Media Portrayals of Disability: Analyzing the Movie “Dosti”

Neelambari Bhattacharya

15/0004

Semester V

Psychology of Disability

Indraprastha College of Women

MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 2

Abstract

The present study aims to trace the portrayal of disability in Bollywood cinema by qualitatively
examining the tropes of disability that come up in the film ‘Dosti’ (Dir: Satyen Bose, 1964). It
aims to look at how the discourse around and attitudes towards disability reflect what is
portrayed in film, indicating the dialectical relationship between cinema and society. In
particular, the study looks at problematizing supposed ‘positive portrayals of disability’ by
looking at themes of pity and the overcoming hero. In order to analyse the film, a descriptive
plot of the film was written, and thematic analysis was used to examine the various tropes of
disability that came into play when a positive portrayal of disability was done through an ableist
lens. Analysis indicated that the themes of disability used as a tool to capitalize on, contexts
influencing disability, the influence of karma- divine retribution, passing off and essentialism
of disability emerged.

Keywords: Disability, Bollywood, Media, Karma

MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 3

Media Portrayals of Disability: Analyzing the Movie “Dosti”

The word ‘disability’ is used commonly but often people have varying conceptions of
what exactly it is. Even official definitions differ, as different lobbies ask for different
definitions and by extension, different conceptualizations of disability. There are historical,
social, legal and philosophical influences on its interpretation. According to a joint report
published by the World Health Organization and the World Bank in 2011, the people living
with some form of disability account for about 15% of the world’s population. The experience
of disability is unique to each person but there is a need for identifying certain common factors
and coming up with classifications. On the one hand, it is important to try to use appropriate
and acceptable terminology which acknowledges the full extent of people’s experience. On the
other hand, clear service and data definitions are needed so that it can be seen who is eligible
for, and receiving services. (Ghai, 2002)

According to ‘Disabled world’ (2009), the use of common terms and definitions
provides individuals with a basis for a common understanding. In this way, communication is
assisted, transparency in social programs is improved, and needs are better met through
accurate identification and understanding of what people require.
(www.disabledworld.com,2009)

The WHO (1980) defines disability as “an umbrella term, covering impairments,
activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function
or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a
task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in
involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an
interaction between features of a person's body and features of the society in which he or she
lives.”

The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (1980)

provides a conceptual framework for disability which is described in three dimensions-
impairment, disability and handicap:

Impairment. In the context of health experience an impairment is any loss or

abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. Impairment is
considered to occur at the level of organ or system function. Disability is concerned with
functional performance or activity, affecting the whole person.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 4

Disability. In the context of health experience, a disability is any restriction or lack

(resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the
range considered normal for a human being.

Handicap. In the context of health experience, a handicap is a disadvantage for a given

individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment
of a role that is normal (depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors) for that
individual.

For example, a person who is born deaf (the impairment) is unable to hear sounds in
movies or listen to music, and thus misses out on a chunk of information and experience (the
disability). If this person is prevented from attending school or applying for a job because of
this impairment and disability, this is a handicap. This ascribes the disability to the social and
physical environment, and thus prevents the individualisation of disability.

According to Kaplan (2000), handicap is therefore a function of the relationship

between disabled persons and their environment. Handicap is the loss or limitation of
opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others.
This definition reflects the idea that to a large extent, disability is a social construct. Zimbardo
(2003) says, “Disability is not only about being blind or deaf or paralyzed, as I had mindlessly
thought. It is also about transient, temporary, or partial impairments; a host of barriers to
optimal functioning; and the social dynamics and life-course development of persons with
disabilities interacting with their behavioural settings. These dynamic features of disability are,
in turn, enmeshed in a complex of overlapping spheres of community, culture, economics,
politics, and even global interdependencies.”

However, there have been some criticisms of this three- part classification. Firstly, the
word ‘impairment’ looks at a ‘loss’ of a sense or part, and is thus considered problematic.
Second, physical health and autonomy (including opportunities for worthwhile social
participation) have been argued to be the two primary, universal prerequisites for human
wellbeing (Doyal & Gough 1991). In response to the second criticism, the WHO came up with
the second draft of the ICIDH. Definitions of the new draft ICIDH-2 (1999) give the following
classification,

Impairment. A loss or abnormality in body structure or of a physiological or

psychological function.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 5

Activity. The nature and extent of functioning at the level of the person. Activities may
be limited in nature, duration and quality.

Participation. The nature and extent of a person's involvement in life situations in

relationship to impairments, activities, health conditions and contextual factors. Participation
may be restricted in nature, duration and quality. Participation is considered within seven broad
domains: personal maintenance; mobility; exchange of information; social relationships;
education, work, leisure and spirituality; economic life; and civic and community life.

Context. The features, aspects, attributes of, or objects, structures, human-made

organizations, service provision, and agencies in, the physical, social and attitudinal
environment in which people live and conduct their lives.

The belief in a fixed and structured disability that lies at one end of a spectrum, at the
opposite end of which lie the healthy is a distinction made by many. However, this is not true.
A disabled person is said to experience a sense of loss over the functional abilities that an illness
or injury has destroyed. Similarly, a nondisabled person may experience a sense of loss over
something she or he once had and now has lost. The stimulus is different, but the sense of loss,
the fear that life will be painful or meaningless without the lost element, are virtually the same.
Similarly, myopic eyes and blindness are viewed differently even though both suggest an
‘impairment’. It is the stigma and social handicap that these impairments create, along with the
tendency to label and categorize, that leads to such a concrete binary between the abled and the
disabled.

As Ghai (2002) observes, there is a dilemma here. It is important to categorize disability

in order to better understand it and facilitate aid and benefits. However, this very categorization
often leads to stereotyping, othering and drawing of strict boundaries.

Grue (2015) ‘Disability discourse is the collective term for ways of signifying disability
from different perspectives, and for the linguistic acts that constitute disability as in its
relationship to multiple domains of social practice.’ According to Solvang, (2002), the
changing social position of people with disabilities can be studied through the changing
importance of three discourses: (1) normality/deviance, (2) equality/inequality, and (3)
us/them. The normality/deviance discourse represents questions about rehabilitation and
integration. The medical model would look at a disabled individual as ‘abnormal’ or ‘deviant’
and look at how to cure or help that person. The social model would on the other hand look at
the individual as simply affected by the inadequacies in society The equality/inequality
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 6

discourse looks at the discrimination against people with disabilities in an inherently ableist
society, from a human rights perspective (Degeiner, 2016). It represents the struggle for
economic welfare and equal rights. Finally, the ‘us/them’ discourse draws a strict binary
between the able bodied and the disabled and represents a valuing of disability as a basis for
identity formation and as a question of ethnicity. There are various models of disability that
shape the discourse around it.

