Today’s post is by Shruti Pushkarna, an inclusion and diversity advocate. As an inclusion & diversity advocate she works closely with Civil Society Organizations, Corporate Sponsors and Government bodies engaged in promoting equity and equality. As regular columnist she is working with popular media portals and special interest help groups in India and the US for raising awareness on inclusion of vulnerable members of the society.
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Media’s lens has long been my battlefield. When I stepped away from the glittering world of television news, it wasn’t just a career shift—it was a deliberate choice to challenge how we perceive disability. Every frame, every narrative has the power to either perpetuate harmful stereotypes or dismantle deeply entrenched societal biases.
World Down Syndrome Day this year gifted me a profound cinematic experience. The Spanish film ‘Campeones‘ wasn’t just a screening; it was a collective journey. Surrounded by parents, disability rights advocates, and individuals with diverse abilities, I witnessed storytelling that transcends conventional narratives. Days later, ‘Next Goal Wins‘ reinforced my belief—sports can be a powerful equalizer, revealing the extraordinary within what society often perceives as ordinary. Both comedy dramas revolve around so-to-say ‘weaker’ teams, constituted of players who are ‘different’, those who don’t fit into our normal (read limited) perception of sportspersons.
This isn’t mere coincidence. My own journalistic roots trace back to a transformative moment—my first video project where I documented the Indian team’s journey since the first World Cup Cricket for the Blind in 1998. Working alongside the visionary founder of the World Blind Cricket Council, I learned that representation is more than visibility. It’s about shifting perspectives, about making people see ability where they’re conditioned to see limitation.
In the intricate tapestry of media representation, each thread matters. And I’m committed to reweaving those threads, one story at a time.
Campeones, Spanish for Champions, is a 2018 film directed by Javier Fesser which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. It is inspired by the true account of The Aderes Basketball team in Valencia, created with people with intellectual disabilities who won 12 Spanish championships between 1999 and 2014.
Marco Montes, assistant coach of a basketball team based in Madrid, gets fired from the job following his arrogant conduct. Hitting a police car in a state of drunkenness, Marco is ordered to either spend two years in jail or ninety days of community service, as Coach to Los Amigos, a team of basketball players with intellectual disabilities. At first, he is frustrated with this new assignment, unable to relate to players he feels are below normal (subnormales). But as he works closely with the team, he learns about each player’s unique story, strengths and weaknesses. The common thread binding them is persistence and the desire to play well.
Throughout the film, in the comic episodes, in the tense backdrop of Marco’s troubled relationships (personal and professional), the audience gets to witness the similarities in human narratives. Marco has his own set of hurdles to cross, like the players of Los Amigos. As he coaches them to overcome barriers on the court, he unties several knots in his own marriage, discovering fresh perspectives to look at life and challenges. In the end, Los Amigos place second in the National Championship.
I watched this film at a special screening organised in the capital on World Down Syndrome Day. What fascinated me the most was the director’s choice of casting disabled actors in the roles of all the players with disabilities. Giving them an opportunity to flaunt their prowess and represent themselves rather than relying on non-disabled actors to simply play the part. An absolute entertaining and hilarious saga, I watched the climactic moments of the final game with my mouth wide open.
The second film is a 2023 American sports comedy directed by Taika Waititi. Michael Fassbender plays the lead role of Thomas Rongen in Next Goal Wins. It is based on a documentary of the same name, about a Dutch American coach (Rongen) who is also forced, following a series of events, to coach the weakest soccer teams in the world. It’s the story of the American Samoa soccer team who suffered a terrible loss in World Cup history, losing 31-0 to Australia in 2001. Rongen struggles to work with this infamous set of ‘losers’, turning them into an elite squad. Under his training, the American Samoa team qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
While there are no persons with disabilities in this context, there are characters representing marginalised communities. It is a disparate group of players including a transgender defender (Jaiyah Saelua), a traumatised goalkeeper (Nicky Salapu), and an overweight midfielder (Rambo). Rongen deals with his own weaknesses and fears, as he motivates the team to focus on their strengths. The result is a nearly impossible feat of scoring goals and winning the game.
In the sporting arena, differences cease to be. And many similarities emerge. In both the films, the coaches traverse complex personal landscapes gaining valuable lessons from the diverse set of players.
While Champions and Next Goal Wins iterate the power of sports to include and empower, the two cinematic representations also bring out the multi-dimensional human sides of persons with disabilities and diverse identities. Something which helps the audience resonate with episodes on-screen.
Isn’t it time the India media catches up and goes beyond a stereotypical narrative of diversity? Can celebration of differences replace inspirational porn and ableist chronicling in the mainstream media?
P.S. Bollywood actor Aamir Khan began shooting for an Indian remake of Spanish movie Campeones in January 2024.
