New Delhi: A person with Alzheimer’s is bhulakkad baap, a person with a hearing disability is soundproof system, and a person with a speech disability is atki hui cassette.

For years, movies have centered their below-the-belt jokes on people with disabilities. Now, activist Nipun Malhotra is working towards ensuring that this does not continue.

It all started last winter when Nipun happened to watch the movie Aankh Micholi. By the end of it, he was left disappointed with the lampooning of persons with disabilities.

“The gist of the film was that you need to hide your disability to get married,” he says.

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Upset, he, the Founder of the Nipman Foundation, approached the High Court and, later, the Supreme Court. In July, he came out a winner as the top court laid down guidelines for the portrayal of persons with disabilities in visual media.

Grateful to the Supreme Court of India for creating guidelines on portrayal of Persons with Disabilities in visual media, following my petition against @SonyPicsIndia for lampooning PwDs in 'Aankh Micholi.'
Happy about the distinction made in the judgement between “disability… pic.twitter.com/UC9YMD8EpN

— Nipun Malhotra (@nipunmalhotra) July 8, 2024

The court has differentiated between disability and disabling humor. A bench led by the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud noted,

“We must distinguish ‘disabling humor’ that demeans and disparages persons with disability from ‘disability humor’ which challenges conventional wisdom about disability. While disability humor attempts to better understand and explain disability, disabling humor denigrates it. The two cannot be equated in their impact on dignity and on stereotypes about persons with disabilities.”

The bench noted that terms such as “cripple” and “spastic” have acquired “devalued meanings” in societal perceptions. It further urged creators to check for an accurate representation of a medical condition to avoid misinformation and stereotypes.

A wheelchair user himself, Nipun believes a movie can either debunk or reinforce an opinion. While most movies do more harm than good, he adds pointing to the other side,

“A scene in the iconic film Sholay presents the act of amputating hands and leaving someone disabled as a punishment considered worse than death.”

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