A moral model of disability originates from religious doctrine and regards disability
as the result of sin, either in the present or in the past life. Although various other models have
come up, this is a model of disability that permeates most cultures and our everyday lives.
There are many cultures that associate disability with sin and shame, and disability is often
associated with feelings of guilt. This model births feelings of unworthiness within the disabled
individual themselves, and also to the entire family, often causing families to hide their children
if they are disabled. Such a conception of disability increases the us versus them divide and not
only puts the responsibility of the disability of the individual but also actively shames them for
something that they had no active part in. It results in general social ostracism and self-hatred.
Another strand of the moral model exists. It does not aim to shame a person with disability, but
aims to put them at a moral high ground. Often, notions of divinity are attached to this. This
can be seen in Narendra Modi’s suggestion to use the term divyang (divine body) instead of
viklang (person with disability) for the disabled. As often happens with women who are treated
badly on the one hand and labeled ‘devi’ on the other hand, it is important to understand that
this deitification and shaming all stem from the same vantage point- judging the purity and the
morality of the ‘other’.

Dalal (2002) contends that there is prevalent belief that God inflicts suffering on good
people to test their resilience and inner strength.

A medical model of disability is sometimes referred to as the Biological-Inferiority or

Functional-Limitation Model which looks at disability as a ‘defect’ or ‘sickness’ which must
be ‘cured’ through medical intervention. Such a model looks at disability as a problem of the
individual, internal to them and thus not a product of society. It holds that disability results
from an individual person’s physical or mental limitations, and is largely unconnected to the
social or geographical environments. When the model became prevalent, it was seen as a
progressive step as it was a reaction to the moral or religious model which looked at disability
as a product of sin or karma. Since many disabilities have medical origins, people with
disabilities were expected to benefit from coming under the direction of the medical profession.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 7

There is no need for any reform beyond finding ‘cures’ for the individual. The Medical Model
uses diagnoses to produce categories of disability, and assumes that people with the same
impairment have identical needs and abilities.

A rehabilitation model, an offshoot of the medical model, regards the disability as a

‘deficiency’ that must be fixed by a rehabilitation professional or other helping professional.
They can provide training, therapy, counseling or other services to make up for the deficiency
caused by the disability. Again, it places the responsibility on the individual for being
‘different’ or ‘abnormal’ or simply ‘deficient’ and aims to make up for this impairment through
help from an able-bodied individual.

The Social Model views disability as a social problem. According to it, disability is a
consequence of environmental, social and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with
impairments from maximum participation in society. According to the Disabled Peoples’
International," disability is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the normal life
of the community on an equal level with others, due to physical or social barriers." This Model
implies that the removal of attitudinal, physical and institutional barriers will improve the lives
of disabled people, giving them the same opportunities as others on an equitable basis. If the
problem lies with society and the environment, then society and environment must change. For
example, if a wheelchair user cannot use a bus, it is not just the individual who must be trained
but the bus must be redesigned. Thus, in a fully developed society, there would be no disabled
people as everyone would equally access all parts of society. Disability thus suggests an
impairment in society or the larger system and not in the individual.

A strand of the Social Model is called the ‘Minority-Group Model of Disability’. This
argues from a socio-political viewpoint that people with disabilities are an important minority
in society, and disability stems from the failure of society to adjust to meet the needs and
aspirations of a this minority. Just like blacks or Dalits, people with disabilities face problems
due to inadequacies in a system that is dominated by and made for the able-bodied.
The model has been criticized on various fronts. Mike Oliver (2013) who was an influential
person in the setting up of this model, talks about various people including those with
disabilities, feeling that the lack of focus on impairment and rehabilitation is a problem.
Second, as the population gets older the numbers of people with impairments will rise and
making it harder for society to adjust. Thus, to aim for a society that constantly adapts to a
changing disabled population is utopian. Third, the concepts of the model can be difficult to
understand, particularly by dedicated professionals in the fields of charities and rehabilitation.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 8

Having learnt to ‘cure’ and ‘care’, it is difficult to explain the exact path with which they can
help people with disabilities take control of their lives. Fourth, Jenny Morris (1991) in her book
‘Pride against Prejudice’ adds another important point. "While environmental barriers and
social attitudes are a crucial part of our experience of disability – and do indeed disable us – to
suggest that this is all there is, is to deny the personal experience of physical and intellectual
restrictions, of illness of the fear of dying."

The Charity approach to disability looks at people with disabilities as driven largely
by emotive appeals of charity viewed as being in the ‘best interests’ of disabled people. Driven
largely by emotive appeals of charity, this model treats PwDs as helpless victims needing ‘care’
and ‘protection’. It does not consider disabled people’s experiences and knowledge as
necessarily valuable or essential. A major focus of the charity model is the renaming of certain
terms considered ‘offensive’. The model focuses not on justice or on equality, but on
dependency and ‘care’ through the able bodied. Thus it again ‘others’ the disabled and uses the
lens of the able bodied.

The disability model is a discourse around disability that questions the concrete binary
between abled and disabled bodies. Disability is a normal aspect of life, not a deviance or a
defect. The experience of some form of disability, either permanent or temporary, is almost
universal and as such if disability were more commonly recognized and expected in the way
that we design our environments or our systems, it would not seem so abnormal. For example,
if spectacles did not exist, myopia would be a serious disability but it is not considered one due
to the existence of a societal solution. There are also various other models like an economic
model, a capabilities model, a human rights model and so on.

Disability and media

Media plays a huge role in shaping socio- political ideology and is often used as a tool
to propagate the ideology of the majority, or the dominant. Soft power refers to the ability to
attract and co-opt rather than to coerce (which is known as hard power, as through violence)
someone into doing something. It is used on a larger societal level. A defining feature of soft
power is that it is non-coercive; the currency of soft power is culture, political values, and
foreign policies. (Joseph Nye, 2012)

Noam Chomsky proposed a concept called ‘manufactured consent’ that was looked at
how consent can be manufactured or created through such ‘soft’ sources like media, fashion,
cultural artefacts and so on.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 9

In the virtual dominated nature of society today, media thus plays a huge role in forming
the opinions of many as well as in giving voice to the people’s experiences and their perceptions
regarding those experiences. Thus, the media’s portrayal of disability often affects public
attitudes towards it. It can also change attitudes and discourses on disability, and thus is
important to study. Marilyn Dahl in her paper on ‘The Role of the Media in Promoting Images
of Disability- Disability as Metaphor: The Evil Crip’ wrote about how attitude change can
follow on heightened awareness, increased contact, and increased meaningful communication
between disabled and non-disabled people.

