Written By: Namrata Bose
Where Bollywood Still Falters: The Realities of Neurodivergence in Sitaare Zameen Par
Last evening, while selecting the movie to watch with my sister & stepping into the cinema for Sitaare Zameen Par, I carried a hope — not just for an entertaining film, but for progress in how mainstream Bollywood tells the stories of those living with neurodivergence. And, Amir Khan being Mr. Perfectionist, saw a lot of research and workshop related videos on social media for this movie and following the Taare Zameen Par experience, I went with a lot of expectations. As someone who spends days supporting individuals families facing psychiatric and neurodevelopmental challenges, my perspective is shaped by everyday realities, far more complex than what the silver screen tends to show.
Genuine Intent & First Impressions
There is an unmistakable sincerity in setting the narrative around a basketball team of neurodivergent young adults and casting actors who bring their lived experiences to the roles. That, in itself, is no small achievement. For a few rare scenes, the authenticity shines, and I saw glimpses of the people & families I meet, whose zest, humor, pain, and resilience are often hidden from the world.
The Double-Edged Sword of Bollywood Humor
What troubled me most was how the film leans heavily into familiar Bollywood “masala”, turning neurodivergent characters into punchlines or vehicles for easy sentiment, as has been common for decades. The legacy of portraying people with mental illness or neurodevelopmental conditions as objects of either ridicule or suspicion persists. The film being in the genre of sports comedy, comedy takes center stage, and the audience’s laughter is too often at the expense of authentic struggles. This is not just a missed educational moment but it is a reinforcement of old, limiting stereotypes. The narrative begins to resemble countless other comedies where any “difference” becomes material for jokes or is reduced to a device for comic relief. It is painful, watching real life experiences marked by anxiety, stigma, & a longing to be understood, dissolved into slapstick or novelty. The complex reality, full of small victories & daily challenges, barely gets a look-in.
When Subplots Blur The Picture
The film’s (failed) attempt to juggle multiple threads like- family issues, random social commentary, results in a scattered focus. As a psychiatric social worker, I know every family’s story matters. With just a single, poignant line (told by the Sardar Ji) about understanding children through their families, the movie hints at deeper insight — then backs away. The unique landscape in which neurodivergent youth grow up, shaped profoundly by parental advocacy & systemic hurdles, is left unexplored. Instead, the narrative is padded with irrelevant scenes, further diluting any chance of genuine connection.
Fears, Vulnerability, & Missed Opportunities
One of the few moments where the film comes close to touching deeper waters is in its acknowledgment that everyone has fears. But aside from two characters, this thread remains untouched. Every person’s vulnerabilities are unique, and overcoming them is never a punchline; it is a slow, courageous process. The absence of more nuanced explorations of these fears limits the film’s emotional depth.
Neurodivergence: Beyond Comedy and Criminality
Bollywood has long vacillated between casting neurodivergent or mentally ill characters as sources of humor or, worse, as criminally inclined. Sitaare Zameen Par movie does little to disrupt this pattern. Instead of delving into how these young adults experience the world — their strengths, their unique ways of communicating, their struggles with sensory environments —the film offers superficial quirks used for laughs. Diagnoses are never truly explained, robbing viewers of the language & empathy needed to better understand or support neurodiverse communities. This is more than a cinematic flaw. It shapes public perception, influences stigma, & can affect how schools, workplaces, & families treat those living with such diagnoses.
What the Film Gets Right
Inclusive Casting: The presence & performances of neurodivergent actors create moments of genuine warmth.
Intentionality: The film’s heart is in the right place, attempting to bring marginalized narratives into the mainstream.
Conversation Starter: For some audiences, seeing neurodivergent protagonists center-stage may be a first.
Where It Falters
Comic Lens Over Authenticity: The tendency to turn difference into humor undermines the reality of lived experience.
Neglected Subplots: Instead of focusing on personal stories or families, energy is spent on filler scenes with little meaning.
Reinforcing Stereotypes: By the climax, the film risks becoming another generic Bollywood comedy, perpetuating the easy tropes of neurodivergence as a joke.
Lack Of Education: Audiences leave without a clearer understanding of conditions like Down syndrome, autism, or intellectual disabilities. It miss the opportunity to break new ground.
A Call For Nuance & Respect
Leaving the theatre, I carried more questions than answers. Why, after all these years of evolving discourse, do we remain stuck at the starting line — with “difference” as Bollywood’s perennial punchline? As a psychiatric social worker, I dream of the day when cinema will dare to show more: the parenting, the advocacy, the subtle acts of everyday courage.
If you are a parent, teacher, or health professional, you will recognize the absence of nuance. If you are someone who has never sat across from a neurodivergent child, or their family — I hope you leave Sitaare Zameen Par wanting to know even more. The film tries. For that, it deserves credit. Yet true progress, in both cinema and society, will only come when struggle is not an afterthought but the very soul of the story.
The bottom line is Sitaare Zameen Par is a well-intentioned crowd-pleaser that, ultimately, is more Bollywood than breakthrough.
Note: The images used in this article are screenshots taken from YouTube and have been converted into images using Canva, Gemini, and ChatGPT tools for the purpose of this article only. The World of Movies acknowledges that it does not hold any proprietary rights over the images and that their use is solely for the purpose of this article.