Tollywood now embraces disability | Daily News

Tollywood now embraces disability

Disability is a subject that hasn’t been explored widely in Tollywood. Earlier, portrayals often made disabled people seem like objects of pity, isolated beings embittered by fate. But social attitudes have changed. We now have a slew of Telugu films that have embraced inclusivity for the disabled and are normalising portrayals.

From Ravi Teja and Raj Tarun who play visually-challenged people in their upcoming films, Raja The Great and Andhagadu to Ram Charan who is rumoured to be playing a hearing impaired man in his next, or Nagarjuna who wowed as a wheel-chair bound quadriplegic millionaire in ‘Oopiri’- these actors are breaking the age-old stereotype that a hero needs to be invincible.

Filmmakers and writers too are attempting to convey these characters with some degree of sincerity and sensitivity. “A disability doesn’t make a person less intelligent or interesting. Ravi Teja’s character is going to be a combination of both. There was a time when a disabled protagonist was seen only in art films or horror movies, but we are going completely commercial, with zero compromise on the character,” shares Anil Ravipudi, director of ‘Raja The Great’, agreeing that the actor’s decision to take up the role was looked at as a bold move by many.

That’s probably because a star’s “image” is at stake in such scenarios. In fact, Nagarjuna revealed that when he was approached for ‘Oopiri’, the filmmakers had doubts if he’d agree at all! Reflecting on the same, music composer, actor and director R.P. Patnaik says, “When I did Seenu Vasanthi Lakshmi (in which he is visually impaired), it was easy for me to transform into the character, because I am not a star whose films are watched with a set of expectations. India Glitz


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