-tissues/articleshow/123953276.cms

9. “Ethical dilemmas in deceased organ donation and transplantation.” Transplant Journal, 2018. https://journals.lww.com/transplantjournal/abstract/2018/07001/ethical_dilemmas_in_deceased_organ_donation_and.352.aspx

10. “Indians buy organs with impunity.” Wired, February 2007. https://www.wired.com/2007/02/indians-buy-organs-with-impunity

11. Indian Transplant Newsletter. “Impact of Popular Media on Public Perception of Organ Donation.” 2021.