Gopi Varma: India's first hero with down syndrome

Aamir Khan might be the central character in ‘Sitare Zameen Par,’ but it's Gopi Krishnan Varma who steals the spotlight. Varma holds the record of being the first actor with Down Syndrome to be the lead of a film in the India Book of Records. ‘Sitare Zameen Par ’ is a story about a hard-headed basketball coach who is assigned to train the intellectually challenged youths in basketball, one of whom is played by none other than the Malayalam actor, Gopi Krishnan Varma.

Who is Gopi Krishnan Varma?

Born in 1988 with Down Syndrome, Gopi had struggled with constant health issues and respiratory issues throughout his childhood. Despite the conflicts, Gopi grew up healthier than most of the children going through intellectual disabilities, and perceived greater understanding than the individuals with Down Syndrome, according to Money Control. All his life, the biggest cheerleaders of Gopi have been his parents, Kishore Aniyan and Ranjini. They wanted him to interact with the abled children as well; hence, they decided to put him in the special school as well as the regular school until eighth grade. Later, Gopi completed his schooling in a regular school.

Gopi Krishnan Varma is independent...

In an interview with Onmanorama, Gopi’s 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." Gopi’s mother taught him to be independent, and decided to teach him all the chores along with his sister, keeping no social differences between them. Despite having ADHD. Gopi has sat through the entire film in the theatre and received many views on his TikTok videos.

Gopi Krishnan Varma's first film as a lead...

Gopi landed his job as the lead in the film ‘Thirke’ in 2021, where directors Sam Xavier and George Kora needed an actor to play the role of an individual with special needs.

He mastered the techniques and gave as many takes as needed for the film, and received the honorary title in 2021 as well.