First, I will trace the various imageries that are perpetuated by the media in general, and
then go onto the various specific forms of media like literature (including classics and
children’s books), social media like Facebook, advertisements, films (both fictional and
documentary), magazines and newspapers. Bollywood films too have various examples of the
portrayal of disability. This representation swings primarily between two extremes – pity, fun,
caricaturing, sympathy, and awesome heroism are at one end of the spectrum while
discrimination, coping-up, emotional swings and aspirations of the human soul are at the other
end. (Mohipatra, 2011)

In 1966, the disabled writer Paul Hunt wrote 'We are tired of being statistics, cases,
wonderfully courageous examples to the world, pitiable objects to stimulate funding'. He went
on to describe the various imageries of the disabled that the media propagates.
Paul Hunt describes the first trope of people with disabilities as dependent and pitiable. Pictures
of disabled individuals, frequently children, in hospitals or nursing homes are repeatedly
flashed across our TV screens perpetuating the myth that disability is synonymous with illness
and suffering. Excessively dependent disabled people are included in storylines to depict
another character's goodness and sensitivity. Again, this uses the disabled as a tool to make
able bodied feel better about themselves, and will thus be reflected in real life attitudes towards
the disabled. The disabled person is frequently portrayed as especially endearing to elicit even
greater feelings of sentimentality - as opposed to genuine compassion. Further, this constant
repetition of the medical approach to impairment helps to divert the public's attention away
from the social factors which cause disability. Paul Hunt describes the campaign of 'The
Multiple Sclerosis Society'. ‘It includes a number of cinema, TV and newspaper ads depicting
stark black and white images of what are generally regarded as overtly attractive young white
men and women with their eyes or parts of their semi-naked bodies torn out to symbolise
impairment. The sense of tragedy is enhanced by the absence of colour, synonymous with
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 10

suffering and adversity and the deliberate contrast between 'beauty' and 'flaw' i.e. impairment.
The desperate message is rammed home with voice-overs or captions telling observers that
multiple sclerosis can effect anyone, is associated with paralysis, blindness and impaired
speech, and is also incurable.’ (Hunt, 1992)

Gardner & Radel (1978), who analyzed American newspapers and television for
references to disabled people, found that about one half of the items portrayed the disabled as
dependent persons. A tenth of the items portrayed the disabled as being in some way deviant:
"strange, antisocial or bizarre." Only about one quarter of the items portrayed the disabled as
persons capable of independent living and of contributing to society (Dahl, 1993).
An extension of the dependency trope, another trend is disabled people being subjected to
violence from the able bodied. Since people with disabilities are viewed as helpless, this adds
to the emotional crunch in the scene. This imagery is dangerous since it helps perpetuate
violence. Throughout history disabled people have been the victims of violence, whether in
epics, religious doctrines or by the Eugenics movement ultimately culminating in Nazi
Germany and mass annihilation of the disabled. For example, a movie like ‘Kaabil’(2017)
attempts to tell a story from the point of view of two visually impaired people but ends up with
majority of screentime dedicated to showing the woman being raped, the man being beaten
brutally, the police being passive and the whole world turning away from them. Besides
reinforcing the notion that disabled people are helpless, pitiable and unable to function without
protection, these stories reinforce, albeit implicitly, the Eugenic conviction that the 'natural'
solution to the problems associated with impairment is a violent one.

Another end of the spectrum is the second trope of the disabled as sinister and evil. In
'The Bible' there are over forty instances in which 'the cripple' is connected to sin and sinners.
SANE (Schizophrenia A National Emergency), for example, in the 1990’s produced a poster
depicting a large face over which were superimposed the words 'He thinks he's Jesus. You think
he's a killer. They think he's fine. He hears voices. You hear lies. They hear nothing'. The poster
ends with the phrase 'Stop the madness'. Bollywood films too propagate the imageries and
stereotypes mentioned above, but these often assume different forms in the Indian cultural
context. The archetype of the evil or sinister person with disability extends within the Indian
context to the trope of disability as punishment. According to Hindus, disability is a result of
the karma you have accumulated from past lives. It is a punishment for one’s misdeeds. For
example, in Netrikkan (1979), the lecherous Rajnikanth ends up on a wheelchair at the end of
the film as an appropriate outcome for his ways. Kashish (1972) is yet another example where
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 11

the evil brother Asrani who torments his Deaf sister and brother-in-law is himself crippled,
which he takes as punishment for his acts.

Marilyn Dahl elaborates on the third major trope. She elaborates on how the usage of
physical deformity, chronic illness, or any visible defect to symbolize evil and malevolent
natures is the convention of all literature and art. Disabled people are sometimes included in
the storylines of films and TV dramas to enhance a certain atmosphere, usually one of menace
or mystery, sometimes even to add character to the visual impact of the production. Research
into the relationship between physical attractiveness and crime in the various media found that
physical ugliness and physical differences are often associated with media depictions of
violence and crime (Needham & Weiner, 1974). Horror movies make free use of this strategy.
This dilutes the humanity of disabled people by reducing them to objects of curiosity. Mehboob
Ki Mehendi (1971) takes it one step ahead, when Pradeep Kumar comes to kill his nemesis
Iftikar, he finds him on a wheelchair, and decides then that he is not worth stabbing since he is
already disabled and allowing him to live would be a worse punishment than death.

A fourth trope is the use of disabled people as objects of ridicule or as tools to induce
humour in the film. Again looking at the issue from the lens of the able bodied, an impairment
is seen as a funny ‘obstacle’ that causes various confusion in the plot. Pyare Mohan (2006), the
lead characters have been people with different disabilities, and their interaction with each
other and their limitations has been used as a source of entertainment for the audience. Golmaal
(Tushar Kapoor with speech disability and Paresh Rawal and his wife as blind), Mujhse Shadi
Karogi (Kader Khan as a person with different disability everyday) and Judaai (Upasna Singh
with speech disorder) are some other movies where limitations have been exploited for comic
effect.

The fifth trope is the ‘disabled person as a hero.’ While children’s classics that gain a
cult following are marketed by Disney with the rampant usage of disability as a metaphor for
evil, Hollywood capitalizes on the ‘inspirational’ aspect of the overcoming hero. In Bollywood,
movies like Koi Mil Gaya show the disabled character becoming a superhero with enhanced
mental and physical abilities due to his contact with an extra-terrestrial being. The character
had to be left with the powers in the end of the movie as it would have been considered sad if
he was left as the individual he was. These characters that either don’t consider their disability
a part of their life at all, choosing to ignore it in an attempt to appear ‘normal’ (Blind Dating)
or those that learn to cope in order to live happily ever after. The deaf (Voices), the blind (Ice
Castles), and quadriplegics (The Other Side of the Mountain) have all been treated within this
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 12

formula. Film and television have also employed the metaphor of the disabled as helpless
victim. Roughing up a cripple or a blind man is a device used to show a villain as a particularly
evil person. At times television has tended to transform the metaphor by endowing the disabled
person with superhuman characteristics, such as the Bionic Man; while in Ironside, the
paraplegic was given a brilliant mind (Bird, Byrd, & Allen, 1977). Marilyn Dahl goes on to
analyze the effects of media in selectively describing disability. By using disability as a type
of inspiration porn, where the individual has to be transformed into a symbol for people to
recognize their own privilege and charge themselves into action, the selective coverage of
disability has led to the creation of "heroes by hype." The power of the media in manipulating
public response is seen in the media coverage of the disabled marathoners who in the 1980s
were a uniquely Canadian phenomenon (Graham, 1987). While many marathoners crossed
Canada for causes, it was only the young, attractive men with dramatic visual disabilities (Fox,
Fonyo, and Hansen) who received orchestrated backing and media coverage.

The most common portrayal of disability in Bollywood is as dependent and pitiable.

Dramatic films often use issues of class and gender along with disability to show the weakness
and vulnerability of the ‘disadvantaged’. (Boray, 2011) The two boys, Mohan and Ramu, in
the film ‘Dosti’ are an example of this. Khamoshi (1996) is another example where Nana
Patekar and Seema Biswas, a deaf and mute couple have been shown as completely dependent,
both personally as well as economically, on their daughter.

