Heroes in Hype: A Problematic Glorification of Disabled Lives in Indian Ads

Disability representation in media plays a crucial role in shaping public attitudes, cultural perceptions, and policy responses. In the Indian context, television advertisements are a powerful tool that is widely consumed medium, and it often depict disability not through the lens of rights or inclusion, but as a spectacle meant to evoke emotion. This paper critically analyses the concept of “inspiration porn,” a term coined by disability activist Stella Young, and h ow it manifests in Indian television advertising. Inspiration porn refers to media portrayals that depict people with disabilities as heroic or extraordinary solely because of their disability, thereby reducing their lived experiences into sources of motivation for non-disabled audiences. Through a close reading of selected Indian TV commercials aired between 2010 and 2024, this study identifies the narrative tropes, aesthetic strategies, and emotional cues commonly used to position disability as either a tragic burden or a triumph over adversity. The paper explores how such portrayals, while seemingly positive on the surface, perpetuate ableist ideologies by reinstating the idea that disabled individuals must achieve something “remarkable” to be valued. It further critiques how these ads often serve consumer retention more than social empowerment, relying on superficial inclusion that lacks harmony and understanding of disability rights. In addition to textual analysis, the paper draws from key theories in disability studies and media criticism to examine how inspiration porn erases agency, depoliticizes, dehumanises disability, and contributes to tokenistic representation. The ethical implications of such media practices are also discussed, particularly the emotional manipulation of viewers and the reinforcement of exclusionary narratives that glorify individual “success” while ignoring systemic inaccessibility. While analysing two commercials which were aired between 2010 and 2024 through a close reading this study identifies the narrative themes with recuring themes, aesthetic strategies, and emotional cues commonly used to position disability as either a tragic burden or a triumph over adversity. The paper explores how such portrayals, while seemingly positive on the surface, perpetuate ableist ideologies by reinforcing the idea that disabled individuals must achieve something “remarkable” to be valued.