Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par is all set to hit theatres on June 20, 2025. The trailer quickly sparked excitement, revealing Aamir in the role of a basketball coach assigned community service, where he trains a team of intellectually disabled youth.
However, it was the young players with Down Syndrome who truly stole the spotlight, leaving a lasting impression with their powerful presence in the teaser.
One such was Malayalam actor, Gopi Krishnan Varma who is the first lead actor with Down Syndrome in India.
Gopi will be making his Bollywood debut with Sitaare Zameen Par. Born in 1998 with Down Syndrome, he suffered from constant health issues throughout his childhood and had hyperactivity and severe respiratory issues.
Despite doctors warning his parents about the serious complications linked to his condition, Gopi Krishnan defied the odds. He grew up healthier than many children with intellectual disabilities and showed higher levels of intelligence and activity compared to most individuals with Down Syndrome.
Gopi's parents have indeed been his biggest supporters. Gopi Krishnan's parents wanted him to interact with able-bodied children and learn from their environment. As a result, he attended both special and mainstream schools until the eighth grade, after which he continued his education entirely in a regular school.
While speaking with Onmanorama in an interview, his mother, Ranjini Varma, said, "Apart from some disadvantages in basic Mathematical skills, he is on par with other kids. Though his movements are a bit slow. He can read, write and speak English and Malayalam well, and he possesses an exceptional talent in computers."
His mother also taught him to be independent and perform normal household chores just like his sister to make him learn that there is no social difference between them as a boy and a girl. She also believes that unlike others belief that people with Down Syndrome are not intelligent, she thinks otherwise and feels that they have something extra.
Gopi Krishnan Varma sat through whole films in theatres despite having ADHD. His TikTok videos also received a lot of views. For their film Thirike, directors Sam Xavier and George Kora were searching for an actor to play the lead role of a person with special needs at this time. They were able to contact the physician who was treating Gopi Krishnan as a result of their search.
Gopi Krishnan became the first lead actor with Down syndrome after landing the part in Thirike. In 2021, he was given this title in the India Book of Records. The actor did as many takes as necessary on the filming set. Gopi Krishnan showed a great deal of patience while performing and learnt the exacting techniques of filmmaking.
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