Updated On: 02 June, 2019 08:02 AM IST | | Prutha Bhosle
A British actor, touring the world for a film on siblings living with Down Syndrome, meets brothers from Mumbai to find new protagonists and friends

Sachit and Krish Matreja with their five-year-old labrador Pari. They live at their Lokhandwala residence with their homemaker mother and father, who works at TCS. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
When we meet Krish Matreja at his Lokhandwala residence, he greets us with a handshake. But his brother, Sachit, does a namaste. It is 4.30 pm and Sachit, 22, is readying to test his new pair of sneakers at the evening play session. "This is his time to go play on the swing. But, we had asked him to wait since you were coming over to meet us," Krish tells us. The brothers settle into a couch, each taking their favourite side, beginning to tell us about a new project that is cause for excitement, a documentary that discusses what it is like to have a sibling with Down Syndrome.
Handsome, a film by Nick Bourne, a British actor and support worker for adults with special needs, is being made in collaboration with filmmakers Ed White and Luke White. They have been travelling the world since July 2018 to meet brothers and sisters who live with the condition. Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes a distinct facial appearance, intellectual disability and developmental delays. Nick's younger brother Alex Bourne is a Down patient and is often his co-traveller. Born in Witley, England, 27-year-old Nick says, "I was around 12 when I realised that he was different. Back then, Alex would spend some time with friends from the special needs school but mostly be around mum and dad. This continued for years. I went on with my life and did a bachelors in acting."