July is Disability Pride Month. It started initially in 1990 when the landmark legislation, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into a law. Since then, it’s celebrated every year to honour the achievements, experiences as well as struggles of those living with some form of disability. Typically, you’ll see Instagram, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn flooded with posts from disability advocates, rights activists and people with disabilities in general, sharing their stories and lived experiences through this month.
Interestingly, disability has been in the news for the past couple of months. And this is not confined to conversations within the disability rights groups. Cinema and OTT are rife with it.
On May 10, a film inspired by the real life of visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla was released in theatres. Rajkumar Rao plays the lead role of Srikanth, showcasing on screen the various odds stacked up against a person with blindness in the mainstream world. It is one of the few exceptional portrayals without any inspiration porn or pitiful pathos around the character’s disabling condition.
Srikanth is born blind into a farmer family in Andhra Pradesh. His uneducated parents were urged by relatives and surrounding community to bury the blind child as they would be burdened by his lifelong dependency. Of course they decided otherwise. The boy perseveres myriad challenges to end up becoming the first international visually impaired student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Today, he runs a Rs 150 crore company, Bollant Industries, also employing other persons with disabilities.
My favourite part, there are several moments in the film where I feel Srikanth is annoyingly arrogant. He is just as human as anyone else. There is nothing ‘divyang’ about him. He is a relatable guy who made it big with his hard work and determination, also with immense support from his teacher. But he has his follies. And that’s good representation. Life as it is, with or without disability.
Also, last I checked, the film had grossed Rs 59.58 crore in India and 3.34 crore internationally. Inclusion not only makes sense for sensitisation but also has the potential to make bucks!
Another recent film with a disabled protagonist is Chandu Champion. Starring Karthik Aryan, the movie recounts the story of Muralikant Petkar who survived nine bullets in the 1965 Indo-Pak war and won India’s first Paralympic gold medal.
Muralikant grew up in a small village in Maharashtra with an ambition to win a gold medal for India in the Olympics. He is mocked for his dream by fellow schoolmates, neighbouring community and even his own father. But life takes its own turns, and Petkar ends up in the Army, where he trains for boxing. Unfortunately, while on duty, he is injured in an air raid which leaves him with multiple gashes and a spinal cord injury. Olympics might be out of bounds but his coach introduces him to Paralympics and some world renowned para champions. After rigorous training, Petkar builds a world record and bags gold for 50m freestyle swimming in 1972 Germany Games.
Yet another account of aspiration, grit and acceptance. Also, entertaining. The film amassed Rs 59.1 crore in India by the third week since its release.
Srikanth was born with a disability. Muralikant acquired one on the job. The direction their lives took were a mere outcome of their defiance and commitment towards mastering everything they were initially denied.
I’m currently watching an American detective TV series (Monk) on Netflix which first aired in 2002. It follows Adrian Monk, a private detective with multiple phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder which are heightened after his wife’s murder. A case he is unable to resolve. There are several episodes which have a complex interplay of disability, race and other diverse identities. There is often an exaggeration of the condition to generate humour but it’s undercut with Monk’s brilliant curiosity, attention to detail and ability to close cases.
Two decades later, when neurodiversity is a household term and mental illness is no longer belittled, a series involving ADHD, OCD, anxiety disorder et cetera is being consumed with a different (refined) lens altogether.
The evolving representation of disability in media is indicative of the progress society has made towards inclusivity and awareness. As nuanced stories like these reach wider audiences, they not only promote empathy and understanding but also underscore the potential for commercial success when inclusion is prioritised.
Wondering why MxMIndia publishes a disability advocacy column? Well, we strongly feel that the media can dramatically transform the world for persons with disabilities. This series attempts to help bring forth issues that the media must champion to create a truly inclusive and accessible India. Writing this column is Shruti Pushkarna, a former journalist and now a disability inclusion advocate based in New Delhi. Her views here are personal. To access the archives of her 95-plus columns, please visit: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/ columns/shruti-pushkarna/
If you have a view on the issues raise or would like to align with MxMIndia on this cause, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com.