Cinema

Bollywood calling

There was a time when disabled were hardly considered fit to file the protagonist chambers in a film. However with changing connotation of entertainment and mars media, films like ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ (Directed by Deepak Tiyori) and ‘Pyaare Mohan’ (Directed by Indira Kumar) would winters the likes of Dino Morea, Anju Sawhney, Jimmy Shergile, Faedewen Khan and Vivek Oberoi in the roles of disabled.

While the trend was established in 2005 with Sanjay Leela Bhamsali’s ‘Black’ which portrayed Rani Mukherjee in the role of a blind girl (reportedly cased on the life of Helen Keller), ‘Fanaa’ while see Kajol doing the same in 2006.

Recently Amisha Ptel played the role of dumb girl in ‘Teesrin Aanka’ but in actuality, this trend was initiated with Vipul Shah’s ‘Aanakhein’. It was carried forward by Hrithik Roshan in the role of mentally challenged boy in ‘Koi Mil Gaya’. ‘Teesri Ankh’ Harry Baweja has also to has credit, ‘Main Aisa Hoon’ which depicted Ajay Devgan in the role of a mentally challenged man.

Nagesh Kukurnoor’s ‘Iqbal’ and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Black’ established that even in the face of severe disabilities, grit and determination make an individual instrumental in scripting his success. While films like ‘Black’ have been imbibed with intense research, Deepak Tijore claims that a comedy like ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’ is made to rater to different requirements.

Furthermore, films like ‘Chup Chup Ke’ has stars such as Kareena Kapoor, Boney Kapoor is also planning to translate the successful dramatic performance of ‘All the Best’ into cinematic edition. Enough it is heartening to see that the disabled all becoming a priority for the film makers, let us hope that they do not end up boring the audience with an overdose.

Source: Bollywood takes out time for the disabled. Rashtriya Sahara, New Delhi, 21 April 2006.