What if Indian Movies Had to Pass a Bechdel Test for the Disabled?

Can we ensure that the portrayal of the disabled community in Indian film is free of prejudice?

Laila gazes at her lover’s waist intently. The yearning is classic, but the characters — atypical. Laila has cerebral palsy and her fiery same-sex lover is blind. Questions of sexuality and disability intertwine in a single frame in this scene from the movie Margarita with a Straw (2014).

Decades before, during the ’70s, the movie Koshish broke cinematic conventions in the country by telling the story of a deaf-mute couple for perhaps the first time on screen. Starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhadhuri, the movie became a landmark in Indian cinema. In fact, there have been quite a few trailblazing storytellers whose portrayal of the disabled community was free of prejudice.

And yet, when the disabled still have to fight for rights like basic accessibility, one can’t expect a spirited portrayal of them in film. 

Nikhil Kumar Guptaa, who plays rugby in a wheelchair, says it “angers him” when Indian soaps and movies show people on wheelchairs as though they were parasites of some sort – who need to latch on to someone to function and have nothing to offer in return.

Who checks, then, how the disabled community is portrayed? An interesting question that many disability activists are asking is whether there should be an equivalent of the Bechdel Wallace test for the disabled. When applied to women, the test qualitatively checks the portrayal of women in cinema and calls attention against gender inequality. It could also be used to check the prejudices at play while telling the story of a disabled.

What Would Make For a Bechdel Test for the Disabled?

• Their characters are not entirely centred around their disabilities
• They are portrayed realistically, with flaws and ambitions – think Forrest Gump
• They are not shown as mere receivers of help
• If other characters can have romantic and sexual desires, their characters should too

Which Movies Pass: The Word of the Critic

We asked the celebrated film critic Rajeev Masand about the movies he thinks could pass the Bechdel test, if there were one for the disabled.

Masand listed a few movies that showed a nuanced portrayal of the community through strong characters.

Iqbal (2005)

Iqbal is the story of a deaf-mute son of a farmer who goes on to fulfil his dream of playing for the Indian cricket team. The movie showed ambition, passion and human endeavour succeeding in the face of adversity.

Barfi (2012)

Masand calls Barfi a ‘lovely’ film that portrays the beautiful relationship between an autistic Jhilmil Chatterjee (Priyanka Chopra) and a charming deaf-mute character, Murphy (Barfi) Johnson (Ranbir Kapoor). Their companionship in the story effortlessly exhibits what all human relationships ought to be like — unselfish and giving.

Sparsh (1980)

Sparsh was a 1980 Hindi film directed by Sai Paranjape, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi in the roles of a visually-challenged principal and a teacher who fall in love while working together in a school for the visually impaired. The narrative is an informed and sensitive portrayal of two individuals who find love and learn to deal with the predicament of disability in its everydayness.

Sadma (1983)

Sadma is the story of a young woman (played by Sridevi) who meets with an accident that renders her mentally as a seven-year-old. Circumstances lead her to a brothel, where she meets Somu (Kamal Haasan). He rescues her and brings her home. In the process, Somu becomes attached to her; a deep, inexplicable bond of love and companionship develops.

Besides these, Masand also cites My Name is Khan (2012), and Koi Mil Gaya (2003) as having central characters with disabilities.

Interestingly, most of these movies subscribe to the last rule of the Bechdel test for the disabled – and that is them being involved in a sexual or romantic relationship.

When asked about cinema’s, and the society’s ignorance of these desires of the disabled, Nikhil Kumar Guptaa says the society only sees the community through its sympathetic lens — and no one, not even their families or parents, think of their sexual inclusion.

Companionship and sex come last when thinking of the welfare of the disabled.
— Nikhil Kumar Guptaa, Member, Indian Wheelchair Rugby Team

But a handful of ears have begun to take note of these needs and are helping the community fulfil those.

Love, or Making Love Sees No Disability

In the course of her work, Kalyani Khona, who runs Wanted Umbrella, a non-profit that’s just about to launch a match-making app for the disabled, has come across many disabled men and women working for top consulting firms like Deloitte and KPMG, asking her to hold workshops that “customise Kamasutra for the wheelchair-bound”.

SexualityandDisability is an Indian sex education website run by a non-profit that exhibits sexual positions for those on wheelchairs and holds regular workshops to increase sexual awareness.

Meanwhile in film, Margarita With a Straw has deftly managed to throw questions of sexuality and disability into the realm of popular Indian cinema.

When asked if more such sensitive movies could follow, Masand says that when our films still lack the sensitivity to deal with questions of gender, caste, and sexuality, it would be a bit of a stretch to expect issues of disability being skilfully included in cinematic narratives.

All this when there are about 18.49 million disabled persons in India — are they a ‘minority’ we can choose to ignore?