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Motherhood is a complicated idea within the Indian patriarchal structure. Motherhood institutions defined by men are oppressive towards women/mothers. When these patriarchal norms regarding motherhood intersect with social stereotypes regarding disabled children, the lived experiences of mothers become far more disturbing and challenging. This paper intends to scrutinise the Bengali film Paromitar Ek Din (2000), directed by Aparna Sen, through the theoretical ideas of Andrea O’Reilly to unmask the lived experiences of mothers of disabled children such as Paromita and Shanaka. Furthermore, by incorporating theoretical ideas given by Kimberlé Crenshaw and Tom Shakespeare, the study argues that within Bengali family structure, societal ableism intersects with the patriarchal institution of motherhood and shapes the lived experiences of mothers who are raising disabled children within patriarchal domesticity. This analysis employs “feminist political economy” to question the hidden “maternal care politics” within the patriarchal Sanyal family. This study becomes a vital instrument to suggest that Aparna Sen’s Bengali film offers pathways for rethinking the problematic issues of motherhood and, most importantly, the lived experiences of mothers of disabled children while critiquing the existing “maternal care politics”.
Mrs. Tahida Parveen. “Unmasking the Lived Experiences of Mothers of Disabled Children and Critiquing the ‘Maternal Care Politics’: An Analysis of the Bengali Film Paromitar Ek Din (2000) by Aparna Sen.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 4, August 2026, pp. 235-260. DOI, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n4.13.
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