Identity in corporeality: Interplay of disability and masculinity in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010) and Anurag Basu’s Barfi! (2012)

ABSTRACT

The identity of a disabled individual is inextricably knitted with socio-culturally prescribed gender roles and heteronormative postulates of sexuality. The present article scrutinizes the complex interplay of disability and masculinity in two Indian films- Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010) and Basu’s Barfi! (2012). In Guzaarish, illusionist Ethan, rendered quadriplegic after an unfortunate accident, willfully resists perceiving manhood beyond the roles of protecting, providing, and sexually gratifying women. He perceives his body image as shameful and embarrassing due to vulnerability and sexual impotence and appeals for euthanasia. In contrast, the eponymous protagonist Barfi, deaf-mute by birth, strategically exploits hegemonic masculine tropes as compensation for sensory impairments, following the body-behavior ideals culturally expected from a man in melodramatic heterosexual relationships. The article employs qualitative methodology with a thematic study. Social constructionism and symbolic interactionism are utilized to scrutinize the socio-cultural scripting of corporeal dimensions and the intersectionality of corporeal differences and gendered realities. The work finds that both disabled protagonists’ self-understanding of their personhood is manipulated by the internalized stereotypes of masculinity, disseminated and reinforced through phallocentric prescriptions – while one succumbs to shame embodying the lack, the other tries overcompensating the lack. The article illustrates how identity is rooted in the corporeal body; while disability experience is intertwined with gender scripting, masculinity is also constructed in relation to certain corporeal differences.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• identity
• corporeal
• masculinity
• disability
• sexuality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Guzaarish, 2010 directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an Indian romantic drama film in Hindi Language. Starring Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The film received appreciation across India and was rated four out of five by Filmfare magazine. The film had an enthralling opening at the box office and collected around 514 million in the first week. (See Guzaarish – Wikipedia).

2. Barfi!, 2012 directed by Anurag Basu is an Indian romantic comedy film in Hindi language. Starring Ranbir Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, and Priyanka Chopra. The film received widespread critical acclaim after release and was rated five out of five by Zee News. In the first week itself, the film collected 565 million net and in the course of its cinematic release period, it earned a gross total of 1.06 billion. (See Barfi! – Wikipedia).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sayan Das

Sayan Das is a Research Scholar in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Raipur, India. His primary research interests include Disability Studies, Mad Studies, and Gender Studies.

Md Moshabbir Alam

Md Moshabbir Alam is a Research Scholar in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Raipur, India. His primary research interests include DNTs, Dalit studies, Tribal Studies, Gender Studies, and Cultural Anthropology.

Sandip Sarkar

Sandip Sarkar is Assistant Professor of English in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Raipur, India. His primary research interests include Indian Writing in English, Regional Literature, Folk Studies, and Literary Health Humanities. He has published articles in journals, for instance, Asiatic, Journal of Post Colonial Cultures and Societies, The IUP Journal of English Studies, Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, Culture and Psychology.

Anoop Kr. Tiwari

Anoop Kr. Tiwari is Associate Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Raipur, India. His primary research interests include American Literature, Indian Writing in English, and Film Studies. He has published in journals, for instance, International Journal of English Language, Literature and Humanities, Modern Leisure Studies, The Criterion: An International Journal in English, The Creative Launcher.

Moksha Singh

Moksha Singh is Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National Institute of Technology Raipur, India. Her primary research interests include Women Studies, Social Change and Mobility, Child Care and Rights, and Social justice. She has published in journals, for instance, Asian Women, European Journal for Applied Linguistics, International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Contemporary Voice of Dalit, Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences.