Siblings often hold a mirror to our truest selves, offering fierce honesty blanketed with unexpected tenderness, giving one a sense of companionship that stays with you no matter where life takes you. From rivalry and resentment to relentless loyalty to quiet understanding, they shape who we are and how we love. Be it Kabir and Ayesha from Dil Dhadakne Do, a sibling duo with starkly different personalities, yet they come together when the chips are down or Bonnie, Avery and Lucky in Blue Sisters who navigate loss and unresolved tensions while drawing strength from their shared history…This Raksha Bandhan, we’ve curated a list of stories that celebrate this beautiful and complex bond that remind us how siblings help us grow, falter, forgive and find our way back to each other.
To Listen:
Meenu and Rahul in Desi Down Under
Service: Audible
Twins, Meenu (Prajakta Kohli) and Rahul (Taaruk Raina), travel to Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia, accompanied by their childhood friend Devan (Adarsh Gourav), to train as lifesavers and earn the Bronze Medallion, a credential that could open many doors for them. While Rahul, the party-throwing chaperone-brother, plunges into Sydney’s queer dating scene, Meenu finds a deep love for the sport and also develops an unexpected connection with Devan. The sibling relationship that is nothing short of playful, protective and comedic also finds itself showcasing emotional depth as the powerful duo find their identity away from home.
Bonnie, Avery and Lucky in Blue Sisters
Service: Audible
This is a ferociously tender audiobook about three sisters Bonnie, Avery and Lucky, who reunite in New York, one year after the sudden death of their youngest sister, Nicky. Each is broken in their own way, Bonnie struggles with unresolved guilt and frustration, Avery hides behind her career and sobriety while Lucky slides into self-destruction. As the three sisters are forced to share space, they’re confronted with the ghosts of their past, buried family secrets, old wounds and the overlapping love that still binds them. If you’re in the mood for a story that celebrates fierce and vulnerable bonds between sisters, this one’s a tender, turbulent and beautifully narrated emotional experience you won’t forget.
Diane and Randy in Brother & Sister
Service: Audible
Diane Keaton lovingly reflects on her upbringing with her younger brother Randy in this memoir that is based in 1950s Los Angeles. She recalls moments from their shared childhood, filled with bunk-beds, Halloween costumes and childhood aspirations all under their mother’s watchful eye. As they transition into adulthood, their lives take drastically different paths: Diane soaring to fame in Hollywood while Randy struggles with addiction, mental illness and isolation. Despite these challenges, they remain bonded by memories of their childhood. Through letters from the family, her mother’s diaries and Randy’s own artistic creations, Diane wrestles with the heartbreak and responsibility that comes from loving someone who feels more out of reach. The memoir illustrates how siblings can often remain emotionally bonded even when circumstances pull individuals in opposite directions. The memoir serves as a candid exploration of enduring family ties in the face of adversity.
To Watch:
Kabir and Ayesha in Dil Dhadakne Do
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Siblings Kabir (Ranveer Singh) and Ayesha Mehra (Priyanka Chopra), must navigate the chaos of an affluent but dysfunctional family while on a Mediterranean cruise. Upon closer inspection, a deep-seated friendship of teasing, trust and unfailing support unfurls amid family strife and social expectations. Kabir wholeheartedly supports Ayesha to take charge as she battles her parents’ hypocrisy and encourages her to assert her ambitions. Ayesha also finds herself trusting Kabir and encourages him to grow in his own right. Their dynamic, handled skillfully by director Zoya Akhtar is refreshingly real, equal and empowering, seeming like a comforting embrace in the middle of family mayhem.
Pinaki and Rimzim in Bumm Bumm Bole
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
Inspired by Children Of Heaven, this film delivers a compelling tale of the intimate relationship between siblings Pinaki (Darsheel Safary) and Rimzim Gwala (Ziyah Vastani). Living in a tea-plantation town with limited resources, the children face a significant setback when Pinaki misplaces Rimzim’s only pair of school sandals. The duo create a touching short-term plan of sharing Pinaki’s old sneakers, so she can go to school in the morning, and he can go in the afternoon. Their shared plight is depicted with delicate realism.. Overall, Bumm Bumm Bole is a heartwarming illustration of childhood loyalty, empathy and devotion, especially in the time of adversity.
Rahul and Arjun in Kapoor & Sons
Platform: Amazon Prime Video
In Kapoor & Sons, brothers Rahul (Fawad Khan) and Arjun (Sidharth Malhotra), return from London and New Jersey, to their family home in Coonoor as their grandfather suffers from a heart attack. Rahul is the golden child, the accomplished novelist and the polished son while Arjun contrasts as the black sheep of the family, taking low-paying contract jobs and still finding his footing. Their relationship that is depicted in the film is raw, with jealousy, muted resentment, sibling rivalry and sudden moments of affection. The family confronts each other and their secrets including a father’s infidelity, parental favouritism, Rahul’s concealed sexuality and allegations of story plagiarism in dramatic moments. After tumultuous moments, the brother, and the family reach a semblance of compromise and identify with each other, culminating in meeting their grandfather’s dream; a portrait of a family.