Surya Kasibhatla, a cerebral palsy actor, stars in a Bollywood thriller ‘Jalsa’
Image credit: The Times
Surya Kasibhatla, who portrays a teen with cerebral palsy in a new Bollywood thriller, suffers from the condition daily. However, in the world’s largest film industry, casting him is an uncommon act of inclusivity. Surya talks about his adventure with Sudha G. Tilak.
Surya is a vegetarian who enjoys cooking, playing the piano, and watching cricket. He wants to learn computer programming and describes himself as a “nifty coder.”
The Texas adolescent has his own Instagram account and YouTube channel, and he is ecstatic about the growing number of fans.
His renowned performance in the new Amazon thriller Jalsa, with acclaimed Indian actors Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah, has catapulted him into the spotlight.
Jalsa is a violent crime drama set in Mumbai. Surya plays Ayush, the geeky son of Balan’s successful newscaster. He likes to play video games, listen to music, and tease his adoring grandmother. The family’s existence is turned upside down after his mother is involved in a hit-and-run accident.
Surya won the part after the casting director saw his YouTube videos and contacted him. Surya sings, “teaches” computer programming, and gives cricket “instruction” in the videos.
Surya was chosen from over 100 teen actors who auditioned for the director, Suresh Triveni. Surya came to Mumbai during the pandemic to prepare for the role by attending workshops that he described as “a lot of fun,” and he said the team made him feel “quite at ease.”
Non-impaired performers have always played crippled characters in Indian films. Jalsa breaks new territory in terms of inclusivity; many people believe that disabled characters should be played by people with disabilities, who are better able to represent the complexities of life with such conditions.
He can communicate in Telugu, English, and Hindi. He says he enjoys Bollywood and Telugu films, as well as science fiction and murder mysteries.
Surya admires Bollywood superstars Hrithik Roshan and Akshay Kumar, as well as Telugu actor Mahesh Babu, who all play larger-than-life heroes.
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