CHENNAI: Come Thursday, Thalaivar is back with another flick - Vettaiyan. This time the Rajnikanth-starrer has more to it than what meets the eye, literally.
The makers, Lyca Productions, has announced the movie will include accessibility features for people with disabilities, as the police thriller is set to offer both audio descriptions and closed captions, a first in Tamil cinema.
“This has been done before with films like GOAT and Love Today, but only in special screenings for disabled audience. With Vettaiyan, the aim is to bring a mainstream theatrical experience to all,” said Rabhinder Kannan from Qube Cinema, who worked on implementing the features.
The audio descriptions will be delivered through the Moviebuff Access mobile app, and will be available in select theatres equipped with the necessary technology. A list of participating theatres will be released soon.
“We hope this initiative will raise awareness of the audio description service. In the coming months, we are planning to expand this technology to more theatres,” Kannan added. The closed captioning feature will also be available in theatres that opt for it, with plans to develop a dedicated device for this purpose in the future.
Recently, the Hindi film Srikanth, starring Rajkummar Rao, was released with audio descriptions through the XL Cinema app.
Earlier this year, the Delhi High Court had ordered the central government to establish guidelines for making films more accessible to people with visual and hearing impairments. This followed a petition by four individuals with disabilities.
In January, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting proposed that film producers submit versions of their films with accessibility features when seeking certification from Central Board of Film Certification.
Speaking to TNIE, C Govindakrishnan, founder of Nethrodaya, an institute for the welfare of visually-impaired, said it is a welcoming move as the visually-impaired will be able to enjoy the movie better, as until now, audio description was in the form of narration.
He also has his own reservations regarding the voice of artistes. “In earlier movies, all female artistes have the same voice. This is a kind of killjoy. Unless the voice issue is sorted out, the persons with visual impairment won’t be able to enjoy the movie,” he added.