If 2019 was the year of Bala, it was also about Article 15, Saandh ki Aankh and Gully Boy. Some sparked meaningful conversations and there were many others which barely scratched the surface.

Flashback 2019: 10 films which spread social message

There was caste divide, women's empowerment and class schisms but also everyday problems like balding and India's obsession with fair skin in a year that saw several Hindi films straddle box office success and cerebral content too.

Flashback 2019: 10 Films Which Spread Social Message

Of the lot, the biggest grosser was Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy, starring Ranveer Singh as a young man from the slums of Mumbai channelising his anger through street rap. The film, also starring Alia Bhatt, was a sharp view on the class divide that separates the rich and poor in the country and how those without means are discouraged from dreaming big.

Anubhav Sinha's Article 15, which offered a critical look at deep-rooted casteism in Indian society. Inspired by stories from the Hindi heartland, the film, seen through the eyes of an idealistic police officer played by Ayushmann Khurrana, sparked a debate on casteism.

Section 375 starring Akshaye Khanna and Richa Chadha, brought back the subject of rape on the Bollywood screen, quite unlike it has ever been done before, and with rare profundity. The film tries understanding law and justice as detached entities through the tale of a rape, and how these two notions are rarely ever fated to meet. Director Ajay Bahl's film states: When it comes to a crime as sensitive as rape, simply following the law is not necessarily enough to ensure justice is served.

Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, starring Sonam Kapoor in the lead role, was one of the first major Bollywood productions to deal with homosexuality though there was some criticism that the film approached the topic in a stereotypical manner.

Bala which revolved around premature hair loss and the impact on self-confidence, credited viewers for accepting issue-based movies. Headline by Ayushmann Khurrana, the film also dealt with prejudices about dark skin through the character of Bhumi Pednekar. But the 'brown face' of the character was deemed offensive by many, undoing the very prejudice that the movie wanted to address.

Hrithik Roshan starrer Super 30, a biopic on Bihar's Anand Kumar, who runs a coaching centre for underprivileged students in his home town, put the spotlight on the importance of education.  Though the film was plagued by controversies after its director Vikas Bahl was accused of sexual harassment by a former junior, the movie was a box office success.

Bollywood offered a counter narrative with the progressive Saand ki Aankh. Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar featured in the film, a biopic on multiple award winners "shooter dadis" Chandro and Prakashi Tomar of Haryana.

On a somewhat lighter vein, Gone Kesh focused on how premature hair loss can make a person the subject of ridicule. In a year where there were one too many movies focusing on the subject, these two stood out. Gone Kesh, starring Shweta Tripathi as an aspiring dancer diagnosed with alopecia, a condition where she starts losing hair rapidly, also offered the message about inner beauty.

Off the mainstream track, director Soumitra Ranade remade the 1980 film Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, epitomising the common man's anger in the face of social, political and cultural rot. The film, starring Manav Kaul and Nandita Das in pivotal roles, did not make any waves at the box office.

Rani Mukherji's Mardaani 2 aimed at making the country aware of the new and growing threat that women face from underage criminals committing sexual crimes. Inspired by true crimes against women by juveniles, Mardaani 2 shocked and gripped the nation with its brilliant storyline that is inspired by crimes against women by juveniles.