#FriendshipDay2022: Five films that deal with betrayal in friendship

Movies that celebrate friendship are a dime a dozen across world cinema and today is the day to watch any of them as you get together with friends to celebrate Friendship Day. But what about the dark side of friendship – one where the sacred bonds are violated by betrayal? Let’s look at some films that have vividly portrayed the falling out of friends through treachery and tragedy.

The Passion of the Christ (2004):

This one deals with a betrayal of Biblical proportions – quite literally. Judas’ betrayal of Christ in the stuff of iconic art over centuries, including Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, The Last Supper. Director Mel Gibson had a high mountain to climb with this film and he does it perfectly with the casting of Luca Lionello, who brings the tortured soul of Judas Iscariot to life perfectly. Interestingly, Luca – an atheist – reportedly became a Catholic after acting in the film.

The Talented Mr Ripley (1999):

Anthony Minghella’s chilling psychological thriller has Matt Damon slipping into the shoes of the sly, insidious Tom Ripley, who pretends to be a friend to the rich and aristocratic Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) before robbing the latter of his life and his money and then embarking on a series of deceptions and murders to hide the original crime.

Omkara (2006):

How can you understand betrayal in its most epic sense without taking a leaf out of Shakespeare? Director Vishal Bhardwaj takes a leaf or three out of the Bard’s oeuvre as he places the story of Othello in the badlands of UP, with Saif Ali Khan as the menacing yet mesmerising Langda Tyagi (Iago) whose naked ambition makes him flout all bonds of friendship as he drives a wedge between Omkaara (Ajay Devgn/ Othello) and Kesu Firangi (Vivek Obroi/ Cassio).

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011):

It’s not that only tragedies tell tales of betrayal among friends. ZNMD – a super rom com if ever there was one – has an underlying theme of betrayal running through the film. Farhan Akhtar’s Imran had had an affair with Arjun’s (Hrithik Roshan) girlfriend a few years before the events of the film. This underlying tension bursts open when Arjun and Imran have an argument and it’s only at the fag end of the film that the two friends make up. All’s well that ends well.

Student of the Year (2012):

This is a college romance film with betrayal as one of the central themes. The movie deals with growing up, facing one’s past and reconciling – all of which come to a head when Abhi (Sidharth Malhotra) falls for and gets into a relationship with Shanaya (Alia Bhatt), who used to date Rohan (Varun Dhawan) earlier. Their interpersonal relationships are thrown out of kilter because of this and it takes them years before they can face up to their past and find acceptance and reclaim their lost friendship.