Stammering and lisping have been long used as tools to create jokes in Hindi movies. This is really disturbing because there are people in real life who are struggling with these problems, and this kind of portrayal is not only insulting towards them but also gives others an impression that the disorder is something that can be made fun of.
Here are some instances of Bollywood being insensitive towards those who stutter.
1. When you watch the Bachchhan Paandey trailer, you can tell that a stuttering character was introduced in the movie only to be able to make fun of him. It’s similar to how the queer community has been represented in Hindi movies for ages – a side character who is a butt of jokes.
2. In Golmaal 3, Shreyas Talpade’s character stammers, and it was entirely written for the jokes. For instance, in the scene below, a group of guys makes fun of him for his speech disorder and it’s just sickening to watch.
3. In fact, the much-quoted line “jaldi bol kal subah panvel nikalna hai” was born out of this character’s stammering problem, as he could not finish his sentences fast. What a way to deal with the issue!
4. In the movie Chota Chattri, Johnny Lever stammers, and scenes after scenes are written to make fun of him and the disorder. Here’s proof. This is supposed to be one of his iconic roles, which is simply unfortunate.
5. While Jagga Jasoos isn’t comparable to the examples above, the movie wasn’t great at the portrayal either. In fact, Bengaluru-based NGO Samvaad Institute of Speech and Hearing even launched a petition to have some directives for the movie industry as far as the depiction of stammering is concerned.
This has to change.