Representation of People with Disabilities in Film: Increasing Stories, Fewer Actors

Abstract

This paper is a broad study on the Representation of People with Disabilities in Film and the facts surrounding it. One billion people, or 15% of the world's population experience some form of disability, and yet only 3.1 percent of characters on-screen are disabled in the US. These numbers are even more hopeless in terms of Indian Cinema. This non-representation of a significant part of the population is trying to convey a warped and disproportionate reality. In a world that is becoming increasingly aware of the importance of representation in media, the authentic representation of disabled actors is still nowhere near satisfactory. How many of us can recall the last time they saw an actor with a disability on screen, one that was not a stereotypical caricature used for comic relief. Time and time again we see able-bodied actors trying to mimic people with disabilities in an exaggerated manner in cinema, often rewarded for their performances with critical acclaim and awards. Be it Rani Mukerji in Black, Priyanka Chopra in Barfi, Hrithik Roshan in Guzaarish, Shahrukh Khan and Anushka Sharma in Zero or Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump and Freddie Highmore in The Good Doctor, the list is endless. Notice how all these actors were highly praised for their portrayal of their respective characters? Able-bodied actors play 95% of TV's disabled roles, according to a new study released by Ruderman White Paper. Even this would be fine if there wasn't an abundance of disabled actors being rejected and not getting hired because of their disability. Imagine seeing an already well established, able-bodied actor taking away one of the few roles you might actually get, and bagging awards and acclaim for acting like you. This is a reality for disabled actors. Therefore, while stories revolving around disability are increasing, the representation is still skewed and dismal. This paper will tackle problems related to disability representation in the media and its repercussions.