More Trouble: Complaint Against ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ & ‘Shabaash Mithu’

Mumbai: Having faced boycott calls on social media from the time the trailer was released, ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ has run into more trouble.

The Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor-starrer, produced by the former, as well as Shabaash Mithu, featuring Taapsee Pannu, have been accused of demeaning differently-abled people. A complaint has been filed against both films in the court of commissioner for persons with disabilities over ‘ridiculing’ differently-abled people.

The complaint, filed by Dr Satendra Singh, co-founder of Doctors with Disabilities, alleges that Laal Singh Chaddha and Shabaash Mithu violated provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, through demeaning remarks against specially-abled people, reported PTI.

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Dr Singh, who himself suffers from 70% locomotor disability, has shared a copy of the notice issued by court of commissioner on his complaint with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, but the latter is yet to respond.

The court of commissioner has sought the views of directors of Laal Singh Chaddha (Advait Chandan) and Shabaash Mithu (Srijit Mukherjee) and Union Information & Broadcasting ministry on the notice.

The Times of India reported that the complaint has questioned use of word ‘langde/langdi’ (crippled) in the films. According to the complainant, the word is used to humiliate someone rather than referring to a disability. The filmmakers have been asked to submit their responses within 30 days.

Laal Singh Chaddha, the Hindi adaptation of Tom Hanks-starrer Forrest Gump, was released in theatres on August 11. The film shows a group of bullies threatening a young boy and shouting ‘pakad langde ko (catch the cripple)’ in one scene.

Shabaash Mithu, based on the life of former India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj, was released on July 15. The offending part in the film is a song which features the lyrics ‘Atki jo tangadi, gol gattam khali, ho gayi langadi (The world spun as I tripped, can’t stop limping).’