Hare Rama Hare Krishna

Directed by Dev Anand, Hare Rama Hare Krishna traced the lives of Prashant (Dev Anand) and his search for his sister (Zeenat Aman). The film released in 1971 and also dealt with the drug menace. With an anti-drug message, the film also talked about the importance of familial bonds. It was produced, written and directed by Dev Anand. The film also featured Mumtaz, Rajendra Nath, Prem Chopra, Mehmood, and Iftekhar in lead roles. The film also bagged two Filmfare awards that year – the Best Supporting Actress for Zeenat, and Best Female Playback Singer for Asha Bhosle. The song, Phoolon Ka Taaron Ka Sabka Kehna Hai, is almost a staple song on Rakshabandhan, originally featured in Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

Satte Pe Satta

One of the initial Amitabh Bachchan films, Satte Pe Satta told the story of seven brothers, and how they support and love each other in times of laughter, joy as well as trouble. It featured Sachin Pilgaonkar, Sudhir, Shakti Kapoor, Kanwarjit Paintal, and Kanwaljit Singh, as the younger brothers of Amitabh while Hema plays his wife.

Bandhan

Featuring Salman Khan in the lead role, this 1998 film showed how a brother – gifted to his sister’s in-laws in her marriage – was willing to face all humiliation just for the sake of his sister. Jackie Shroff played Salman’s brother-in-law in the film and Rambha featured opposite him. “Jo Jeeja ji bolenge wo mai karunga (I will do anything that my brother-in-law asks me to do)” is quite the famous dialogue from the movie.

Fiza

Set in the violently charged backdrop of the 90s Kashmir, Fiza was a crime thriller but told the story of a woman (Karishma Kapoor) who went in search of her brother (Hrithik Roshan) only to discover he had turned into a terrorist. The 2000 film also traces their lives as he returns to the family, goes back to his terror group and is eventually hunted down by them. Fiza’s determination to find her brother is quite spine-chilling. Directed by Khalid Mohammed, the film featured Jaya Bachchan as Hrithik’s mom.

Dil Dhadakne Do

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, Dil Dhadakne Do featured Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh as siblings. While the narrative does not focus on their equation, some of the moments when they stand up for each other are touching. It felt novel to see Ayesha (Priyanka) stand up against their parents, for her brother’s freedom of choice. Likewise, Kabir (Ranveer) decides to stand up for her and objects to all abusive behaviour towards her.

Sarbjit

It is touted as a Randeep Hooda film, but Sarbjit is the story of Dalbir (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) and her quest to find her brother Sarbjit (Randeep). Released in 2016, the movie showcased the real-life story of Dalbir and Sarbjit who fought a long battle before he could be freed from Pakistani prison.

Dhanak

Nagesh Kukonoor’s 2015 film is about two young kids and their love for each other. It is a cute story about a sister who walks the lengths of the desert in order to get her brother’s eyes treated. The film bagged the National Film Award for the Best Children’s Film that year.

Patakha

Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Pataakha features Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan. Vishal also produced and wrote the film that released in 2018. Loosely based on Charan Singh Pathik’s short story Do Behnein, the film is a fun ride that shows the sibling banter in its worst form. Most of the film is about the fight between the sisters, but eventually, it is about the love they share. It also features Vijay Raaz and Sunil Grover in important roles.

Raksha Bandhan

Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan targeted the social evils of dowry and body-shaming, but it used the narrative of a brother’s love for his sisters to propagate the message. Directed by Aanand L. Rai, the 2022 film was written by Himanshu Sharma and Kanika Dhillon. Bhumi Pednekar played Akshay’s love interest while Sahejmeen Kaur, Sadia Khateeb, Deepika Khanna, and Smrithi Srikanth played the roles of his sisters.