Reproduction, Society and Modern Medicine: Unveiling the Intricacies of the Fertility Industry in India through the Movie Good Newwz (2019)

Anubhuti Walia¹  & Preeti Puri^{2  
1}Research Scholar, Department of Humanities and Management, Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar, Jalandhar, Punjab, India.
^{2Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, India.}

^{Rupkatha Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.21659/rupkatha.v16n4.08
Full-Text PDF Issue Access}
Abstract

The article aims to discuss the intricacies of the fertility industry in India through Raj Mehta’s directorial debut, Good Newws (2019). The movie serves as a social commentary by building upon the tragic switching of sperms between two infertile couples who decide to undergo In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. The film thereby reveals how healthcare corporations capitalise on socio-cultural politics of reproduction to commodify and market infertility solutions, which is then followed by a consistent disregard for patient-centred care. Within this context, the paper examines three components of the fertility industry operating in India. It commences by employing a feminist and sociological perspective to expose the ways in which societal and cultural obligations to have a child motivate infertile couples to seek treatment at IVF clinics. The second section uses Barthe’s concept of signification to delineate the marketing strategies that fertility clinics employ to attract desperate couples into availing their services. Finally, through the lens of the care ethics theory, the third section then explores the commercially motivated doctor-patient relationship in the fertility industry, which is characterised by a consistent violation of care ethics. Consequently, the study concludes by positioning Good Newwz (2019) within the continuum of infertility-themed Bollywood films, bringing fresh subjects of IVF technology and marketing to the forefront of conversations to raise critical awareness about the exploitative practices prevalent in the Indian healthcare system.

Keywords: reproduction, commercialisation, technology, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), ethics of care.