a day ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Actors hold power: Simran gets candid at the ninth edition of AbilityFest
The Indian film industry, particularly the Tamil film industry, has come a long way in portraying Persons with Disabilities (PwD) sensitively. For the longest time, the community was relegated to either being mocked at, or sympathised with, or completely overlooked. This is evident in an industry that once found humour in ridiculing the speech-impaired (Thangamaana Raasa) and the hearing-impaired (Chinna Vaathiyar). Since the early 2000s, not only are such 'jokes' widely disapproved of, but we also see positive and respectful representations in movies such as Jyotika's Mozhi and Udhayanidhi Stalin's Psycho. In what has been a result of concerted efforts, the tides are slowly, yet steadily, starting to change for the better.
One such effort is the AbilityFest-India International Disability Film Festival — intended to showcase films created by and about PwDs — which is in its ninth edition. This year's theme is '60 Seconds To Fame – All India One Minute Film Competition on Disability'. Select movies picked by a jury comprising AR Rahman, composer, Simran, actor, Madhan Karky, lyricist, Mohammed Shams Aalam Shaikh, international para swimmer, and Tinkesh, life coach and fitness consultant, are to be screened. They have handpicked some of the most moving and motivating films that conveyed a strong message in 60 seconds. All the jury members, along with the festival director Jayshree Raveendran, and actor and festival chairperson Revathy, unequivocally calling to make cinema accessible to all, were present at a press event following the launch of this year's film festival on Wednesday.
Simran, whose recent blockbuster Tourist Family is set to be screened at the festival along with audio description, spoke to CE on the sidelines of the event. 'I feel happy about being part of the Ability Foundation. Being a part of this initiative and working selflessly gave me inner peace and satisfaction,' she said.
