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Chadha, Krishan Anil (2025) Disability Representations in the Modern Hindi Social Film Genre: Advocacy and Engagement in the London Borough of Newham. Doctoral thesis, University of Gloucestershire. doi:10.46289/BUGZ1066
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Abstract
Grounded in the London Borough of Newham,this thesis documents the engagement of diasporic disabled South Asian viewers with disability representations in the modern Hindi social film genre. Using a participatory, mixed-methods approach guided and evaluated by those central to it, the study interrogates the genre’s portrayals of disability and their reception. The research further examines how participating viewers interpreted the portrayal, visual aesthetics, and disability mechanisms, confronting dominant representations celebrated by filmmakers and society. It further examines disabled people’s proactive engagement with representational concerns, guided by relational ethics and collaborative inquiry. Emphasising participant agency, this study introduces ‘cooperative enquiry through the ethos of friendship’, an interlocutor-driven methodology that integrates allied identities and established disability research practices. Key to this approach was the co-creation of a grassroots initiative involving over one hundred and thirty disabled participants, named the ‘Kahaani’ film club, meaning to share stories. These collaborators variably selected and screened thirteen Hindi social films and participated in surveys, focus groups, and interviews with filmmakers to express their interpretative responses to those representations of disability. The research highlights the perspectives of these disabled viewers on modern Hindi social films’ use of superficial, stereotypical, yet emotionally resonant portrayals of disability. However, participants demonstrated a critical awareness of the pitfalls in these portrayals, advocating for structural changes in the Hindi film industry alongside other reforms that aim to foster their inclusion. These include disabled casting, authentic storytelling, the involvement of disabled consultants throughout production, and changes to India’s film certification board. By documenting this collective engagement, the research offers key insights into how diasporic disabled South Asians in Newham interpret modern Hindi social films through the lens of their lived experiences. It contributes interdisciplinary perspectives to Disability Studies, Diaspora Studies, and Reception Studies, while calling for participatory representational practices across the Hindi film industry.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) | |||||||||
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Hindi social films; disability Studies; diaspora Studies; reception studies; London Borough of Newham | |||||||||
| Subjects: | N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR | |||||||||
| Divisions: | Schools and Research Institutes > School of Arts, Culture and Environment | |||||||||
| Depositing User: | Anne Pengelly | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 30 Jun 2026 10:35 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 30 Jun 2026 10:35 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16402 |
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