Taare Zameen Par - Mighty Nice, Aamir!

Well...to say Taare Zameen Par - Every Child is Special is a brilliant and magical film would be an understatement. It’s an exceptional and extra-ordinary film in every respect. So Aamir and Team - take a bow!

It’s a movie that takes you on a real emotional high. Especially if you are an emotional person, better take some extra tissue as it has the power to moisten your eyes quite often.

The story has many facets but it mainly deals with a little boy’s journey from darkness to light, from failure to success helped albeit by his drawing teacher. It also raises a question about the current urban trend of measuring childrens’ performance merely and purely by academic success he/she achieves. And finally it offers a meaningful solution to the question.

The Plot

Ishaan Avasthi (Darsheel Safary) is a loveable young boy of 8 years of age. He stays with his parents and his older brother, Yohaan in Mumbai. He is blessed with an amazing imagination and has an immense liking for all small (read apparently unnoticed) things happening around him like fishes in a school-side pond, birds and water puddles of which he paints pictures vividly.

Unfortunately he ignores his studies, writes in a bad hand-writing which sometimes looks like Russian, bunks school for a day and signs a fake sick note from Yohaan. All this in spite of failing in 3^rd standard for first time. The school has to maintain his reputation and his parents are forced to break off his term and dump him in a boarding school.

Thus the little boy is deprived of his sole emotional support and we see a naughty and jolly Ishaan drift into a sad & dejected loner. So much so that he quits painting and dreams of committing suicide.

In walks a temporary professor, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (played stunningly by Aamir Khan) who is sensitive and sensible enough to notice that young Ishaan suffers from a neurological disorder called DYSLEXIA whereby he is unable to recognise the alphabets & numbers in the first place then leave alone comprehending words and sentences.

Nikumbh works part-time for Tulips, a school for mentally-retarded kids. As he dreams of bringing these kids into the mainstream he also takes pain-staking effort to repair and restore Ishaan’s self-confidence and eventually turns Ishaan into a winner.

The Act

Everything about the film is so special that no words in any language can do justice in correctly bringing out its “feel”.

In Darsheel Safary, Aamir has found a winner. Young Darsheel’s performance is so real & effective that every single beat of your heart reaches out to Ishaan and his suffering.

The gradual transformation from the naughty, bubbly Eishan to the sober and emotionally-dry Ishaan and all the sufferings in between and then again his blossoming into a winner has been enacted with such pristine beauty & clarity that Darsheel deserves a standing ovation.

The other players are also perfect in their part.

The Lyrics and Music

Prasoon Joshi & Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have once again turned out a fine blend of lyrics and music and every song is melodious, situational, has meaning to it and amazingly gels with the overall story, mood & feel of the film.

Listen & Watch out for all the songs but  Taare Zameen Par (Shankar), Mera Jahaan (Adnan Saami) and Kholo Kholo (Raman Mahadevan) deserves a hats off ! 

Most importantly, each song has been shot brilliantly. Taare Zameen Par with Tulips’ kids as a backdrop brings a tear to your eyes, Mera Jahaan shows the world through Ishaan’s eyes (notice the amazing shot at Marine Drive or the ice-candy bought by the poorest of the poor labourer for his son whom he carries on his shoulders) and the amazing rhapsody of lyrics and emotions in Kholo Kholo.

The Direction

 Aamir is known to be The Perfectionist and this film does not prove just that. Rather it proves Aamir is The Super-Perfectionist. As a directorial debut, Aamir Khan has done a stupendous job. Right from the word ‘go’, Aamir has your undivided attention to whatever pictures he has painted on the celluloid.

His shot-selection is impeccable and the way his frames moves captures all your senses. You not only see and hear the film but become a part of it. And credit must also be given to the Creative Director Amole Gupte and also to awesome screenplay & research by Ms. Rita Bhatia.                      .

Another thing about this film is Aamir has maintained a perfect balance of the film by diluting the grim situation of Ishaan’s suffering (notice Ishaan’s cryinjg in bathroom during the song and his refusal to speak to mother on the phone) with the bright and sunny times at the NEW ERA's (notice the humour of New Era school teachers’ cartoons emerging at Drawing Mela).   

 We all knew that Lagaan did made it to the final 5 at the Oscars but did not win but well....Taare Zameen Par just might!!!

 There are so many magical moments in this film (like the one when Ishaan puts his raft sail in a small lake at a mountain-top or cherish the moment when Ishaan’s name is announced as a winner of the drawing mela) that you will swear to watch it at least for two more times! It seems that  The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utlity just doesn’t apply to Taare Zameen Par.

 And after reading all this review if you are still not rushing to see Taare Zameen Par...either you are a duffer or you suffer from DYSLEXIA!!!