JOIN USRecognising alternate ability
Maa, to release in April, looks to be a unique proposition. This is a film with a double spin to it. As a film, Maa explores the various crippling issues a disabled person faces every day of his life, the issues woven into the framework of a love story. As a production, the film projects a picture of resolution, confidence, and ability; the fact is, the entire cast and crew of the Tamil film Maa happen to be people of alternate ability.
Sample this. Director Fatima Beevi calls the shots from her wheelchair. Cinematographer Rama Rao zooms in on locales without the support of his right leg, which he lost in an accident. Music director Gideon Karthik, lyricist Valli, and the playback singers are visually challenged. Choreographer Amutha Rajini, herself polio-affected, proves a point by choreographing a dance involving a hundred differently abled persons.
The costume-designer Devi, who had lost her right hand in an accident too, impresses that for design excellence, more than hands, what you need is a perceptive mind. “She didn’t even bother to delegate the job of ironing to others,” reminisces the hero of the film, TMN Deepak. As for Deepak, this dynamic and charming young man moves around on a wheelchair, following a polio attack. Not just the cast and crew, the entire supporting unit from spot boys to caterers to drivers are all alternately-abled. The only two who are not alternately abled are two of the cast, because the script demanded it. The film’s message can’t be more explicit — ‘Whatever a commercial film demands, we can deliver that’.
It all started because of a chance meeting between Madan Gabriel, Head of the Department, Film Acting, MGR government Film and Television Institute and a few activists of the Tamil Nadu Handicapped Federation (TNHF) — TMN Deepak, P Simmachandiran, and Aruna Devi, who incidentally happens to be visually challenged, and has an M Phil in sociology and criminology under her sleeve.
Maa was born over engrossing conversations when Madan Gabriel came to hear about the infinite humiliating experiences that people with alternate abilities are forced to face in their lives — over food, shelter, transport, jobs, marriage, and even something as basic as the process of using toilets. It struck him that as people, we don’t even give much thought to the pain that differently-abled people go through everyday because of our insensitive infrastructure, policies and attitudes.
End of apathy
There have been films about disability, of the victory of the mind over the body. Nache Mayuri stirred us; Taare Zameen Par tickled our conscience; but as a nation, we continue in our apathy to disability. The truth is, while there are a few who have overcome disability to reach great heights in life, there are millions of other underprivileged disabled persons who experience trauma. Two ideas emerged from the discussions;
people need to wake up to disability issues — to both the fact that disabled people are very capable, and that they need more attention from infrastructure planners and policy makers.
“Disabled persons have done so well in so many avenues today. And anyway, the camera doesn’t need a leg, just a perceptive eye. Likewise music doesn’t require sight,” says Madan. Remember, Beethoven the gifted music composer was blind. Madan adds, “I have noticed that 90 percent of physically challenged persons tend to be creative. I want to give them a good entry into films, otherwise we stand to loose a great pool of talent.”
In fact, so inspired was Madan by their ability that he decided to co-produce the film along with the TNHF. They formed a production house called Kalai Vizhi (meaning Artistic Eye) and a talent hunt began. Merit was the sole criteria. Competitions in each and every discipline, following which the cast and crew were selected and the film got rolling. A lot of good samaritans also came forward to help, chipping in with free food, boarding and lodging at various locations, etc.
Shot in just 40 days at the quaint district of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Maa is a tightly knit story of how a girl falls in love with a young man she happens to see on a bus. When the girl’s family learns that he is differently abled, they do not allow their daughter to get married to him. Rather than caving in to depression, the boy decides to turn activist and the film is about what happens further. The success of the film lies in seamlessly weaving in the issues with the love story. The film has been shot in three languages — Tamil, Hindi and Telugu, with subtitles in English. The film was screened at the International Disability Film Festival in Delhi.
Ultimately, Maa should not be a culmination. Let it herald a beginning — of differently abled people gaining a richly deserved entry into the film industry. “We are open to doing films, TV programs, documentaries — you name it. We hope production houses recognise our merit and come forward with offers,” says Deepak, who incidentally happens to be the vice president of TNHF, an activist, and a successful clinical psychotherapist to boot! One hopes that this extremely talented cast and crew go on to chisel their rightful place in the film industry.