Bollywood embraces disability in quest for realism

(AFP/File – Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, seen here with wife Aishwarya Rai)

MUMBAI (AFP) (Sep. 9, 2009)– From "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" to "Children Of A Lesser God", "My Left Foot" and "Rain Man", Hollywood has a long history of portraying people with disabilities or illnesses on screen.

In contrast, India's popular Hindi-language film industry has traditionally shied away from real-life subjects, preferring flights of fancy on romantic love.

But now three major upcoming films are portraying a central character with a disability or illness, marking a shift away from fantasy to treating more contemporary themes.

by Shail Kumar Singh

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