Review: Taare Zameen Par (2007) – The stars among us

Quality Score: 7.5/10

Amongst the meaningless, trite Bollywood fares that are doled out by the leading stars and movie makers, more often than not (recent OSO, Saawariya come to mind), Taare Zameen Par is a gem of sorts. Be it for the rarity of its kind or the message that it carries or the fact that it even carries one, TZP will hopefully stand out to be a trendsetter. While we have seen movies with social themes in the past, this one is packaged nicely to refocus the spotlight on an issue that is overlooked or ignored many-a-times.

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The story is very simplistic. A young 9-year old boy Ishant Nandkishore Avasti (Darsheel Safary), has a very active brain typical of his age and a correspondingly active demeanor as well. He is pre-disposed towards colors, fishes and dogs, while anything related to numbers or alphabets evokes a wondrous world filled with wondrous characters led by a “bindaas” Ishant. However, his failings in securing even a passing grade in most of his tests at school attract scorn from his parents and teachers alike. His brother’s successes at sports as well as education highlight Ishant’s failures greatly.

Ishant’s weaknesses and behavior are loosely attributed by one and all around him, even by his parents, to his attitude, and this leads to his increased aloofness from all that are important for a kid of his age. His parents finally give in to their misplaced instincts and send Ishant off to a boarding school hoping that this will strengthen his discipline and hence his all-round ailing. After enduring even more hardship at his new school, Ishant finally finds a protagonist for his development at school and in life from a depressed young boy to an especially talented kid, in the form of a temporary Art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan).

The movie flows nicely as Ram identifies that young Ishant is a victim of Dyslexia and has been forced into depression and isolation by the society and begins a path for his reformation. While Aamir Khan fills the screen with his usual charisma and involvement, the supporting cast of Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra fill in adequately as Ishant's ignorant parents. It has been a big opportunity for young Darsheel and his natural disposition as the character of Ishant is commendable and bodes well for a bright Bollywood career.

Objectively speaking, one has to mention that the directorial debut of Aamir Khan is a mixed bag. Like mentioned earlier in this review, the latter half of the movie flows smoothly. However, the initial parts of the movie did appear to drag for quite a while. The picturisation and overall screenplay has been very well done and I for one would be interested in watching Aamir’s future ventures. In the world of Indian cinema, where dead beat subjects based movies are dime-a-dozen, this movie stands out and calls for recognition for addressing the medical and social concerns posed by Dyslexia, as also the importance of the roles of parents in addressing the same.

Genre: Desi/Hindi

- Prasanna Ramakrishnan