Representations of mothers having children with disability in Hindi cinema: a feminist thematic analysis

Abstract

Societal notions of disability are riddled with negative stereotypes with Tragedy, Charity and Medical models being most prevalent in people’s consciousness. India’s Hindi film industry caters to a massive audience and its films play a significant role in reflecting social dynamics, including those around disability. This study used the critical-feminist thematic analysis framework to assess portrayed intersections between motherhood and disability in three successful films- Taare Zameen Par (2007), Paa (2009), Hichki (2018). Four primary themes emerged - (i) Motherhood and other identities, (ii) Mothers as sources of emotional support (iii) Mothers as advocates (iv) Role of mothers vis-a-vis fathers. The films’ protagonists were depicted as enduring several challenging circumstances and mothers played a pivotal role in providing their children safe spaces. While all mothers were supportive of their children, differences in their responses were grounded in their levels of awareness about disability and their financial independence. Implications are discussed.

Points of interest

• India’s Hindi film industry caters to a large audience and its movies play a strong role in reflecting social dynamics.

• This study analyses three successful films to assess how the lives of mothers who have children with disabilities have been portrayed.

• In the films, the characters with disability were shown to face several adverse circumstances. Mothers played a pivotal role in providing their children safe spaces. Father were portrayed in a very different light.

• While all mothers were supportive of their children, differences in mothers’ responses were grounded in their levels of awareness about their child’s disability and their financial positions.

• Yet the movies represented only a slice of what families of children with disabilities may deal with. Films need to bring forth the additional complexities (like financial hardships, parental mental health issues) that families can experience.

Keywords:

• Motherhood
• persons with disability
• Hindi films

Acknowledgments

We thank the Governing Board and Principal, Prof. Sharma of Lady Shri Ram College, for their funding support and hold deep regard for the contributions of Agrima, Ananya, Upasana, Vandya (Department of Psychology, LSR).

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Dr Bharat Ram Research Grant