Cinematic Representation of Women with Visual Impairment: A Study of Black and Kabil

Abstract

Visually impaired people, especially women, have been the subject of representation for ages, both in print and electronic media. As we live in an age of science and technology, when most technical resources are available to inspire them to keep pace with mainstream society, electronic media play an extremely pivotal role in representing their status and role in both visual and auditory modes. Film production, among electronic media, is one of the most powerful forms of representation, capturing the inescapable attention of common people. India has been one of the largest producers of films since ancient times. The films, to a very large extent, can present a realistic portrayal of VI women, especially their intricacies and the problems they encounter in their day-to-day lives due to being disabled as well as women. Such representation draws the public's attention to Indian cinema, disability studies, and gender studies. It makes us aware of the complications and challenges they encounter due to a lack of both their visible and invisible interconnectivity with mainstream society. This paper focuses on the proper representation of visually impaired women: their socio-political, socio-cultural, socio-economic, and educational status, along with their space in their domestic and social lives in some popular Hindi films. It highlights the situation they face during their academic struggle, their internal conflict as well as their conflict with society in the domestic and social spheres. It also focuses on the relevance of cinema in portraying problems and on reviewing their development processes and access to technological advancements that assist them in gradually connecting with mainstream society, directly or indirectly. This paper also seeks to portray visually impaired women in some Hindi films who finally achieved their goals after a series of struggles.