World Autism Awareness Day: Bollywood Movies That Have Depicted Autism

Bollywood movies today have been venturing out of the tried-and-tested domain of love stories and revenge sagas and exploring more challenging topics. In the recent past, the Hindi film industry has stood up for myriad social and political causes. But it has only, on its part, done its bit creating awareness about medical causes like Tourette syndrome in Hichki, cerebral palsy in Margarita with a Straw and progeria in Paa, etc.  But did you know that some Bollywood movies also depicted autism?

A brain disorder that begins in early childhood, autism stays throughout the person's adulthood.  It impairs the person's ability to communicate with others. They may fail to make eye contact, engage in repetitive behaviour, remain aloof and interact only if they need to fulfil certain specific goals. In India, cases of autism have been rising, with ever one in 250 children affected by it. Currently, 10 million people in India are living with autism spectrum disorder.

But in the country, awareness about autism spectrum disorder is very low and most people's understanding of the disorder is also very sketchy. But Bollywood  has tried to create awareness by exploring the topic in films. Here are three movies that depicted autism.

Barfi

Priyanka Chopra plays a young autistic girl Jhilmil in the 2012 movie Barfi. To prepare for the role, Priyanka studied autistic children and their mannerisms thoroughly. Her hard work was evident in her stellar, realistic portrayal of an autistic girl in the movie. She was appreciated for her efforts and was even approached The Forum for Autism (FFA) to become the face of the organisation.

Yuuvraj

Although it's not mentioned outwardly in the film, Anil Kapoor's character in the 2008 movie Yuuvraj is supposed to be suffering from autism. He plays a musical genius Gyanesh in the movie who also happens to be "mentally-challenged." A small percentage of autistic people happen to exhibit genius level IQs and musical abilities and they are called autistic savants. The movie is loosely based on the Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman starrer Rain Man, where the latter plays an autistic savant.

My Name is Khan

Although Shahrukh Khan's character is said to suffer from Asperger's syndrome and not autism, it is still considered a part of the Autism Spectrum Disorder. It's a milder form of autism, where the person has relatively normal intelligence and language. In My Name is Khan, Shahrukh plays Rizwan Khan, a man who has impaired social skills but has a special ability to repair things.

Given the influence Bollywood has on the masses, more movies about disorders such as autism will help focus attention on this serious topic and create more awareness about autism in India.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2018 10:05 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).