Ramesh Sippy – Dipendra Manocha – Rummi Seth – Narendra Joshi Discuss Audio Description For The Visually Impaired
IFFI Goa 2018 in its endeavor to promote inclusivity, screened 2 Hindi films, namely Sholay & Hitchki with audio description for the visually impaired. Ramesh Sippy, the Indian film director & producer, best known for directing Sholay, was seen in a conversation with Dipendra Manocha, Rummi Seth & Narendra Joshi. The discussion session titled, Saksham: The Visual Made Verbal was about making cinema accessible to the visually impaired.
Dipendra Manocha is working as the Developing countries coordinator & Lead of Training And Tech Support with the DAISY Consortium. He is member of the Executive Committee of the World Blind Union & also the managing trustee of the Saksham Trust, which works towards empowering communities by creating multiple opportunities & also providing platforms for the visually impaired for sustainable social upliftment, thus enabling them to emerge as significant contributors in India’s growth story.
While speaking on the topic, Dipendra Manocha said, “Whenever a producer makes a film internationally, they treat audio description to be an integral part of making that film. So, whenever the film reaches people’s homes or when the family chooses to watch it in the theatres, the visually impaired can enjoy the movie with their family. Film watching in our country is an exercise in social inclusion. It helps forge social bonds. We should now move beyond special shows, like the one held at IFFI Goa 2018 & have an audio description for every movie released in India.”
Ramesh Sippy said, “This movement is great & it should be developed further. I am ready to extend any form of support from my end towards this. To start with, films that are being released can perhaps take a few weeks’ time post the movie’s release, to relieve themselves of the stress that comes with the release of the film, to get the audio description in place. Slowly, we can then target releasing the film with the audio description at the same time when it releases worldwide. It might take some time for these systems to be in place but I’m confident that it will happen
