Wazir: Disability Rights Group is unhappy with director’s views

The DRG are miffed that Amitabh Bachchan’s character has been limited to a wheelchair in the film.

Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan starrer, Wazir, is coming out this Friday and people have issues with it already. Disabled Rights Group (DRG), led by disability rights activist Javed Abibi, on Tuesday condemned director Bejoy Nambiar’s remarks on “limiting” megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s persona in a wheelchair for the film. The group has demanded an apology for the “disparaging” statement.

The DRG are miffed that Amitabh Bachchan’s character has been limited to a wheelchair in the film. (Twitter)

DRG also plans to pen a letter to Amitabh over the issue.

In an interview, Nambiar, while talking about Amitabh’s portrayal as a paralysed chess grandmaster, had said: “Right from the beginning, we knew that the protagonist had to be on a wheelchair. Casting Mr. Bachchan, who has got such a strong persona, and limiting him in a wheelchair, was a big task for us to get used to”.

This is what has spelt trouble for Nambiar.

Aditi Rao Hyadri will also been seen in the movie, opposite Farhan Akhtar.

DRG on Tuesday issued a statement that Nambiar’s comments are “disparaging and extremely condescending towards people with disabilities, and highlights complete lack of knowledge, extremely archaic and derogatory perspectives that he has on disability”.

Read: Spooked by censors, Wazir makers drop Farhan-Aditi love scenes

Abidi wants Nambiar to “immediately retract his statement” and “offer an unqualified apology to India’s 70 million disabled citizens”.

Wazir is revenge saga and a thriller with a unique friendship at its core.

He also added that he would be writing to Amitabh “personally and draw his attention to the extremely damaging remarks made by Nambiar”.

“No matter what, from now onwards and upto the release of the film and beyond, in all the publicity and promotion of the movie, acute care must be taken that this kind of derogatory language is not used ever again,” Abidi said.

“Wazir”, which also stars Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari, is revenge saga and a thriller with a unique friendship at its core. It is releasing on Friday.