Autism Spectrum Disorder: Portrayals from the Indian Lens

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an umbrella of neurodevelopmental conditions marked by deficits in Social, Cognitive and emotional functioning of the affected persons. From a medical perspective they are seen with deficits in a need of cure and rectification. This aspect overlooks the role of cultural and social contexts these individuals are in. A culturally rich Indian context bears lesser understanding of the differences in ways of being and thus there is considerable stigma around disability. Cinema has shown considerable interest in disabilities but the representations of Autism in an Indian context are few. Present paper is an attempt to understand the media depictions of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in mainstream movies and Television (TV) shows, in India through an analysis of Autistic characters from these lenses. The exploration points out that significant differences may be seen in media depictions about ASD among the modest number of representations that exist in Indian movies and Television.