The waves crash against the shore as a small boat scrapes onto the sand. Dharmadas helps his wife, Vasanthi, and their two sons, Nithushan and Mulli, onto the unfamiliar beach. The air smells of salt and damp earth. Behind them lies Valvettithurai as a memory now. Ahead, Rameswaram and a sense of hope.
This opening scene in Tourist Family, a Tamil film, was screened with audio description at AbilityFEST2025 in Chennai. It is rich with mood and movement, which most of us can easily understand — with wholesome visuals, emotions, and sounds. But what happens when someone can’t see the screen? Or hear the nuance in a voice?
After watching a movie, many cinema buffs share thoughts about it the moment they walk out of the theatre. They post Instagram stories, write reviews on Letterboxd, or talk about it with friends. But for many Persons with Disabilities (PwD), even this basic connection to a story — the joy of reacting to a scene or simply followingwhat’s going on — depends on something far more fundamental: access.
To create meaningful access, we need to recognise that disability is not a single, uniform experience. For instance, visual impairment can range from partial sight to total blindness. Each person may need different forms of support. Professor Miranda Tomkinson, an Anglo-Indian academic who has a hearing and visual impairment, made it clear at the screening. He communicates using a tactile device through his communicator and a psychotherapist, Haripriya. “I don’t want sympathy. I want understanding. Disability is not a tragedy; ignorance is. The media only shows some kinds of disabilities. They pick only a few. What about the rest of us?,” he asked.
Subtle moments — like a lingering glance between characters, the way they express sadness and happiness at the same time, or the sudden appearance of a puppy— were all made audible at the Tourist Family screening. It meant that many in the audience could enjoy the film independently — some, for the first time.
Haripriya noted that even where you sit in the theatre can matter. “We sat in the middle of the theatre but we switched to the last seat because the brightness from the screen can be overwhelming,” she said.
The professor, who has completely lost his vision, spoke about how important it is to feel connected through film. “Movie means we can connect,” he said. “But the problem is speed. We talk fast. Without interpretation, that is hard. A device like this [tactile communicator] helps us watch and connect. There should be awareness not just about blindness but about the uniqueness of every disability.” He now wants to direct a film for PwD. Haripriya said, “He believes that films can create awareness. But first, the stories have to come from our lived experience. Not as charity — as truth.”
Tools that connect
Despite recent mandates, access remains uneven. In line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued new guidelines on March 15, 2024, mandating accessibility in films shown in Indian theatres. Producers must now submit two versions of each film to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC): a regular version for public release and another with accessibility features like audio description (AD), open or closed captioning (CC/OC), and Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpretation.
The rollout is phased. Since September 15, 2024, all films released in more than one language were required to include at least one accessibility feature for each language. From January 1, 2025, films submitted to the National Film Awards and key festivals had to include both AD and closed captions. By March 3, 2026, all feature films — including trailers and teasers — must carry AD and CC/OC to be certified.
Despite being part of the CBFC checklist for multi-language releases, audio description doesn’t always make it to the theatres. Implementation still varies widely. Theatres may lack the necessary infrastructure, and on OTT platforms, the gap is even more visible: though technically feasible, many films — even when certified — are streamed without accessibility features. High-profile releases like GOAT and Good Bad Ugly have excluded them entirely.
Still, there are pockets of real progress. One example is the work being done by Qube Cinema, who provide digital cinema technology and solutions. “We started this team back in 2021,” said Rabhinder Kannan, creative director at Qube Cinema. “I handle all the localisation services here. We have a team that does subtitles, one that does audio description, and another that does closed captions for movies,” he said. “We’ve since built decentralised teams — Chennai for Tamil, Hyderabad for Telugu, Bombay for Hindi and Punjabi, Kochi for Malayalam. That way, native speakers work directly on each film.”
The CBFC’s guidelines found their first real test with Pushpa 2, which required AD and CC across languages. “That’s when the mandate kicked in,” Rabhinder said. “Since then, every multi-language release has had to comply.”
