Eisha Singh on Autism Awareness: "It's Not a Disease, It's a Neurological Disorder"

Eisha Singh highlights lack of autism awareness, says 'Autism is not a disease'

Mumbai, June 30

The actress said that many people continue to hold misconceptions about the neurological condition.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Eisha, who plays an autistic girl named Juhi in her upcoming show 'Juhi Mui', stressed the importance of educating people about autism and promoting acceptance instead of judgment.

"There are still many people who don't really understand what autism is. Even among my friends, there are people who are unaware of it. We need to educate ourselves and understand autism properly," the actress said in an exclusive interview with IANS.

Eisha pointed out that autism is often misunderstood and unfairly labelled as a disease.

"People label others unfairly or make insensitive remarks without realizing that autism is a neurological disorder. It is not a disease. Many people have misconceptions about it. Some parents even worry that it can spread from one person to another, which is completely incorrect. Autism is not communicable. In fact, it is not a disease at all," she explained.

The actress added that children on the autism spectrum are often exceptionally intelligent, loving and remarkable individuals who deserve empathy.

"What they need from us is understanding and acceptance, not attempts to change who they are," she said.

Talking about preparing for the role, Eisha revealed that she spent considerable time researching autism to portray the character with authenticity.

"This is a very sensitive subject, so I wanted to approach it with sincerity and responsibility. There are many scenes where dialogues are not the primary means of communication, and the expressions cannot be exaggerated either. Sometimes people on the autism spectrum feel everything deeply but may not always express it in a conventional way," she shared.

To understand the condition better, the actress said she watched numerous interviews, met people, conducted extensive research and read widely on the subject.

"Even now, I continue to learn something new every day from Juhi. I also incorporated certain aspects of my own understanding, so the performance became a blend of research, observation and personal interpretation," Eisha said.

She also revealed that portraying Juhi required more than just a physical transformation.

"It was not limited to appearance alone. We worked extensively on how Juhi behaves, walks, speaks and expresses herself. There are many subtle mannerisms and nuances that we paid close attention to while developing the character. Audiences will notice these details when they watch the show," she added.

'Juhi Mui' will see Eisha Singh stepping into one of the most challenging roles of her career.

— IANS