Friday, January 25, 2008

तारे ज़मीन पर - Review


Directorial debut of Amair Khan received a standing ovation in many of the local theaters in my native. After a real long time, I felt there was a movie made in bollywood that made great sense and that touched our hearts. I was able to watch movie at the right time when, I am about to become a dad. To be frank I wasn’t all that excited to watch the movie, I kept postponing the plans for almost 2 weeks after release and was moved with the concept. Here is the brief snapshot of the movie:

Eshaan Awasthi being the key character suffers from dyslexia and therefore suffers miserably at school. Due to his lack of performance in studies, he is constantly nagged by his parents, taunted by classmates and even bullied by older children. His doting mother spent time over his betterment but couldn’t comply with the difficulties of coping with a dyslexic child since she had no clue what little Eshaan was going through.

Finally one day his father decides to send him to boarding, thinking this to be the only viable option available for an improvement. And that’s where Eshaan meets Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Amir Khan), a temporary art teacher at school who is determined to help him, at any cost.

I have so many reasons why every one should watch this movie:

1. First note of appreciation goes to Amir Khan for the excellent debut direction, it was near impossible for any one to deal with such a subject as sensitively as shown in the film.
2. Darsheel Safary as Eshaan Awasthi is very impressive. The mischief in his eyes and a determination to throw back at the world the same shit that he experiences is awesome and at times heart wrenching.
3. Tisca Chopra as Eshaan’s mum has done a commendable job. A very controlled and convincing portrayal.
4. Despite being a superstar and the director, Aamir doesn’t over expose his character and thereby remains faithful to the story at hand.
5. Good use of animation, which in turn interprets a young mind’s imagination.



The thing is children like Eshaan need special care, attention and supportive family members/friends in their lives to cope with dyslexia, which he found in Ram, a trained professional who lends time in molding a better life for Eshaan.

Dyslexia is a learning disability which manifests in different people differently. It’s a friction between the brain and the action it is just about to make. The cause is hereditary which is why one cannot help being dyslexic. Taare Zameen Par may not be an eye-opener but it surely touches ones emotional side on many different levels.
Once again kudos to Mr. Aamir Khan for a heartwarming directorial debut.