Back in the old days, it seemed like Bollywood only had one agenda - show who can make the most adarsh child in a movie. Sanskaars this, sanskaars that, all that the grown-up children could do was literally what their parents told them to, after all, don't want them to be batameez, right?

But, like always, it was taken too far and I'm not even talking about all the misogyny masquerading as sanskaars in these movies.

Yes, of course, kids should respect their parents and listen to them but not to the extent of giving up any free will and living their life just according to them. That's honestly extremely problematic, but sadly, way too relevant for desi children.

And overly-sankaari movies didn't help the case at all, everything was so extreme and over the top, it almost feels like propaganda movies that parents collectively made for kids everywhere.

© B. R. Films

The first movie when you think of sankaars will never not be Baghban. I get what the movie was trying to say, children can be disrespectful after 'leaving the nest' but they showed such extremes sides of the spectrum, it honestly feels like a comedy.

© B. R. Films

On one hand, the worst, most disrespectful kids any person can have, and on the other hand, you have a son who puts his parents' picture in the temple? It's so bizarre that there was no balance between the behaviour, just polar opposites.

© Rajshri Productions

A well-loved typical Bollywood drama showing how great joint families are. You have righteous, adarsh children who will do anything to not let their parents down, even if it involves being more mature than the parents and going away to protect the family.

© Rajshri Productions

© Rajshri Productions

I would personally like to thank this movie for bestowing upon the internet the meme of Renuka Shahane falling down the stairs. But, there's still so much problematic stuff in the movie, almost as problematic as the internet making a joke out of a death scene.

Every one of these sanskaari movies has Mohnish Bahl playing the sensible and mature older brother and has Salman Khan playing a character named Prem. Was this in their contract or something?

© Rajshri Productions

If the older brother's wife died, didn't anyone think it was weird to marry off the widowed guy to his late wife's younger sister? Anything to keep the sanskaars intact, I guess.

© Rajshri Productions

Oh yes, the only goal in life for a woman is to get married and become fair otherwise who will marry you? A lot of these movies are just straight-up sexist and it's infuriating to see.

© Rajshri Productions

Sanskaari bahu is the ultimate life goal, no other personality trait.

© Illuminati Films

Okay, I know this is the farthest thing from a sanskaari movie, but hear me out. The movie is on this list because it basically shows the juxtaposition of a wild party girl with a simple and sankaari woman. 

© Illuminati Films

It shows the party girl as someone you just have fun with, but she's not marriage material, of course. What a subtle way of showing sanskaari is better than an independent woman. 

Hmm, I smell something. Oh, it's misogyny!

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