In Bollywood, often the pity and heroism tropes are used together, to evoke various
emotions in the audience. Films like Kaabil which have been described above are seen as
examples of resilience and strength. Hrithik Roshan’s character finally defeats the evil men
who raped his wife and beat him up. Similarly, in Dushman (1998), Sanjay Dutt, a blind
veteran, fights Ashutosh Rana when he tries to rape Kajol, using his "sixth sense" to determine
Rana's position and movement.

Recently, there has been an attempt to be more sensitive and aware of issues of
disability with films like Paa, Barfi, Margherita with a Straw or Taare Zameen Par, although
each of these too come with a host of problems.

Thus, the above tropes are some of the many imageries of the disabled that the media,
and especially films propogate. Now, I will look at specific media apart from film.

Literature. Literary distortions of handicapping conditions involve Captain Hook

(in Peter Pan). He is intentionally an amputee with a prosthesis; Shakespeare links Richard
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 13

III's hunchback to his evil lust. Somerset Maugham uses Philip's clubfoot (in Of Human
Bondage) to symbolize his bitter and warped nature. Disability might also find itself as a tool
to showcase the hero’s uncomplaining selflessness which still remains a curse to bear.
Childhood tales use the stereotype of the selfless dwarf, or the blind seer. The protagonist may
cope nobly with a disability but that is ultimately a "curse" to bear. Cyrano de Bergerac with
his grotesque nose and Quasimodo with his hunchback are remarked not for their deformity
but because they are both deformed and good. Rarely does there appear an average or ordinary
person whose disability is incidental (Dahl, 1993). In revenge stories, disability might be the
tool to bring down an evil person. The disabled writer Louis Battye referred to this stereotype
as 'the Chatterley syndrome' following D. H. Lawrence's novel 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'. The
book is about an heterosexual affair between an able-bodied couple; Lady Chatterley and a
gamekeeper, Meadows. The relationship takes place because Lady Chatterley's husband is a
disabled person, and perceived by Lawrence as sexually inactive.

Social Media. The terms “inspiration porn” and “cripspiration” refer to typically ableist
images of disability which represent either a person with disability as “inspiring” (usually doing
an everyday activity, rather than anything actually heroic or inspiring) or which rely upon
disability in order to inspire or otherwise shape the behaviours and/or attitudes of the audience
or viewer. (Liddiard, 2014) This is reflected in various memes, images and videos on the
internet. While some disability memes are created in, at best, good faith, many others are
created and distributed merely for profit – a “Facebook Scam” (Pearce, 2012). These memes
are part of an underground Facebook “Like” trade culture, which is unique to a social media
context, and serves to (re)produce the disabled identity as something for sale; an ableist
commodity for consumption. (Liddiard, 2014). On the whole, this is either done through selling
stolen (and manipulated) images of bodies or through inviting using discourses of pity and
misfortune for financial gain.

Newspapers and Magazines. The content analysis of 3 newspapers in the UK clearly

demonstrates that there been a large increase in the number of articles in which disability is the
key theme and that this has been accompanied by a significant shift in the emphasis and in the
way that the articles are being reported (Briant et al, 2014). Textual analysis of the Reader's
Digest in the late 1940s shows how this particular popular discourse does, in fact, question the
stigma of disability at a given moment in time, validating identity in terms of assimilation, and
even exploring the validity of legislated rights. Although it started out portraying the disabled
as scary or evil, and then dependent, it later comes to embrace the social model and reflect
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 14

themes of social assimilation. (Ellen Barton) Various sports magazines often use people with
disabilities playing sports, as an ‘inspiration’ to the able bodied. This serves to commodify the
disabled and use them as a tool to inspire the able bodied, rather than give them space as equals.

Advertisements. Frequently, disabled people are absent from advertising. When

disabled people are portrayed, it’s often to highlight their inspirational story and how they’ve
overcome it – or to create an emotional reaction from the audience. However, recently there
has been an increase in representation. Channel 4 announced last week that they’re giving away
£1m of advertising airtime for brands which feature disabled people during the Paralympics.
However, this kind of forced representation often leads to misguided representation without
understanding the issue at hand. It leads to the able bodied applauding themselves on their work
without looking at its actual implications for the disabled.

Television. The Disability Network (TV Ontario) presents lifestyles of people with
disabilities, but most disabled people would prefer to be shown as part of the average
population. The Bay's advertising flyer recently featured a model in a wheelchair, McDonald's
ads have included people with different types of disabilities (King, 1992). These ads are the
exception rather than the rule. These become a statement of inclusion rather than just keeping
persons with disability as average customers (Dahl, 1993).

One particularly onerous depiction of disability remains a television regular: fund-

raising telethons. The model for this is the Jerry Lewis Telethon which presents an alliance of
business, high status public persons and service providers, plus a disabled child who is helpless
and appealing. The images equate disability with childlike behaviour and an infantile condition,
a minor role, while the healthy normal star has the spotlight, status, and prestige. Helping the
disabled becomes entertainment (Dahl, 1987). On the other side of this is the infantalization of
persons with disability in popular forms of media as well. Movies like Kaabil might show their
characters partaking and enjoying activities with childlike mannerisms.

On the whole, however, it appears that "the potential of the mass media to create false
impressions...is tempered by a tendency of the public to neglect the mass media in favour of
other sources of understanding social reality" (Howitt, 1989). Some speculation is in order,
however, on the effect of negative stereotyping on the disabled themselves, especially children
with disabilities. "Self-identity is formed by what is communicated through the media as well
as by interpersonal acts" (Gumpert & Cathcart, 1982). To see oneself labelled and cast always
in the role of the villain, helpless dependent or victim is not an enviable fate.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 15

Researcher’s Position

When I think of disability, the first word that comes to mind is an obstacle, or something
that hinders a function or process. I also think of my friend Sana who is visually impaired, and
how the thing that stood out most for us at a young age was that we had to work a little extra
to help her. When we talk of privilege and the lack of privilege, I see the able bodied having a
social privilege in the same way a white man would. Portrayals in books and movies of disabled
people, especially in Bollywood films I have watched has mostly been for comic relief or to
invoke pity in us, like the blind mother or the impaired beggar.

I also think of mental disability, and maybe because I want to be a psychologist, I feel
I am more sensitive towards mental disabilities like Asperger’s, autism, mental retardation or
dyslexia than to physical disabilities, which is an area I have to work on.

In college now that I see there is a significant proportion of disabled girls and they are
living independent lives with the help in access and opportunity, I feel more exposed to
disability and more sensitive to the issue than in school. Earlier, disability did evoke emotions
of sympathy within me and thoughts of how difficult their life may be, with the impulsive need
felt to help them immediately. Now there is an awareness that I must change the way I feel and
think and recognize my ableist privilege.

The Present Study

The present study aims to trace the portrayal of disability in Bollywood cinema by
qualitatively examining the tropes of disability that come up in the film ‘Dosti’ (Dir: Satyen
Bose, 1964). It aims to look at how the discourse around and attitudes towards disability reflect
what is portrayed in film, indicating the dialectical relationship between cinema and society.
In particular, the study looks at problematizing supposed ‘positive portrayals of disability’ by
looking at themes of pity and the overcoming hero. In order to analyse the film, a descriptive
plot of the film was written, with a focus on how the film was experienced through screenplay
as well as dialogue, instead of just a summary. After the descriptive plot, thematic analysis was
used in which codes and broad themes were found. These themes were then analysed to better
understand what factors come into play when a positive portrayal of disability is done through
an ableist lens.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 16

Method

Source

The source used for analysis was the film ‘Dosti’ (Dir: Satyen Bose, 1964). The film
was described by IMDb as ‘the friendship of a lonesome studious blind boy with a crippled
street singer.’ The film is a black-and-white Bollywood film directed by Satyen Bose and
produced by Tarachand Barjatya under his Rajshri Productions banner. It was Sanjay Khan's
debut film and had Sudhir Kumar Sawant, and Sushil Kumar Somaya in lead roles. Dosti is the
story of Ramnath or Ramu (Sushil Kumar) and Mohan (Sudhir Kumar). Ramu’s father Mr.
Gupta, a factory worker dies in an accident. When the factory refuses to pay compensation, his
mother passes out in shock by falling from the stairs. Ramu is injured in an accident and he
becomes crippled. Thrown out of his home, crippled and penniless, he roams around the streets
of Mumbai. Here he comes across Mohan, a boy who is blind and has a similar tale of woe.
Mohan comes from a village. His sister, Meena had migrated from the village to Mumbai to
find work as a nurse so that she could pay for her brother’s treatment. Mohan left the village
after his caretaker died. Ramu is good at playing the harmonica, while Mohan is a good singer.
They team up and sing songs on the roadside and start earning money from passers-
by. Through their will and goodness, the two boys manage to make ends meet and defy all odds
to succeed in what they want to do. Dosti was amongst the top 10 grossers of 1964 and was
declared a "Super Hit" at the box office. The source was selected because it provided a
supposedly positive portrayal of disability. Through analysis, I aimed to look at what is
considered a positive portrayal of disability and what are the factors that come into play.

Procedure

In order to analyse the film, a descriptive plot of the film was written, with a focus on
how the film was experienced through screenplay as well as dialogue, instead of just a
summary. After the descriptive plot, thematic analysis was used in which codes and broad
themes were found. Thematic analyses focuses on identifying and describing both implicit and
explicit ideas within the data through themes. These themes were then analysed to better
understand portrayals of disability.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 17

Results

Table 1
Thematic Analysis of Movie

Themes and Sub-themes Codes Exemplar

1. Disability as a Tool - Come back on track no matter what life throws The film opens with Ramu being shown as the man of the
a. Disabled person at them. match, being applauded by his teacher and looking after his
as hero ailing mother.
- Not wanting to give in to the stereotype of
uselessness
Once Ramu loses the use of his legs and all of his money he is
- ‘Naturally’ extremely talented not able to go to school because of lack of money. To overcome
- Known for athleticism this Mohan and Ramu perform on the streets and earn enough
money for him to go to school.
- Extremely ‘abled’ physically and mentally
before impairment

b. Used to evoke - World is against them The landlord meets him and tells him to vacate the house if he
pity can’t give the money within 2 days.
- Constantly shooed away and displaced
Ramnath goes to revive her and runs out to the road to get help
- Use of music to evoke sympathy and sadness where he falls and his legs are run over by a car.
- Flashback scene of Mohan’s trauma as he The next scene is at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital.
loses his eyes are shown Ramnath is shown getting out with crutches.
Mohan used to live in the village where his house was next to a
lake but one day he stopped seeing. The scenes shifts to a
flashback of him being led back to his house by a man where he
shouts out to his sister and tells her that he has gone blind. The
man with him says that they have recommended further
treatment. Mohan desperately asks her if he will never recover
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 18

c. To reflect on
- Constantly shooed away and displaced Ramu turns to a man walking on the street in a suit and stops
morality or him asking for work. He says he will do whatever needs to be
immorality of the - Beaten up, bullied and mocked
done. The man looks at him and the crutches disgustedly and
able-bodied - Physical deformity of the principal that throws says what can you do?! (Kaam?! Tujhse kya kaam ho sakta
him out of school hai?!) and walks off.
- Those who help them shown as extremely Mohan and Ramu walk towards a school where boys running
good and those that shoo them away shown as past bump into Mohan, making him fall down.
extremely bad While the teacher is teaching, the troublemaker (Chandu) kicks
Ramu from behind and knocks his crutches down.
Sharma ji shown as the good supportive teacher as he lets
Ramu live with him

- Ramu does not beg despite circumstance Both Ramnath and Mohan have the worst fate and yet they
manage to go to school, not take any help from anyone even
- Overcome circumstances
d. Inspiration porn when offered, forgive all those who wronged them and
- Extraordinary abilities ultimately get their happy ending. Ramu promises to Mohan
- Averse to charity and dependence that he will one day earn so much money that Mohan will be
able to get an operation and see again.

2. Contexts influencing - Commentary on how class and ableism Ramu is rendered homeless and does not have enough money to
Disability converge (double disadvantage) go to school
Bikhaari and langda/ andha used synonymously
- The world against them
Meena is ashamed that Mohan has become a beggar and refuses
- Circumstances drive Mohan to beg to recognize him.
- Constantly shooed away and displaced A line that Ramu’s classmates repeatedly use in the film is ‘ Iss
langde ko yahaan kisne bheja? Langde ki bajaate beem, nikla
padhne ek do teen, kheench ke maaro joote teen’. Another set
of boys make fun of Ramu by saying ‘Lo bhai, ab andhe bhi
padhen lage?

3. Karma- The Divine - Constant bad luck Ramu’s father passes away, then his mother and then he is
Retribution taken away from his home and finally loses his legs.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 19

a. Static sense of - Ramu’s mother tells him he must be prepared Ramu’s mother tells him that this is the fate of the poor and he
fate to ‘face’ all tough circumstances should face it.
Mohan sings ‘Saari manva dukh ki chinta kyun sataati hai?
- Us against the world
Dukh toh apna saathi hai.’
- Static sense of fate of the disabled and the
poor
- Accepted the fate of the poor
- Good things happen to good people as shown

- Happy ending as a result of Mohan forgiving Mohan forgives his sister and sacrifices his health for his
his sister friend’s education.
Ramu does everything on his own and never depends on
- Ramu forgives the boy who bullied him
anyone. He forgives all those who wrong him.
- Ramu forgives the principal who caned him Mohan exclaims in surprise and forgives Meena. The film ends
- World is against them with Mohan, Ramu and Meena hugging each other.

b. What goes - Mohan, despite being sick, collects money to

around comes help only Ramu
around - Resilience
- Ramu does not complain about those who hit
him and says he just fell himself

4. Essentialism of - Complementary talents and personalities Ramu sets out across the street just as the traffic light turns to
Disability ‘go’ and just as the boy is about to be hit Ramnath comes and
- Impairments seen as complementing each
a. Complementarity knocks him out of the way. He says andha hai kya to which the
other rather than as disadvantage
boy replies in affirmative saying he cannot see anything. He
- Sense of unity and family due to shared plight tells Ramnath that he wants to go to some shop. When they
- They feel that they only have each other in this cross the street, the boy feels Ramnath’s crutches and asks him
world about it. He replies saying they are his feet. And says Jaise tum
nain heen waise mai charan heen.
- Langda or andha as identifying trait
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 20

- When they get separated, they find each other Mohan’s singing and Ramu’s harmonica brings them more
through their impairment money than they had ever earned before. And Mohan attributes
his being able to sing well to Ramu’s good playing.

