Real-life-inspired films tend to tread on a thin line where authenticity blends with audience acceptance. Although creators talk about creative freedom, there have been Hindi movies that have portrayed real-life incidents and have been questioned for toning down harsh realities to make them acceptable. Be they biographical or historical films, quite a few of them tend to show an interpretation of life that is nowhere near harsh reality.



'Sanju''Sanju', made by Rajkumar Hirani , chronicled actor Sanjay Dutt’s life and centered around his emotional journey and personal life. Nevertheless, it has been observed by critics of the movie that it toned down Sanjay Dutt’s serious involvement in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. His story was portrayed through a lens where Sanjay primarily came out as a ‘misunderstood man stuck in circumstances.’ Certain contentious phases of his life remained uncomplicated or unresolved, allowing a one-sided portrayal of Sanjay Dutt’s life.



'Neerja''Neerja', starring Sonam Kapoor , honored the bravery of flight attendant Neerja Bhanot during the hijacking of the Pan Am flight in 1986. Though 'Neerja' earned rave reviews for the film and the actors’ performances, the film depicted some weaknesses in airport and airline security during the period with subtlety. This movie preferred to dwell on the heroism and not probe other areas, choosing to maintain the film's positive elements and not delve into the lesser-known facts.



' Talvar 'In 'Talvar', Meghna Gulzar’s handling of the Aarushi Hemraj double murder case did try to incorporate several viewpoints. However, even with its Rashomon effect structure, 'Talvar' did not choose to engage with some of the more unpleasant aspects of the investigation and the reporting in the actual case surrounding the murder. This included shelving some more controversial theories and occurrences in order to sidestep any legal issues and discomforts with which the audience might take umbrage.



' Chhaava 'The recently released historical drama 'Chhaava', set on the life story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj , reignited the issue about the cleaning up of history. Perhaps the most shocking thing about the story of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj is that it is full of brutal wars, politics, and personal hardship. The movie took the more palatable approach for the average filmgoer. 'The above movies highlight how, in some instances, actual life and reel life may drift apart owing to some hard truths that may not be suitable for viewing by millions. While movies enable people to connect to stories told through films, contradictions arise about how much actual reality is lost during this process.