To address theatre-level access, Qube collaborated with mobile platforms like Moviebuff Access, Greta, and now cinedubs. “The AD content is released through the app. People can play it on their phone and sync it with the movie,” he explained. “No need to wait for a special show.”
This shift has a real impact. Previously, visually impaired viewers had to rely on specific shows with wired headphones or awkward audio mixes. “Now, if I have a friend with vision loss, we can watch Kuberaa in any theatre,” said Rabhinder. “They just use the app with earphones. No special infrastructure. No dependence.”
In the past eight months alone, QUBE has created AD tracks for nearly 40 films. “By next year, that could go up to 400,” he added.
Testing and tuning
Crafting AD is more art than automation. “We avoid overlapping with dialogue or key sound effects,” said Angayarkanni, a content editor. “If something clatters, we explain it briefly. But we let the mood carry the weight.” Her colleague, SG Sreedhar, who leads the Audio Services team, added, “We use a neutral tone. A sad scene should feel sad — but we don’t perform it.”
Violent or emotionally charged sequences demand particular care. “We include necessary details but avoid anything disturbing,” Angayarkanni said. “During hero intros or songs, we only describe the essentials so the music stays intact.”
This process is iterative. “We do test screenings with visually impaired users,” Rabhinder said. “Sometimes they want more detail, sometimes they say, ‘Let the movie breathe.’ That feedback helps.”
Still, AD is usually squeezed into tight deadlines during post-production, as an afterthought. Ideally, it should be integrated from the beginning. “If music directors could work with us, we could avoid frequency clashes,” he said.
Actor and director Revathy, who organised the AbilityFEST, agreed. “Fifteen years ago, we did Taare Zameen Par with audio description — back when no one even knew what AD was. We used an app and headphones even then.” She believes the tools are here; consistency is what’s missing. “We’ve always wanted to prove this could be done. With OTT and mobile tech, it should become normal. But implementation takes time,” she said.
Sound designer Sean Rolden added that AD needs to be built into the audio mix from the start. “In a rain scene, for example, sound effects matter. We try to carve out space so music and AD can coexist. Composers and AD teams need to collaborate. That’s the only way to make it seamless,” he said.
The road ahead
While theatre sees progress, home access remains elusive. “OTT adaptation is still a work in progress,” said Rabhinder. “We’re slowly seeing change.” Television is harder still. “We haven’t cracked it yet,” he admitted. “It’s a different ballgame — technically and logistically.” And that gap matters, especially for audiences who primarily access films through television. “We’ve found that many visually impaired audiences still watch movies on television channels,” he noted.
Pavithra, a visually impaired Class 10 student, is one such viewer. She regularly watches films on Sun TV and says she’s a fan of horror movies — especially those by Raghava Lawrence and the Aranmanai series. Her classmate, Shabeer Ahamed, recalled going to see Good Bad Ugly in theatres, relying on his brother to describe what was happening on screen. “If there was a fight, or if someone was drinking tea, he told me,” he said.
That changed with the public screening of Tourist Family and Sitaare Zameen Par at the AbilityFEST, which featured audio description for the first time in Tamil. For students like Pavithra and Shabeer, the difference was profound. “Audio description is a great tool,” Shabeer said. “This time, no one had to tell me what was going on.”
Moments like these reflect the growing momentum for change. “From April 1 next year, every movie that gets censored and released in India will have to carry audio description and closed captions,” said Rabhinder. “It’s a big move by the government to make the movie-watching experience more inclusive.”
Policies may set the stage, but real change begins with how society chooses to respond. Haripriya put it plainly, “Tomorrow, something might happen to any of us. But acceptance is not there. Even educated people try to normalise disability without understanding it.”
Speaking about the unease many feel around tactile communicators like herself, whose closeness to the deafblind often draws curiosity, she said, “Awareness begins at home. Families have to build that sensitivity. Only then will society stop treating it as something to pity, hide, or exclude.”
Access is more than a window. When rooted in empathy, it becomes a pathway to genuine inclusion and ongoing innovation.