- Portrayal of the cause of disability - Use of music to evoke sympathy and sadness
- Flashback scene of Mohan’s trauma as he - He says eyes are such a beautiful creation and that there
loses his eyes are shown was once a time when he could see as well. He used to live
in the village where his house was next to a lake but one
- Mohan calls eyes beautiful
b. Sense of loss day he stopped seeing. The scenes shifts to a flashback of
- Loses legs, education and mother all together him being led back to his house by a man where he shouts
out to his sister and tells her that he has gone blind. The
man with him says that they have recommended further
treatment. Mohan desperately asks her if he will never
recover and she tells him that she will go to the city and
work as a nurse in the biggest hospital where she will find
the biggest doctor and get him treatment.

5. Passing off - Ramu declines free education Mohan tells Ramu he begs. Ramu responds by saying he could
never do that, it is not right
- Mohan is more assertive of his disability
- Ultimate goal is to get money and see again As Ramu and Mohan perform for the first time, people gather
- Ramu is averse to begging around till one man comes and places some money in his
pocket. Ramu stops, thinking that this would be called begging.
- Mohan is more practical about begging and Mohan explains to him that it isn’t begging. The man gave him
taking help money because he appreciated his talent.
- Ramu is idealistic and does not want help from
able bodied The principal calls Ramu into his room and tells him that due to
his excellent performance the school committee has decided to
- Manju wants to be independent and free make his education free for that year. Ramu, however,
- Averse to charity, if someone offers help respectfully declines saying that he would like for this
Ramu only takes money if as a loan opportunity to be given to someone less fortunate than him.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 21

Discussion
The present study aims to trace the portrayal of disability in Bollywood cinema by
qualitatively examining the tropes of disability that come up in the film ‘Dosti’ (Dir: Satyen
Bose, 1964). In particular, the study looks at problematizing supposed ‘positive portrayals of
disability’ by looking at themes of pity and the overcoming hero. In order to analyse the film,
a descriptive plot of the film was written, with a focus on how the film was experienced
through screenplay as well as dialogue, instead of just a summary. After the descriptive plot,
thematic analysis was used in which codes and broad themes were found. Thematic analyses
focuses on identifying and describing both implicit and explicit ideas within the data through
themes. These themes were then analysed to better understand portrayals of disability.
The film ‘Dosti’ is described as ‘the friendship of a lonesome studious blind boy with
a crippled street singer.’ It is the typical inspiring story of two boys who were unfortunate but
through their goodness and friendship, they managed to overcome all odds. However, along
with other factors like poverty and no family, the two boys, Ramnath (Ramu, played by Sushil
Kumar) and Mohan (played by Sudhir Kumar), also had in common the fact that they were
disabled. Dosti is the story of Ramnath or Ramu (Sushil Kumar) and Mohan (Sudhir Kumar).
Ramu’s father Mr. Gupta, a factory worker dies in an accident. When the factory refuses to
pay compensation, his mother passes out in shock by falling from the stairs. Ramu is injured
in an accident and he becomes crippled. Thrown out of his home, crippled and penniless, he
roams around the streets of Mumbai. Here he comes across Mohan, a boy who is blind and has
a similar tale of woe. Mohan comes from a village. His sister, Meena had migrated from the
village to Mumbai to find work as a nurse so that she could pay for her brother’s treatment.
Mohan left the village after his caretaker died. Ramu is good at playing the harmonica, while
Mohan is a good singer. They team up and sing songs on the roadside and start earning money
from passers-by.
The film can thus be seen as a commentary on how society treats people with
disabilities, reflecting on the various difficulties they went through. However, the film also
used disability as a tool, using it to evoke various emotions in the audience and thus capitalize
on disability to draw in audiences. The film starts with one of the two protagonists, Ramu,
being carried off on the shoulders of other teammates as he has just become man of the match.
Before he becomes disabled, he is the quintessential hero. He plays the harmonica and studies
brilliantly and is also very good at sports. He is shown as the morally, intellectually and
physically perfect character. This is shown in a scene in which after the match, most of the
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 22

boys have not done their homework the next day. They give the match as the excuse. However,
when Ramu is asked by the teacher, he has done all the sums even though he played more than
the rest of his classmates and had to look after his ailing mother. After he falls and becomes
physically impaired, Ramu has one goal, to fulfill the promise that he made to his dying mother
which is that he will make her proud. The entire plot revolves around Ramu’s quest to achieve
this, as he beats all odds. Hollywood capitalizes on the ‘inspirational’ aspect of the overcoming
hero. In Bollywood, movies like Koi Mil Gaya show the disabled character becoming a
superhero with enhanced mental and physical abilities due to his contact with an extra-
terrestrial being. The character had to be left with the powers in the end of the movie as it
would have been considered sad if he was left as the individual he was. In Dosti, Ramnath
cannot stand feeling useless or dependent. This will be elaborated on later, but even this
attribute adds to his image as the overcoming hero, being independent and morally ‘good’ even
as he encounters villains and difficult situations. Mohan, on the other hand, is more practical.
He sometimes begs and he is not as forgiving as Ramu, although even he is extremely talented
and never does anything wrong. This is why he is the second protagonist of the film, with
Ramu following the trope of the overcoming disabled protagonist.
The overcoming hero trope is connected to the idea of ‘inspiration porn’. Inspiration
porn is a term used to describe society’s tendency to reduce people with disabilities to objects
of inspiration. (Sopher, 2016). According to Ellis (2015), one of the major problems with
inspiration porn is the implied word ‘despite’, looking at disability as a defect or hindrance.
There are countless advertisements with physically impaired athletes, intending to inspire the
able bodied to become more productive since they don’t have such a hindrance. The film Dosti
is a three hour long piece of inspiration porn. Often, marginalized identities (women, the poor,
the disabled) are used as sources of inspiration as they compete with ‘normal’ people to
overcome odds. In the film Dosti, both poverty and disability are hindrances. Both Ramnath
and Mohan have the worst fate and yet they manage to go to school, not take any help from
anyone even when offered, forgive all those who wronged them and ultimately get their happy
ending. Ramu promises to Mohan that he will one day earn so much money that Mohan will
be able to get an operation and see again. Young (2012) said ‘We are not here for your
inspiration’ in which she argued how even such apparently positive ideas of disability are from
an ableist lens, seeking to drive the able bodied.
The trope of the hero also goes along with the trope of the disabled victim. Hayes &
Black (2003), argue that Hollywood films often extricate disability from its concrete
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 23

