Rare Disease Day: Films That Dealt With Some Of The Rarest Of Illnesses

Rare Disease Day is an annual event celebrated on the final day of February to promote awareness about rare illnesses and to increase access to treatment and medical representation for people living with rare diseases and their families. Bollywood films are often entertaining, including music, dancing, explosive climaxes, and combat situations. But every now and then, audiences get to encounter a film that tries to educate us alongside entertainment and makes us think hard about varied real life situations.

Take, for example, films about certain diseases or illnesses or physical conditions. Showing a rare ailment in a film necessitates extreme care, from writing the script to perfection to the actors portraying the characters to perfection onscreen.

Today, on the occasion of Rare Disease Day, let’s go down memory lane and revisit some films of this century that made us aware of rare illnesses and helped dispel varied myths and stigmas that had been attached to them for years at a go.

Black (2005)

This is yet another Amitabh Bachchan film that has made critics stand and applaud. In this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, Rani Mukherji plays a deaf-mute-blind girl who is taught how to speak by Big B's severe taskmaster character, who subsequently develops Alzheimer's disease. This innovative short depicts two people teaching one other that life is full of possibilities if we are ready to perceive them.

Taare Zameen Par (2007)

The numerous problems that dyslexic youngsters encounter were concisely addressed in this Aamir Khan film. Learning and reading problems define the disease.

U, Me Aur Hum (2008)

Ajay Devgn and Kajol played real-life couple Ajay and Kajol in the film U, Me, Aur Hum, which dealt with the theme of Alzheimer's illness.

Ghajini (2008)

This vengeance drama starring Aamir Khan was well received by moviegoers, but it also drew attention on anterograde amnesia, which causes short-term memory loss.

Paa (2009)

Amitabh Bachchan's performance as a 13-year-old boy rocked audiences to their core. In this R.Balki film, they also discovered the presence of progeria, an incredibly uncommon condition that causes youngsters to mature fast.

My Name Is Khan (2010)

In this film, Shah Rukh Khan plays an Asperger's Syndrome sufferer. This condition has an impact on a person's capacity to socialise and communicate effectively.

Guzaarish (2010)

Hrithik Roshan portrays a paraplegic patient in this Sanjay Leela Bhansali film. Because the injured spinal cord can't convey messages from the brain to the body, the patient is paralysed from the shoulders down with this condition. The documentary also addressed the question of euthanasia.

Karthik Calling Karthik (2012)

Karthik, played by Farhan Akhtar, is an introvert, and is often mocked by his employer and has had several disappointments in his life. However, one day he receives a phone call from an unknown person who offers to change his life. The film deals with the issue of schizophrenia which is eventually found out. 

Barfi (2012)

Priyanka Chopra plays an autistic girl in this film. Anurag Basu directed the film, which starred Ranbir Kapoor as Barfi, a deaf and mute guy who understands and cares for her. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with neurological development and results in situations in which the patient has difficulty speaking and socialising. It is frequently diagnosed in childhood.

Margarita With A Straw (2015)

Cerebral palsy is caused by faulty brain development and results in muscular movement disorders that impair the patient's ability to maintain balance. Kalki Koechlin is the protagonist in this Shonali Bose film, who has cerebral palsy but is determined to find the truth about her sexuality.

Hichki (2018)

A lady, Rani Mukerji, with Tourette syndrome gets a position as a teacher at an exclusive school after repeated interviews and rejections. She quickly does all she can to help her rebellious and troublemaking kids realise their full potential.