Like Aneet Padda's Role In Saiyaara, Can Alzheimer's Disease Hit You In 20s? We Asked Experts

Everyone knew the movie Saiyaara is a love story marketed as a heartfelt romance musical with heartbreak at the centre of the plot. But no one could anticipate the emotional whirlwind that awaited them - a story that dives deep into the rarely spoken-about - early-onset Alzheimer's disease - a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that gradually impairs memory, thinking, and reasoning skills.

Directed by Mohit Suri, the film stars Ahaan Panday as Krish Kapoor, a musician with a troubled past, and Aneet Padda as Vaani Batra, a quiet and an aspiring journalist. But there's more to this love story than what meets the eye. 

The plot takes an unexpected turn when 22-year-old Vaani begins showing subtle signs of memory loss, which are initially brushed off as absentmindedness, but the reality comes to light soon after.

In one of the film's most captivating scenes, when Vaani faints and is taken to the hospital by her parents, upon a sitting with the doctor she is unable to recall her brother's age or the current date. She is then diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. 

While the movie's storyline is around early-onset Alzheimer's disease and how it changes Vaani and Krish's relationship, neurologists say the reality is far from what is shown in the movie.

Does Alzheimer's Disease Show Itself The Way It's Shown In Saiyaara

Alzheimer's disease is largely seen as a disease of the elderly, but it was shown to be different in the movie Saiyaara. NDTV asked experts about how of this portrayal matched the reality that unfolds with the disease.

According to Dr Sunil Singla, Director and Head of the Department, Neurology at Shalby Sanar Hospital, Gurgaon, Haryana, "Early-onset Alzheimer's, also called young-onset Alzheimer's Dementia, is diagnosed in individuals younger than 65, but sometimes it can affect people in their 30s or 40s."

While extremely rare in someone in their 20s as Vaani (character played by Aneet Padda in Saiyaara), neurologist Dr Kaustubh Mahajan at PD Hinduja Hospital & MRC, Khar, Mumbai, says that it is not impossible. 

"It is called early-onset Alzheimer's dementia, which is defined as dementia occurring at the age of less than 65 years. If it is happening to someone in their 20s, it is very rare and it is usually due to genetic causes, mainly due to mutations in genes like APP TSEN," Dr Mahajan told NDTV. 

Symptoms Of Alzheimer's Disease

In Saiyaara, Vaani is depicted experiencing symptoms such as unconsciousness, dizziness, and memory loss. "These symptoms are not part of Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease do not appear like that," explained Dr Singla. 

According to the National Health Services, the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease include: 

• Forgetting recent conversations or events
• Misplacing items
• Forgetting the names of places and objects
• Having trouble thinking
• Asking questions repetitively
• Hesitating to try new things
• Experiencing difficulty in making decisions 

Experts Calls Portrayal Of Alzheimer's Disease In Saiyaara "Exaggeration"

There are episodes in the movie where Vaani experiences memory loss. Seeing her ex-fiance triggers a response that makes her forget the past six months, which the experts say is an exaggeration. The progression of the disease in the movie happens rather rapidly but that's not the case in real life.

Moreover, Vaani is shown struggling with forgetfulness since childhood, which experts say does not occur in patients with Alzheimer's even if they develop the disease in their 30s. 

According to Dr Singla, "They have to exaggerate because it's a movie, but nothing of this sort happens in real life. Someone who has underlying dementia or someone who goes into depression, that's when symptoms exacerbate very fast. And, Alzheimer's, which is one of the causes of dementia, is not triggered by shock. Dementia, however, is." 

Dr Mahajan agrees and adds, "Depression can be the earliest symptom in a patient going to get dementia at an older age, and it is one of the most common causes of reversible dementia as well." However, he says the symptoms shown in the movie are used to add some "masala" to the movie, nothing else. 

While there is an exaggeration of sorts in Saiyaara, it evokes a sense of urgency to start conversations around memory loss and early-onset Alzheimer's disease.