FROM SCREEN TO SELF: ACHIEVING MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY THROUGH NETFLIX FILMS AND MEDIA THEORIES

Abstract

“Netflix and Chill” is a phrase known to all. While chill here has different connotations, it is interesting to know that Netflix also plays a significant role in making the world more ‘chill’ by doing its part in raising mental health awareness. Alia Bhatt, a regular at international events like MET Gala and Cannes, through her notable work in films can serve as a catalyst for mental health awareness and behavioral change, depicting how stardom can intersect with social consciousness. The study uses content analysis to assess her movies available on Netflix like Shaandaar (2015), Dear Zindagi (2016) and Heart of Stone (2023). It focuses on how each movie deals with different mental health issues, such as trauma and flashbacks, psychological distress, and insomnia. Grounded in McCombs and Shaw’s Agenda-setting theory and Gerbner’s cultivation theory, this paper depicts different cinematic narratives that serve as public health agendas, foster empathy, and elevate discussions about mental health awareness to the fore of public deliberations. The contribution of each film’s narrative elements based upon these two media theories has been mapped via a specialized table. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the analysis indicates that celebrity-driven cinematic narratives have the power to profoundly alter public opinions by reaffirming the power of film to educate, de-stigmatize, and promote health and wellbeing.