This post is a part of “International Day of Persons with Disability” blog hop hosted by Sakshi Varma – Tripleamommy. #IDPD2024Bloghop. Access all posts of this bloghop at https://tripleamommy.com/2024/12/02/beyond-barriers-amplifying-voices-for-inclusion-marking-idpd-2024/
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“Isn’t it time the India media catches up and goes beyond a stereotypical narrative of diversity?” The answer is yes and a lot more. Indian media is insanely obsessed with politics. Diversity is no concern whatever nowadays in Indian politics and hence in the media either. There are many other issues that the media can take up.
Totally second that.
[…] Day 15. December 17, 2024 Today’s post is by Shruti Pushkarna. She highlights how films like Campeones and Next Goal Wins showcase the power of inclusive storytelling to challenge stereotypes and celebrate diversity. Drawing from her experience documenting the Indian Blind Cricket Team, she emphasizes the importance of authentic representation in shifting perceptions of ability. She urges Indian media to move beyond stereotypes and embrace more empowering narratives of diversity. Read her post here. […]
Well, it’s good to know that one Indian actor has taken a step towards this. Cinema reaches the masses in the most impressive ways. Loss is a a mindset as much as is reward.
I feel I am a product of all the cinema I have exposed myself to!
Cinéma does impact the social psyche and its high time such movies were made in India as well specially with real people and not actors faking disability. Would love to watch more movies where actors are not coloring their hair to look old, skin to look dark , plucking their ears and broadening their eyes to appear intellectually disabled or gaining weight to meet the needs of the character. Why not get real people as per the age, skin color, weight or height of the character.
Amen to that, Ruchira!
Shruti is so right. Movies, books and art – when rightly portrayed – can not only teach you so much about someone’s lived experience, they can also gently breakthrough your biases and rigidity.
Ditto!
I absolutely loved your post! Your reflections on how media often perpetuates harmful stereotypes about disability and diverse identities are spot-on. The films you mentioned—*Campeones* and *Next Goal Wins*—show how powerful inclusive representation can be, highlighting abilities and humanizing characters. It’s refreshing to see your passion for shifting narratives, and I agree, it’s high time Indian media moves beyond stereotypes and celebrates true diversity. Your work is truly inspiring and much-needed for a more inclusive world.
Thank you so much, Monidipa.
If media decides, it can take giant strides to bring in more awareness towards inclusion. Let’s hope some good progress is made soon. But these days all that media cares about is big news and TRPs–the quality has reached an absolute low.
Is it possible to watch the 2 movies you’ve mentioned through some channel/link?
Yes, I agree Janaki. One of the reasons I quit Television news was the incessant noise with no impact. You can watch Next Goal Wins on Disney Hotstar, and Campeones I think is available on Apple TV.
Media is a weapon as well as a saving grace. It depends on how we use it and we need to encourage our artists to do more on this topics
Am going to watch the two films! Thank you for your insightful post…it helped me gauge my own role as a media person highlighting such stories over ratings and fluff….
Indeed, media plays vital role in creating narratives and perspectives …
Hopefully, as we grow as a nation, I hope our media will step up and goes beyond a stereotypes of diversity …Aamir Khan’s initiative with the remake of spanish movie Campeones is surely a welcome step…
Such a powerful post highlighting the need for more authentic representation in the media. Breaking away from stereotypes and showcasing diverse identities is essential for creating a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of the world. Representation truly matters!
A beautifully insightful piece! Films like Campeones and Next Goal Wins showcase the power of diversity and sports to challenge stereotypes. Thank you for highlighting how storytelling can reshape perspectives!
Cinema actually is the biggest impact on Indian mass, with cricket, I feel the mainstream films that we have grown up around have been disrespectful to disability and have used it as a comic relief, your post with an Indian actor playing a role in the movie is breaking stereotypes. So happy to see the representation
Media can definitely make the impact and bring in a change in perspective. I’m glad Aamir Khan is doing this and I eagerly await
Truly truly agree to this lovely post an eye opener
It’s time for media in India to break free from one-dimensional narratives and embrace stories that celebrate differences with authenticity and depth.These films—Campeones and Next Goal Wins—challenge the media’s limited portrayal of diverse identities, reminding us that true representation goes beyond stereotypes. They showcase the strength, resilience, and shared humanity of individuals with disabilities and marginalized communities, proving that ability knows no boundaries.
So true, representation truly matters. Cinema and media play a crucial role in shaping perceptions by how they portray disability.
Good to see Amir delving into the subject of disability awareness through his work. Your blog talks of American movies being made on the same subject and thus, it shows how Indian cinema and media lack.
This was such a refreshing take on representation!