manifestations and implications and treat it as a cultural sign. In Hollywood films the discourse
of pity articulates disability as a problem of social, physical and emotional confinement. The
disabled character's thwarted quest for freedom ultimately leads to remanding the character
back to the confines of a paternalistic relationship of subordination. (Hayes & Black, 2003).
Another way in which disability was used as a tool was through the pity and sympathy that
ableist cultures socialize audiences to feel. Ramu and Mohan were constantly shooed away and
displaced. When Ramu and Mohan go to meet their new friend, Manju, who is sick, they are
shooed away by guards. They are repeatedly assumed to be thieves and circumstances in the
movie are such that they mostly seem to encounter bad luck and evil people. There is a theme
of ‘us against the world’ that comes in throughout the film. The music and cinematography
complement this imagery. One of the most poignant scenes of the film is the flashback of how
Mohan loses his eyesight, and all the elements in the film come together to portray the trauma
that Ramu felt. This is a clear attempt to evoke sadness and sympathy in the audience, which
then gets connected to ideas of disability. A person with disability is also used in the film as
tool to indicate the morality or immorality of the other able-bodied characters in the film.
Ramu’s teacher is extremely encouraging whereas his principle canes him. Chandu harasses
Ramu and beats him up. The morality of each of the characters is shown through their
interactions with disability.
A related theme that was found in the film, which was touched upon earlier, is the
essentialism of disability. The belief in a fixed and structured disability that lies at one end of
a spectrum, at the opposite end of which lie the healthy is a distinction made by many. This is
a result of the ‘medical model’ of disability which looks at disability as a ‘defect’ or ‘sickness’
which must be ‘cured’ through medical intervention. Such a model looks at disability as a
problem of the individual, internal to them and thus not a product of society. According to
Shakespeare (1996), Medical approaches consider negative self-identity to be an outcome of
physical impairment, and focus on the need for adjustment, mourning, and coming to terms
with loss. Social approaches view negative self-identity as a result of the experience of
oppressive social relations, and focus attention on the possibilities for changing society,
empowering disabled people, and promoting a different self-understanding. Essentialism is a
major part of the discourse around disability, which looks at people with disabilities as static
categories. When Ramu and Mohan get separated from each other, they are able to identify
each other though their disability. When Mohan pays Ramu’s school fees by singing in the
streets, he asks another man to send Ramu the money so that Ramu does not find out what
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 24

Mohan did for him. However, the man later tells Ramu that his fees was paid by an ‘andha
ladka’. Similarly, Mohan finds out about Ramu after the doctor says ‘ Arre kamaal hai, is saal
SSC mein first ek langda ladka aaya hai’.
The sense of loss explained earlier, is shown through the film, either through shots of
the Ramu reminiscing his old days with sad music playing in the background and Mohan
talking about how eyes are a beautiful creation, or the particular flashback of how Mohan lost
his eyesight. The flashback scene shows how one day he stopped seeing and shows how he
runs to his sister and tells her he has gone blind. Even in Ramu’s case, an extreme accident is
shown followed by a shot of Ramu walking on crutches, with dramatic music in the
background.
Along with the sense of loss comes the complementarity between the two heroes of the
film. Both of them have complementary talents as Mohan sings and Ramu plays the harmonica.
A significant moment in the film is when Ramu is insecure about Mohan meeting his sister
and leaving him behind once he gets her help, but then then two declare that they could never
leave each other as they are family now. When everyone shoos them away and even Mohan’s
family turns against him, they both realize how they only have each other in this world. Their
shared plight brings them together. An important point to be raised here is about
experientiality. Both of them can experience and truly empathise with each other’s life and
condition, bringing them together. At the same time, this seeks to essentialise disability, with
a sharp contrast being drawn between the able bodied and the disabled.
An important theme that comes up is the contexts that influence disability. The social
model views disability as a social problem. According to it, disability is a consequence of
environmental, social and attitudinal barriers that prevent people with impairments from
maximum participation in society. The film looks at various social factors that affect Ramu
and Mohan. Ramu is seen struggling with his crutches when entering school or other buildings,
looking at the handicap that is felt due to inadequate infrastructure. People with disabilities
experience multiple levels of systemic exclusion from core institutions of contemporary
society like education and employment. An intersectional understanding of disability is
important, through the lens of caste, gender, class etc. in order to fully understand systemic
marginalization and exclusion of the disabled. According to Ghai (2002), the disability
movement itself should not exclude the disabled people whose experience of disability is
exacerbated by interactions with other forms of oppression. In the Indian context, disability is
not a singular marker and must be positioned in multiple contexts, looking at various markers
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 25

of difference and inequality. Class is an important issue. Poverty and disability interact to form
an unending vicious cycle (Yeo, 2003). The impact of poverty is most severe on people with
disabilities. Ghai (2002) contends most nations where poverty is rampant have poorer people
being more subject to poor health and impairments. Consequently, people with disabilities lack
jobs or access to income or are underpaid. This leads to reduced access to social or medical
services. Hopelessness and the reality of discrimination is even more stark, leading to a double
disadvantage. This double disadvantage is seen as the two are shooed away and displaced.
Mohan does not have enough money for treatment, Ramu cannot even go to school, the
company that was earlier giving money to Ramu’s family stops paying them and they are
beaten up. A line that Ramu’s classmates repeatedly use in the film is ‘Iss langde ko yahaan
kisne bheja? Langde ki bajaate beem, nikla padhne ek do teen, kheench ke maaro joote teen’.
Another set of boys make fun of Ramu by saying ‘Lo bhai, ab andhe bhi padhen lage?”. The
two boys are repeatedly called ‘bikhari’, ‘andha’ or ‘langda’ and taunted. They have will and
hope but poverty and disability intersect to bring them down. The movie thus interestingly
comments on the intersection of class and ableism. It also gives space to the protagonists to
assert their space in the exclusionary world they live in. When Meena, Mohan’s sister, is
disgusted with him for begging, Mohan gets agitated and asks her whom he started begging
for. He tells her he started begging so that he could support her and then went and stood in
front of every hospital till he could find her. At the same time, the tool of inspiration porn
shows that the two boys overcome these factors, indicating individual will above structural
factors. This minimizes the everyday difficulties and humiliation that poor and disabled people
face, and deny systemic exclusion, almost putting pressure on people with disability to do the
same. The trope of ‘What’s your excuse’ is evident here.
The theme of ‘Karma- The Divine Retribution’ also came up. The notion of ‘Karma’ is
intrinsically associated with reincarnation. Thus, a moral model of disability originates from
religious doctrine and regards disability, poverty or other ‘bad luck’ as the result of sin, either
in the present or in the past life. This is not just a static understanding of disability but also
puts the onus of the disability on the individual, shaming them for the difficulties they face.
As Ghai (2002) notes, the notion of dukkha or suffering is intrinsic to karma. In the film,
Ramu’s father passes away, then his mother and then he is taken away from his home and
finally loses his legs. This sense of loss which was talked about earlier is linked to the idea of
fate, that your fate is written. This is linked to the idea of karma, or divine retribution for the
sins of your past life. In a section of the film, Mohan sings ‘Saari manva dukh ki chinta kyun
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 26

sataati hai? Dukh toh apna saathi hai.’ (Why does sadness trouble me? Sadness is my constant
companion’).Thus, poverty or disability is accepted as bad luck resulting from karmic debt,
rather than a structural societal problem. When Ramu is falsely implicated for hitting a boy
and the principal after finding out the truth asks him why he did not defend himself, Ramu
says ‘Main kya batata sir. Main langda hoon yeh mera kusoor hai. Main gareeb hoon yeh
mera kusoor hai. Mere paas aise joote nahi hai kapde nahi hai yeh bhi mera kusoor hai.’ This
is also linked to the idea of the morally perfect hero, accepting his fate while also trying to
make his mother proud and make something of himself. This is contrary to Mohan, who says
to his sister that he begged for her and that ‘Mujhe kissi ki meherbaani nahichahiye. Main
bhikhaari hoon, bhikhaari hi achha hoon, mujhe bhikhaari hi rehne do.’ While in both cases,
there is an acceptance of fate, Ramu feels guilty for what all he is gone through whereas Mohan
is asserting his identity. Here, a paradox is noticed. In contrast to the passivity that karma
leads to, there is also an element of ‘what goes around comes around’ in the concept of karma.
Karma literally means action. According to Menon (2011), actions have causes and in turn
beget consequences. Thus the law of karma is often described as the law of cause and effect.
The premise that all actions have causes and, in turn, generate effects potentially provides the
ground for a complex ethics of action. When we do something selfish, insensitive, rude, cruel,
mean, or otherwise unkind we will accumulate “bad Karma.” On the other hand, when we do
things that are kind, considerate, selfless, caring, loving or otherwise “good” we will earn
“good Karma.”. This is shown in the film as well. Whatever life throws at them, the two boys
never get morally corrupted or stop working hard. This is linked to the concept of morality.
Ramu is extremely idealistic and averse to begging. He almost sees begging as an insult, and
Mohan has to convince him that taking money for singing is not begging. Similarly, Mohan,
despite being extremely sick by the end of the film, continues to sing and collect money so
that Ramu can go to school. Both boys reflect such self-sacrificial acts. Even when the bullies
in his class hit him, Ramu does not complain about them to the principal or even to Mohan.
He takes the blame on himself, saying he fell down. Both the protagonists have an astute sense
of morality, even though Ramu is more idealistic. It is this that ultimately leads them to their
happy ending, as Mohan recovers and Ramu tops his exams. It is when Mohan forgives his
able-bodied sister and they all become one family that the film ultimately ends on a happy
note. The trope of self-sacrificial martyr is also closely linked to the trope of the overcoming
hero. This quintessential hero does not complain about what he goes through, as is ideally
desired in ableist societies. He quietly and through his hardwork and goodness overcomes the
barriers on his own. Transmigration is to reap the consequence of a previous karma that an
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 27

individual self (jiva) takes in her next birth, but in the process of acting out this consequence,
the jiva further creates chains of actions thus setting in motion an endless cycle of ‘birth-action-
death-rebirth’ Ghai (2002). The film perfectly illustrates how the notion of Karmic retribution
thus acts as a double-edged sword for marginalized identities. It socializes them into accepting
their fate and not questioning the larger socio-political structure. At the same time, the concept
of what goes around comes around forces individuals to work hard and do good, and guided
by individual action.
This gets linked to the last theme of Passing off which is the ultimate theme and motive
of the film, again linked to various other imageries like inspiration porn, the overcoming hero
and karma. Goffman (1963) gave the concept of spoil identity resulting from stigmas of
physical difference, ethnicities and the stigmas of behavior and morality. Difference leads to
exclusion and stigma, and the logical response to this is passing off ones’ ‘spoiled’ identity in
order to immerse oneself within the normal or mainstream. This has been called the ‘structured
silence of personal bodily experiences’ (Zola, 1998). In films, this is a frequently seen trope.
Characters that either don’t consider their disability a part of their life at all, choosing to ignore
it in an attempt to appear ‘normal’ (Blind Dating) or those that learn to cope in order to live
happily ever after are often seen. This is seen throughout the film, as Mohan’s ultimate goal is
to meet his sister, earn money and to see again. Ramu is seen as fiercely independent and
extremely averse to any idea of dependence. He is extremely averse to begging as shown above,
and he sees it as immoral.
This is linked to his strong belief that he needs to make his mother proud on his own,
with no help or sympathy. While this can be seen as a criticism of the charity model, which
sees people with disability as a burden or helpless, this can also be seen as an activity in passing
off. It also reflects a trend in atomized capitalist cultures in which dependence either on the
family or on a welfare state, for example, is seen as undesirable and a sign of laziness. Even
when the principal offers him free education due to his excellent marks, he turns down the offer
and chooses to pay for his education. Similarly, this is linked to the trope of self-sacrifice and
martyrdom as he does not complain or assert his difference but merely seeks to achieve
everything he wanted when he was ‘normal’. Mohan on the other hand, is more assertive about
his disability. He asserts his right to beg and also shows more anger in the film against those
who have been unfair to him. However, even Mohan, in the end, sacrifices his health to help
out his friend and forgives his sister who had left him in a time of need. Ultimately then, both
the protagonists fulfil the expectations of what an ‘ideal disabled person’ is like. An ableist
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 28

lens is used to preach about morality and the road to success, using disability as the major tool.
The film is seen as success story of two boys as they fight all odds and manage to pass off their
spoiled identity by immersing themselves within the ableist ‘normal’ world. Passing off and
heroism is thus linked to Ramu and Mohan’s success and ultimately their happily ever after.
The film ‘Dosti’ is a poignant reflection of various imageries that disability and people
with disability evoke. It has primarily been made for viewership by an able-bodied audience.
A major theme that came up in analysis was disability used as a tool to evoke pity, to inspire
the able bodied and to represent the able bodied as good or bad; essentialism of disability
through a sense of loss and also a shared sense of unity that the two protagonists feel due to
their plight. Linked to this were the theme of passing off as the heroes of the film mastered
their circumstances to emerge victorious ‘despite’ their disability, as well as the theme of
essentialism of disability, with disability being seen as a static category that is in contrast with
the able-bodied population. The film however did manage to look at intersectional issues that
disability raises including the double disadvantage of poverty and disability. It portrayed the
protagonists as independent instead of as helpless victims. The notion of karma and fate was
also tapped, and the contradiction that karma offers between dukkha and action were also
tapped, looking at how this affects the discourse around disability. Ultimately, we saw how the
film conceptualized happiness and success, reflecting on the expectations that ableist societies
hold for the ideal disabled person.

Epilogue
Through the course of the study, there have been drastic changes in my perception and
understanding of disability. Earlier, I had been more sensitized towards the issue of mental
disability but was not too exposed to the understanding of physical disability. I earlier felt that
I had quite a positive view of people with disability but I realise now how that itself is
patronizing. Examining a supposed positive portrayal of disability through the film has made
me evaluate my own privilege and understand how words like 'inspiration' or 'resilience' reflect
romanticized ideas of what a person with disability should be like according to the expectations
of the able bodied. It also helped me critically understand various forms of social media to look
at the biases that they propagate. Earlier a word I had associated with disability was ‘obstacle’.
Now my understanding has evolved to the extent that I realise the connotations of this word
attach it to the medical model, and put the onus on the individual instead of on societal and
structural factors. In this sense this entire study has resulted in a thorough self-examination of
my own attitudes and sub- attitudes towards disability and the implications they carry.
MEDIA PORTRAYALS OF DISABILITY 29

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