REPRESENTATION OF DISABILITY IN INDIAN CINEMA BETWEEN 1970-2020

This paper examines the representation of disability in Indian cinema from 1970 to 2020, tracing its evolution from stereotypical tropes to nuanced portrayals amid socio-cultural shifts. It analyzes how Hindi cinema has negotiated disability as a narrative device, social metaphor, and site of resistance. The study employs a chronological framework, dividing the period into three phases: the 1970s-1980s "tragic victim" era, where disability symbolized moral or karmic affliction; the 1990s-2000s commercial exploitation phase marked by sentimental melodrama and inspirational arcs; and the post-2000 diversifying representations reflecting neoliberal influences, activism, and intersectionality with gender, caste, and class. Through textual analysis of some key films, the paper reveals persistent ableism—disability as "otherness" for able-bodied redemption. Ultimately, the research contributes to global disability film scholarship by foregrounding non-Western contexts.