Shock comes in different shapes and sizes in cinema, but one of the most shocking combinations of plot and portrayal that I have encountered is in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971). An adaptation of Anthony Burgess’s novel of the same name, it is a dystopian crime film set in a futuristic Britain.

The film creeps us out right from the start with the devilish close-up stare of the protagonist Alex. The camera slowly zooms out from his eyes before the action begins. For someone who has not read the novel, it is rather hard to follow the film’s language, since it uses several words invented by Burgess, such as “droog” (friend), “malchick” (boy), “devotchka” (girl), and “horrorshow” (good). These are part of a fictional teen slang language called Nadsat, used by Alex and his gang of “droogs” — formed by combining Russian words with Cockney English.

What unsettles us is the making of unlikely associations, such as Alex’s love for sexual assault, violence, robbery, and... Beethoven’s music. Some radical changes in the characters’ professions and attitudes critique our social systems of punishment and regulation of crime. For example, Alex is jailed and volunteers for an experimental ‘aversion therapy’ cure for criminality, in which he is forced to watch films of sex and violence continuously for hours, while his favourite Beethoven music is played in the background. The technique works and he is “cured” of criminality to an extent that he cannot be violent even in self-defence. After his release from jail, he runs into his partners in crime who are now police officers, but behave exactly as criminally as before: they beat him up and severely injure him. Interestingly, Alex’s aversion to violence and sex also extends to Beethoven; when ‘tortured’ with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, he jumps out of a window to avoid hearing it. Finally, when he accidentally regains his criminal proclivities, he flashes his devilish grin at the camera once more, and tells us that now he has really been cured.
A Clockwork Orange is a landmark in surrealist filmmaking, using shockingly violent imagery to comment on social and psychological issues. (Which is the most shocking film you have watched?... April 9)

Dhee Sankar

The most shocking film which I have watched is the 1986 Tapan Sinha-directed Atanka.
An elderly school teacher (Soumitra Chatterjee) witnesses a murder in semi-darkness with one of the culprits being an ex-student (Sumanta Mukherjee). The culprit used to intimidate him and warn him of fatal consequences if he dared to spill the beans to the police. However, the teacher being a conscientious person, is in two minds whether to report to the police as a responsible citizen or to keep mum for the security of the family.

In the end, the teacher ensures that the culprits get nabbed, but his young daughter (Satabdi Roy) also has to encounter an acid attack as a repercussion.

Though the film was based on fiction, Sinha had drawn inspiration from reality plaguing Indian society where innocent, law-abiding persons remain cornered, with dreaded criminals calling the shots in every sphere.

Kajal Chatterjee

The most shocking film I have ever watched is The Human Centipede, which I find extremely triggering due to its profoundly disturbing premise and graphic depiction. The story revolves around a deranged German surgeon who abducts three individuals and performs a grotesque surgical procedure, linking them together mouth to anus, forming a horrifying human centipede. This premise, in itself, is sufficient to disturb a visually sensitive viewer like me.

Moreover, the film unabashedly presents graphic scenes of the surgical operation and the harrowing aftermath endured by the victims, invoking enough psychological terror through its unflinching portrayal of bodily horror and the degradation of human dignity.

The Human Centipede goes on to challenge conventional boundaries in cinema by daring to explore themes and imagery considered taboo or morally reprehensible, sparking controversy, and provoking visceral reactions that lasted very long.

Camellia Paul

My anxiety gets triggered if I see anyone getting trapped or kidnapped or assaulted on screen; it amplifies when somebody is on the verge of getting free, but gets trapped at the last moment. This anxiety became a nightmare when I watched You on Netflix. I only watched season one and couldn’t muster the courage to watch the other seasons. In this series, Joe could do anything for his ladylove, even kill her. Whoever came in between him and his girlfriend, he killed them and at the end, kept his girl, Beck, locked in a glass room under his library. In the end he killed her and put a false allegation of murder on someone else. A perfect gentleman and handsome lover, the romantic Joe could never be suspected as a serial killer and a psychopath. The way the story is narrated from the point of view of Joe will make you see the world through his eyes.

Pallabi Chatterjee

Films like Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016), Bheed (2023) and Parasite (2019) are some of the films which unapologetically explore the harsh realities of life and the protagonist’s journey to break the cycle of suffering.

Hailed as one of the finest female-centric films, Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) chronicles the secret lives of four women and their pursuit of happiness amidst the hurdles in a typical conservative society. Powered by punchy dialogues and commendable performances, this black comedy film is remembered for its bold exploration of female desires, sexuality and liberation which is a rarity in Indian cinema. Although the film did not sit well with our patriarchal society, many sensible viewers like me could empathise with the stirring accounts of the women depicted in it.

The Academy Award winning film Parasite (2019) unravels the lives of the struggling Kim family who infiltrate into the lives of a wealthy Park family with the hope of improving the quality of their life, unaware of the secrets concealed in its underbelly. Marked with gory violence and unsettling relevations, the film takes a dig at the late-stage capitalism which led to rampant exploitation of workers at the hands of the capitalists leading to increased social conflicts and inequalities. The fact that Ki-woo wrote a letter to his missing father promising to purchase Park’s former home and free him, reflects his unflinching desire to leave behind the traces of his past and give his parents the respectable life they yearned for.

Anubhav Sinha’s Bheed takes us back to one of the most devastating times experienced by mankind. Filmed in black and white, it paints a realistic image of the challenges faced by ordinary citizens due to the sudden announcement of a nationwide lockdown and their limited means to survive through this period. From watching migrant workers walk for miles to reach their native homes unaware of their fate, to grief-stricken families lamenting the loss of their loved ones due to the pandemic, the director left no stone unturned to capture the most heart-wrenching moments through his lens. Every frame screams out the victims’ helplessness and tribulations, leaving viewers with teary eyes and heavy hearts.

Aayman Anwar Ali

The most shocking film I have watched to date probably is the Shekhar Kapur-directed Seema Biswas starrer 1994 movie Bandit Queen. I can remember clearly even today how this biopic on Phoolan Devi shocked me with its graphic description of brutal violence and sexual abuse when I watched it for the first time.

Sourish Misra