Remember Priyanka Chopra’s character from ‘Barfi’? Weary of strangers, with a slur in her speech, Chopra played an autistic girl, who needed assistance with simple tasks like going to the loo.
Like her character in the movie, one of 160 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)worldwide (according to 2017 data from the World Health Organisation).
On Autism Awareness Day, April 2, we celebrate the neurodiversity of people on the spectrum.
Let’s have a look at Bollywood movies that depicted the syndrome to spread awareness on it through the audio-visual impact.
- Taare Zameen Par: Starring Aamir Khan and child actor Darsheel Safari, the movie highlighted some really difficult events in the life of a child. His journey, struggle and fight to overcome the difficulties is depicted beautifully in the movie with an amazing storyline.
- Barfi: Priyanka Chopra managed to steal the limelight as an autistic person in Barfi! Her character Jhilmil portrayed the trials and tribulations of an autistic person. Weary of strangers, with a slur in her speech, Chopra played an autistic girl, who needed assistance with simple tasks like going to the loo.
- Koi Mil Gaya: Hrithik Roshan’s character Rohit displays the struggles a mentally-challenged individual faces when down with autism syndrome. Such children are often bullied in class and society thus losing pace in life.
- My Name is Khan: Shah Rukh Khan deals with the concept of Autism in the movie. The actor received wide acclaim for his performance in the movie. As per the reports, the actor went through deep troubles to understand the protagonist’s character.
- Apna Asmaan: The film starring Irfan Khan is about a marriage between the lead couple and their son who suffers from mental disorder and how the troubles lead to a resented relationship between the couple. the film deals with autism, an issue which is foreseen as a taboo in Indian society.
World Autism Awareness Day 2019: Know all about the fastest growing disorder
