Progeria, paraplegia, anterograde amnesia – Bollywood’s current portrayal of unusual ailments might be drawing applause from the elite, but it is leaving front benchers baffled.
If Hrithik Roshan’s recent portrayal of a paraplegic who appeals for euthanasia in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Guzaarish” is any indication, the working class audience is ending up somewhat enlightened but also somewhat afraid.
“If someone is really facing trouble due to health issues, we often say she or he should better die for relief but I was not aware that such things can be a point of discussion in high society circles too as shown in ‘Guzaarish’. And the paraplegic part too was something new for me,” Ramakant Mohanty, who works as a chauffeur, said.
“Ab jab bhi gaadi chalata hoon, zyaada dhyaan deta hoon kyunki darr lagta hai. (Now whenever I drive, I’m more cautious because that fear lurks in the back of my mind),” he added.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan stunned people with his National Award-winning stint as a progeria-affected 12-year-old in “Paa” and Aamir Khan brought to the shore anterograde amnesia in Hindi cinema’s biggest grosser “Gajini”.
Sanjay Singh, a house painter from Uttar Pradesh, who watched “Paa” while whitewashing a house, still scratches his head when asked to explain progeria.
“I was aware of a disease where people age rapidly but I had no idea that they would look like an 80-year-old when they were 16 or 17. I still haven’t understood how that is possible and it leaves goosebumps whenever I discuss such diseases with my friends,” said Singh, who tried hard but couldn’t pronounce progeria.
Hrithik also tried putting forth the problems faced by a developmentally disabled individual in “Koi…Mil Gaya”. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan tried highlighting Asperger Syndrome in “My Name Is Khan” while Aamir created an impact by portraying the problems faced by dyslexic children in his directorial debut “Taare Zameen Par”.
Apart from raising awareness about lesser known ailments among the oblivious lot, the A-list starrer medical dramas do end up injecting fear in many minds.
“Such portrayal of diseases in Hindi movies can have a positive or a negative effect on people like us who don’t know much about such maladies,” Kanhaiya Lal, a paan seller from Kanpur, said.
“It can be positive in the way that viewers become aware of the disease and its effects and become cautious, and negative in the sense that it may create a fear about such health disorders in uneducated and orthodox households like ours,” he added.
Arshad Warsi and Konkona Sen Sharma introduced audiences to schizophrenia in “Krazzy 4″ and “15 Park Avenue” respectively, while Kajol and Big B brought to the screen Alzheimer’s disease in “U Me Aur Hum” and “Black” respectively. In “Luck”, heartthrob Imran Khan had dextrocardia, a rare medical condition in which a person is born with his heart on the right side.
Meeta Mahar, an associate professor with the Institute of Clinical Research India (ICRI), says movies help in raising awareness.
“Films on diseases definitely create an awareness among the labour class. If these films are viewed by them, it helps in the diagnosis, support and treatment of such cases. However, owing to their ‘masala’ seeking taste, it is unlikely that such films would be viewed by them, unless a special screening is held for them,” Mahar said.
Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare, said: “Cinema has a very good reach in society; it has the power to educate people and make them sensitive to medical issues; and when done with good research and presented with facts and sensitivity, it is a welcome step. Films also help in reducing stigma.”
Bijay Pyakurel, a domestic help of Nepali origin, however, pointed out that the medical terms are a major hurdle in their understanding of such diseases.
“We are really fond of Bollywood movies but most of them are so much in new Hindi (Hinglish) that we find it difficult to understand. Sab bimari ka naam samajh mein nahi aata hai (We don’t understand the medical terms). But, yes, the acting does make us realise about the disease,” said Pyakurel.
Starring :Vijay, Asin, Rajkiran, Roja, Vadivelu 
The will no prices charged to see it. They will be spinning to the beat of ‘Sheila Ki Jawani’, Tees Maar Khan, ‘Wallah Wallah’ and more. This program will set up on this Saturday. This event is not done in a beach side but the concert will be done in Mumbai.
Finally after more than a year of the infamous scuffle between Shahrukh and Sunil Gavaskar over the latter's comments on the Kolkata Knight Rider's coach John Buchanan, Shahrukh apologized to Sunil Gavsakar. 
Deepika was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her family moved to Bangalore, Karnataka, India, when she was eleven months old. Deepika is of Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin origin, and her mother tongue is Konkani. Her father, Prakash Padukone, is a retired badminton player of international repute, and her mother is a travel agent. Padukone also has a younger sister, Anisha, born on February 2, 1991. 
At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards she was awarded the title "Model of the Year". Shortly afterward, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006 and won two trophies at the Idea Zee Fashion Awards: "Female Model of the Year - (Commercial Assignments)" and "Fresh Face of the Year". Padukone was also chosen as the brand ambassador of Kingfisher Airlines and later Levi Strauss and Tissot SA. In addition, she appeared in the music video for Himesh Reshammiya's song Naam Hai Tera.
In 2006, Padukone made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film Aishwarya opposite actor Upendra. She later made a successful Bollywood debut in 2007 with Farah Khan's blockbuster Om Shanti Om opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her performance was well received, earning the actress a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM noted, "Deepika has all it takes to be a top star — the personality, the looks and yes, she's supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!" Padukone was then seen in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor and alongside Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba. The film, which released on 15 August 2008, performed reasonably well at the box office. Her next film Chandni Chowk To China, released on 16 January 2009, and was a critical and commercial disaster. Padukone's fourth release Love Aaj Kal, released on 31 July 2009 and proved to be one of the biggest hits of 2009. Her first release in 2010 was Excel Entertainment’s Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Farhan Akhtar.
Did you know this?? The sitarist daughter of great sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka Shankar is expecting her first baby by spring next year with Joe Wright, London-based famous filmmaker.
