Will Bollywood finally get it right?

When Sitaare Zameen Par hits the theatres on 20 June, it won’t just be another Aamir Khan release. It will be a test — of Bollywood’s sincerity, of the audience’s readiness, and of whether India is finally prepared to move beyond pity, pedestal and propaganda when it comes to representing neurodivergent lives on screen.

The film brings something Bollywood rarely does — neurodivergent actors in leading roles. Not as sidekicks. Not as punchlines. Real people, telling real stories. For too long, cinema in India has turned disability into drama or feel-good fluff. This time, it needs to be real — raw and respectful. Because representation isn’t radical — it is overdue.

The film, touted as a ‘spiritual sequel’ to Taare Zameen Par (2007), marks a significant departure. It casts 10 neurodivergent individuals in major roles. These are people with lived experiences of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome. Not trained actors mimicking tics and traits. Not background characters. But actual people playing fully fleshed-out roles.

That alone is worth noticing. But not yet worth celebrating.

What is neurodiversity?

Let us be precise. Neurodiversity, a term first coined in the late 1990s by Australian sociologist Judy Singer, refers to the idea that neurological differences like autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and others are natural variations of the human brain — not pathologies to be ‘fixed’.

In India, where awareness of these conditions is still low and diagnosis often comes late, this framework is urgently needed. According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in 100 children globally is autistic, and Down Syndrome affects one in every 1,000 live births. Fragile X Syndrome, while less talked about, is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, often mistaken for other conditions.

Yet in everyday India, these numbers translate into silence. Into children kept home, away from school. Into job applications quietly discarded. Into families that learn to hide rather than seek.

The history we’d rather forget

Films in India have long flirted with the idea of disability, but mostly on their own terms. Often, disability was used to evoke sympathy, divine justice or redemption arcs. Rarely was it a lens to understand complexity, agency or everyday life.

Take Koshish (1972), a rare early attempt to depict a hearing impaired couple navigating society. Or Sparsh (1980), which sensitively portrayed blindness and self-respect. But as we moved into the 2000s, Bollywood’s default approach became sentimental and sanitised.

In Black (2005), the deaf-blind protagonist was framed almost like a divine project for her teacher. My Name is Khan (2010) gave us a central character with autism, but filtered through a saviour complex and an American gaze. Barfi! (2012) romanticised neurodivergence while completely muting its social consequences. Even when the performance was good, the story rarely let the character just be.

The worst offenders, though, are not the earnest missteps but the comic side- characters, the infantilised tropes, the ‘mad geniuses’ and the endless use of stammers, twitches or delays for laughs. This isn’t just lazy writing, it’s active harm. It shapes how millions view those who move, speak or think differently.

Why this film matters

Which is why Sitaare Zameen Par arrives at a moment that’s both fragile and fertile. Globally, we’re witnessing a slow but steady push for authentic neurodivergent representation. From British series like A Kind of Spark, to US hits like Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, neurodivergent actors are being cast in roles that reflect the breadth of their lives — not just their diagnosis.

In India, the disability rights movement has gained momentum — pushing for better education access, workplace accommodations and legal protections under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. But cinema? It still lags.

So when you hear that the cast includes Rishabh Jain, a baker and comic performer; Gopi Krishnan Varma, India’s first lead actor with Down Syndrome in a Malayalam film; Naman Misra, a software developer and model; and others pursuing music, poetry, sports and tech — it’s hard not to feel a pulse of hope. This could be a watershed moment. But only if it does not fall into the same old traps.

If Sitaare Zameen Par ends up presenting these individuals as either inspiring angels or helpless dependents, we’ve learned nothing.

Disability, especially neurodivergence, doesn’t need to be sanitised or dramatised. It needs to be normalised. Let the characters be flawed. Let them argue, rebel, make bad jokes, fall in love, fail at things, get angry, be brilliant. In other words, let them be human. Because real inclusion doesn’t come from simply putting disabled people on screen — it comes from letting them shape the story.

And that’s where our film industry has barely scratched the surface. If Sitaare Zameen Par is to be a genuine turning point — and not just a one-off PR event — then the industry needs to do much more:

Inclusive writing rooms

The starting point of any story is the script. Hire neurodivergent co-writers and sensitivity readers. Let lived experience inform the plot.

Consultants, not caricatures

Every department — direction, costume, editing, even marketing — needs to involve neurodivergent consultants. It’s not just about ‘accuracy’. It’s about dignity.

Crew representation

Representation should go beyond what is visible. Create pipelines for neurodivergent editors, set designers, assistants and marketers. Visibility must be holistic.

Long-term investment

Don’t stop with this film. Commit to sustained inclusion — whether through talent development programmes, partnerships with disability organisations or diverse casting in genre films that have nothing to do with ‘disability’.

Media accountability

Critics, reviewers and journalists must challenge inspiration-porn narratives. Ask tough questions. Go beyond surface-level praise. Representation without critique is empty applause.

And to the audience…

You have a role too. Show up — but also show up differently. Watch with curiosity, not pity. Ask yourself: what did I assume about these characters before the film started? What surprised me? What made me uncomfortable?

The measure of success for Sitaare Zameen Par won’t just be box office numbers. It will be whether any child who’s been called “difficult” sees him/herself not as a burden but as a star.

And whether parents, teachers, employers and neighbours finally see them too.

Not as miracles. Not as projects. But as people.

Puneet Singh Singhal is a disability inclusion activist and an accessibility consultant