100Days: Thirike, Neestream and Gopi Make their Way into the India Book of Records

KOCHI:
Continuing its triumphant run into the 100th day, Neestream original Thirike has added one more feather to its cap. Both the OTT platform and the movie, along with actor Gopikrishnan Varma , who plays the central character in the movie, have entered the Indian Book of Records. Gopikrishnan, who has Down syndrome, is the first actor with a genetic disorder to play the lead in a movie.

The film tells the story of a boy with Down Syndrome and his relationship with his brother. The movie was a comedy-drama for family audiences which carries a message that persons with disabilities are not to be looked down upon with sympathy but are to be celebrated. The role of Ismu, the boy with Down Syndrome, is played by 22-year-old Gopi Krishnan. He has also dubbed for the role.

The film shows that if the differently -abled children are treated in the normal way and given the same consideration and space, that would make them self-sufficient in real life. There has never been another film in India that portrayed Down Syndrome With so much maturity. Neestream found a place in the India Book of Records for providing a platform to Thirike to release. This is the first time in Kerala that an OTT platform has received such an award.

Neestream donated 50 per cent of the proceeds from the film to an institution run for children with disabilities in Kakkanad, Kochi. Shanthi Krishna, Gopi Mangattu and Sarasa Balussery, along with Gopi Krishnan Varma and George Kora, played the lead roles in the film. The film was directed by George Kora and Sam Xavier. The film is produced by Abraham Joseph and Deepak Dilip Pawar under the banner of Nationwide Pictures.