The Cinematic Gaze and the Disabled Body: A Comparative Study with Select Autobiographical Narratives

Peer-Reviewed
The Criterion

The Criterion: An International Journal in English ISSN: 0976-8165

Open Access

Comparative Literature

The Cinematic Gaze and the Disabled Body: A Comparative Study with Select Autobiographical Narratives

Dr Deepika Tiwari, Raheba Rahman, Priyambada, Ganga Kashyap
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, Issue 1 · February 2026

Pages
617-630

Article ID
2026V17N1111

Abstract

This research investigates how disability is represented in Indian cinema by analysing movies like Sitaare Zameen Par and Margarita with a Straw. These movies are compared with autobiographical self -representational work of Malini Chib, One Little Finger. Indian films often romanticize, simplify and tries to aestheticize disability. They frame it through sentimental narratives, inspirational tropes and visual stylization which is shaped by the non-disabled gaze. Such portrayals frequently overlook the factors like structural barriers, embodied struggle and the everyday negotiations that shape disabled lives. In contrast, Chib’s memoir foregrounds lived experience, detailing the physical, emotional and social realities of cerebral palsy while asserting narrative agency and political selfhood. Drawing on the Social Model of Disability, Ato Quayson’s concept of aesthetic nervousness and narratives & visual analysis, the study compares how films and autobiographical forms presents and construct disability differently. The findings reveal that cinema tends to contain disability within celebratory or motivational framework, but autobiographical writing offers a more authentic and complex representation. The study also analyses how first-hand stories from disabled people question the oversimplified way films often show disability, and why these insider voices are important for creating more honest and respectful representations.

Keywords

Disability RepresentationAesthetic NervousnessSocial Model of DisabilityAutobiographical Self-RepresentationNon-Disabled GazeIndian Cinema and Disability

Article History

Received
2 April 2026
Accepted
18 February 2026
Published Online
3 February 2026

How to Cite

Dr Deepika Tiwari, Raheba Rahman, Priyambada, Ganga Kashyap. “The Cinematic Gaze and the Disabled Body: A Comparative Study with Select Autobiographical Narratives.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 1, Feb. 2026, pp. 617-630. ISSN: 0976-8165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n1.42

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