A Spectacle of Suffering: Disability, Euthanasia and Posthumanism in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish

This paper undertakes a critical analysis of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish (2010) via the interdisciplinary framework of Disability Studies, emphasising the intricate relationship between representation, agency, and socio-cultural ideology. The film focusses on Ethan Mascarenhas, a quadriplegic ex- magician, whose request for euthanasia generates conflicting narratives on autonomy, masculinity, and the commodification of suffering. This study employs the critical insights of academics such as Margrit Shildrick, David T. Mitchell, and Sharon L. Snyder to examine the interconnections of disability, vulnerability, and posthuman embodiment within cinematic discourse. The paper analyses how Guzaarish (2010) both romanticises and problematises disability, presenting it within an aestheticised tragedy while addressing Ethan's charismatic agency. This paper examines how the film's portrayal of Ethan's dependency redefines conventional masculinity and contests dominant notions of bodily perfection through posthumanist lens. This paper characterises Guzaarish (2010) as a contradictory work that alternates between reinforcing disability stereotypes as a manifestation of loss and offering instances of subversion that suggest the recovery of agency and dignity within the limitations of cinematic conventions. This paper elucidates the conflicts within Bollywood's engagement with disability as both a narrative and visual construct, providing new insights into its capacity for critique and complicity in sustaining ableist ideologies.