Aamir Khan's Laal Singh Chaddha brings back the ableist problems of Forrest Gump

From the very first trailer of Laal Singh Chaddha, it is evident that the Aamir Khan-starrer is an almost frame-to-frame remake of Forrest Gump. While the latter is regarded as a classic, it hasn’t quite aged well, especially with regard to the representation of disabilities.

Over the years, Forrest Gump has spurred much debate and discussion in various aspects, be it in the indirect propagation of white conservative values, its depiction of black characters like Bubba, or reducing the heroine Jenny to a damsel in distress. 

What is the story about: The most obvious criticism is towards the titular character who is depicted as naive and emotionally inept as he has some sort of learning disability. While the condition is never revealed explicitly in the film, Gump himself admits that he has had a low IQ of 75. Being born with a crooked spine and wearing leg braces added further to his health issues. 

And yet unexpectedly, Forrest finds himself in crucial moments of American history, becomes a war hero in Vietnam, a table tennis champion, and runs through half of America. Ultimately, the crux of the story lies in the ‘shock value’ and ‘surprise factor’ of such a man achieving extraordinary feats. 

The problem with heroes with cognitive disabilities: From Forrest Gump to Koi Mil Gaya, such films depict protagonists with cognitive (intellectual) disabilities in an increasingly childish tone. They are innocent ‘man-children’ who cannot figure out the good and bad of the world around them. For instance, Forrest knows that his love interest Jenny had been sexually assaulted by her father but can’t quite figure it out. Instead, Forrest’s explanation is, “He was a very loving man. He was always touching and kissing her and her sisters.”

It is this stereotype of innocence that angers viewers with disabilities as it makes these characters ‘special’ and pushes them away from normalcy. 

Erica Mones, a staff writer for Cripple Media, a platform run by and for young disabled creatives, wrote on PopSugar, “It should also be noted that it is implied...that Forrest has some sort of cognitive disability. It becomes almost satirical to see a man unknowingly be a part of so many major events in United States history. People with cognitive disabilities can and do make history, but their accomplishments shouldn't be the butt of a joke.” 

Lieutenant Dan can be a more relatable character: When Forrest serves as a soldier in Vietnam, his senior officer is Lieutenant Dan Taylor, a passionate patriot who eventually loses his legs in the heat of the battle. Forrest manages to save his life even though Dan wishes to die in action. Ultimately, Dan remains a homeless, alcoholic vagrant while Forrest is awarded a Medal of Honour. Naturally, Dan resorts to bouts of anger and frustration as is evident from his rants like:

“That’s all these cripples down at the VA, that’s all they ever talk about. Jesus this and Jesus that. Have I... found Jesus? They even had a priest come and talk to me. He said God is listening, but I have to help myself. Now, if I accept Jesus into my heart, I’ll get to walk beside Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Did you hear what I said? WALK… beside Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Well, kiss my crippled ass. God is listening? What a crock of s**t.”

American writer and activist Howland Crowe says that as an individual with autism, he has been asked by the neurotypical community if he can relate to Forrest Gump. Crowe instead relates to Lieutenant Dan!

Why? 

“Lieutenant Dan has a disability, but he’s not dense. He’s allowed to be angry,” Crowe writes in a blog article titled Life’s Not a Box of Chocolates. 

To go by this logic, Dan’s portrayal gears more towards an empathetic picture as opposed to the sympathetic ‘bechara’ overtones of other fictional characters with disabilities. His anger is what humanises him. 

The ‘miracle’ angle to Forrest’s legs: In Forrest’s younger years, he is shown to be wearing leg braces. And then in the iconic ‘Run Forrest Run’ scene (reinterpreted as ‘Bhaag Laal Bhaag’ in Laal Singh Chaddha), Forrest runs in such a miraculous fashion that his braces break and his legs are ‘cured’ of the disability without any explanation.

Be it in religious scriptures or the feats of mythical godmen, it was a common miracle to cure people from disabilities with divine intervention. But these miracles set unrealistic standards for people going through actual disabilities and alienates them further from being seen as normal. 

Similarly, in Forrest Gump’s miracle, Erica Mones comments, “Not only is this unrealistic, but it is also ableist. Forrest shouldn't have had to lose his disability in order to succeed, but in the movie he does. It sets him up as the hero of the film, insinuating that the protagonist couldn't have a visible disability for the audience to root for him.”

Reinforcing the same stereotypes with Laal Singh Chaddha: Back in 1994, Forrest Gump bagged the Best Picture Oscar over the prison drama Shawshank Redemption. But today, it is Forrest Gump that receives more flak and revisionist interpretations while the latter has become a timeless classic on friendship and freedom. 

In such an era, it is worth noting that a direct remake of Forrest Gump is hardly going to change the original’s representation of people with disabilities. After all, the trailer itself mentions Forrest Gump’s screenwriter Eric Roth’s name, making it obvious that this will be a highly faithful adaptation. 

Now, Bollywood has hardly had a good track record with accurate films about disabilities and disorders (Koi Mil Gaya, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Golmaal series, Housefull 3). Even the positively-reviewed ones in this regard (such as Margarita with a Straw) find able-bodied actors playing the parts of disabled characters. 

So, with Aamir Khan’s Laal being all goofy and looking innocently cute while doing it, the problem with Forrest Gump will keep on repeating for newer audiences. It is common knowledge that in a film-obsessed community like ours, people might get more knowledge from cinema than any other platform. And with an actor such as Khan who otherwise is more socially conscious than other mainstream stars in the industry, it is only disappointing for him to take on a dated role like this. 

Obviously, the #BoycottLaalSinghChadha trend is for entirely different reasons and no creative project deserves such biased boycotts. But the least that can be done after the release is to start a conversation on more inclusive and accurate depictions of disabled characters in Bollywood (obviously with disabled individuals themselves offering inputs to the creative team).