There is a lot of debate going on whether people and communities who are socially and structurally backward should be made the subject of humor or not. Before this debate, it is important to discuss how Nepali films and our comedy genres have been presenting disability, how such films and comedies are giving guidance to the society and how these themes are affecting people with disabilities.

For years, Nepali films and comedies have been portraying people and communities with disabilities as sympathetic characters while making them the subject of comedy. If you have to criticize the government or point out the negative aspects of the society, it has become very common to use the word related to disability, to present disability as a symbol of ignorance . Being blind myself, I am well aware of the portrayal of disability in Nepali films and comedies and its impact on the community.

Talking about Nepali films, in the year 2008 'Parkhi Basen', the main character Yuna is presented as a blind character. At that time, it was considered good to show the disabled as the main character of the film . However, in this film, Yuna is not a strong character but her blindness is portrayed as a weak point . In the film, his blindness is depicted as a means of generating sympathy . There is a scene in this movie where Yuna is wearing a Tika bango, her bra lace is also visible . That thing should be pointed out to him by someone else. Such stories show people with disabilities as weak characters who have no sense of dress-up and need to rely on others. The society, which has been reading such stories and watching movies for years, has a similar concept towards disabled people. The film emphasizes that Yuna's eyes must be healed rather than accepting her disability accordingly. The film revolves around the story of Yuna regaining her sight for a long time and at the end her eyes are shown to be healed . It is also shown that he is able to take revenge on the person who wronged him only after regaining his sight . Such narratives create the impression that people with disabilities cannot fight back against injustice despite their disabilities, which is completely wrong .

2010-2018 'Nai Nabhannoo La' film series also featured characters who are blind, use wheelchairs, are deaf, and have chronic illnesses. Here too, the characters with disabilities are connected with sympathy . A character with a disability is portrayed as a sympathetic character rather than a character who can lead a normal life.

2016's 'Classic' can be considered somewhat progressive from a handicapping point of view . Since the characters in the film are blind, the actual blind person was consulted before the production of the film, which should be seen as a positive aspect. The main character of the film is visually and time blind. Both of them are interested in music, get close to each other and start falling in love . Successful in showing that a love relationship can go forward despite the disability, this film also presents the disability more from the point of view of struggle and tragedy . In the film, a blind person lives in an ashram. Even if the film had shown young people without disabilities, would they have lived in an ashram? Of course, they would have stayed at home or in a tent or hostel. In this film, it is also shown that the sight of the blind can be restored . This film has not been able to move away from the old belief that disability should be cured.

Our films and comedies are heavily influenced by Hindi. Hindi films and telefilms are both good and bad from the point of view of disability rights . There is also a tendency to associate disability with negativity and pity. 

Let's talk about the comedy made during the lockdown imposed by the Indian government during the corona epidemic. Some people go out on the streets violating the rules of the lockdown. After being seen by the police, as an excuse to avoid action, he pretends to be disabled . After being a person with a disability, the police also leave it. Such comedies made during Corona were opposed by the disabled community there. Around 2023, a comedy channel in Nepali language broadcast from Darjeeling, in the name of showing the difficult communication of the blind, hearing impaired and unable to speak, made disability a very humorous topic. Since the comedy is in Nepali language, after we protested from Nepal, the part was removed from the channel, but they did not apologize. 

Hindi film industry has also produced films that should be appreciated from the point of view of disability rights . The 2005 film 'Black' is very realistic in its portrayal of disability. The film effectively portrays the challenges faced by people with hearing impairment and how effective education can make people with disabilities independent. In the 2007 Hindi film 'Taare Jamin Par', a dyslexic boy named Ishaan Awasthi faces difficulties in reading and writing, and no one understands his disability at first . Later, an art teacher at another school recognizes his extraordinary ability in painting and helps him uncover the boy's talent. Such films inspire people with disabilities to see and behave positively. Similarly, both Rohan and Supriya, the main characters of the 2017 film 'Kaabil', are visually impaired. In the film, various aspects of the life of people with disabilities, the struggles they have to face, the discrimination they have to face from the society, etc. have been shown in a balanced manner. Similarly, the 2024 film 'Shrikanth' has presented an inspiring story of the struggle and achievement of India's blind entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla.