One of the most important things about films is how they connect with the audience. And representation plays an extremely significant role in doing so. Definitely not for tokenism, but for a genuine insight into the lives, feelings and perspectives of different people.
And this Twitter thread by Abhishek Anicca brings forward a brilliant instance of when Bollywood gave us a film that did just that. The thread talks about Saajan, a film starring Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit which gave us great representation of differently abled people.
The film released in 1991 and revolves around two brothers Aman (Sanjay Dutt) and Akash (Salman Khan), who fall in love with the same woman, Pooja (Madhuri Dixit). But the topic of the thread specifically, is Aman, who is disabled, and how his character proved to one of the best representations of disabled people. Here’s Annica’s thread, take a look.
Ended up watching Sajan again somehow and can’t help but feel it isn’t recognized as a quintessential film about disability. And I have decided to take up the matter in my own hands and do a thread about it. 1/n pic.twitter.com/8bXnXM6Z7G
— Abhishek Anicca (@abhishekanicca) March 6, 2022
Platonic love wins. At first. And then everything follows. In our imaginarium of tinder that seems like a lost idea. But when you are disabled, that is what makes you hopeful & at times a hopeless romantic. Someone falling in love because of who we are! Isn’t that beautiful? 3/n pic.twitter.com/Rs2ajrbKBe
— Abhishek Anicca (@abhishekanicca) March 6, 2022
Spoiler Alert: A disabled person has a fulfilling love story in a mainstream Hindi film in the early 90s. He IS the hero of the film who gets the girl.
— Abhishek Anicca (@abhishekanicca) March 6, 2022
*Faints*
5/n pic.twitter.com/P61sStdFaf
And then there are the songs. Songs that every 90s bolly kid remembers. Love and longing.
— Abhishek Anicca (@abhishekanicca) March 6, 2022
If you wander around young disabled men and women, listen to disabled voices, their words and songs, they belong to the world of Sajan. Everyone has a love poem under their bed. 7/n pic.twitter.com/6lSKpFs4l0
Annica also mentioned some other Bollywood films that have talked about disability.
Research scholars often call about films on disability & gender. They all end up with Margarita. Which is a great film. But hey, there are others.
— Abhishek Anicca (@abhishekanicca) March 6, 2022
Not everyone lives in that world. Most disableds still live in the world of Sajan & Sparsh. Celebrate them! Write about them! n/n pic.twitter.com/AnS6aSKnta
And while some people reminisced and thought back to Saajan’s songs, a few netizens talked about Sagar being the perfect main character.
And he’s a better candidate for romance in every way except his own self-doubt.
— دِپتی شرما (@cowbai) March 7, 2022
And he’s a better candidate for romance in every way except his own self-doubt.
— دِپتی شرما (@cowbai) March 7, 2022
such a lovely thread… so we’ll put n the songs, all on another level altogether… the sharari, Nadeem Shravan music….’ takdeer banane waale tune kami na ki… ab kisko kya mila yeh Muqaddar ki baat hai’… unforgettable for me as a 90’s kid. .
— priya (@priya69986111) March 7, 2022
Yes, Saajan is fascinating. It does follow the patriarchal Bollywood tradition of “gifting” the girl you love as if she is an object but Madhuri does get an opportunity to denounce him for that https://t.co/M9qCI2ckhs
— Rama S (@ramasriniv) March 7, 2022
Indeed!!
— nowitmatters (@nowitmatters1) March 7, 2022
We are product of a nation who needs a ‘hero’ in every step of our life. A usual, normal, mediocre Human life is hardly celebrated here.
What a wonderful thread. I couldn’t agree more. Saajan is a beautiful film, with some of the most enduring songs in the history of Bollywood. Gotta watch it next weekend now, you made me nostalgic.
— Megha Nayar (@meghasnatter) March 6, 2022
Raising a toast to the film for everything it brought forth.
