Taare Zameen Par review

Aamir Khan’s " Taare Zameen Par", is a poignant story of a boy who suffers from dyslexia, the film is devoted to the boy’s travails with the world around him and his ultimate triumph over his inability. Although, a difficult story to tell, it has been made into a heart-rending tale in a simple but highly effective manner.

Ishaan Awasthi ( Darsheel Safary) is a nine year old boy who finds it difficult to cope in school and is the butt of all jokes. His friends make fun of him and find him strange. The teachers consider him to be a dull kid with no hope for him. He is constantly chided at home and school for his bad marks and inability to study. Ishaan has an elder brother Yohan, who is a super-achiever at school and therefore the apple of his parents’ eyes. Ishaan though not neglected often lives in a world of his own. The principal warns the Awasthis that Ishaan would have to be withdrawn from school if his marks don’t improve. Mr Awasthi (Vipin Sharma) decides to put Ishaan in a boarding school as he feels that the boy lacks discipline and the rigours of a boarding school will help him understand his responsibilities, much against the wishes of Ishaan and his mother, Maya (Tisca Chopra). Ishaan is heart-broken and finds it difficult to cope with the day-to-day activities at the boarding school and so withdraws into a shell where nobody is welcome. Until a new Art teacher, Ram Shanker Nikumbh(Aamir Khan) arrives and realizes that Ishaan is dyslexic and so takes it upon himself to help the child find his true potential and eventually rids him of his disability.

The story (Amole Gupte) is novel and has a fresh approach to the world of children. The research (Deepa Bhatia) is impeccable and helps in making the story both credible and poignant. The sequences in the day school and later in the boarding school, have been well thought out and equally effectively executed. The writer has delved deeply into the world of children and brought out never before moments of children on screen. The first half is totally devoted to Ishaan and the sinking world around him, though it lacks in pace it just about manages to hold the attention of the audience. At the brink of the interval point, is the entry of Aamir Khan after which the story takes a much-needed turn for the better, he brings with him a dash of energy and hope for the boy and eventually becomes his guardian angel. The scenes between Aamir and the boy’s parents are outstanding. Especially when Aamir informs them about the boy suffering from Dyslexia, their response and reactions to the problem are extremely natural. Another scene, worth a mention is when the boy’s father visits Aamir at school, after reading about dyslexia but still is not able to cope with his son’s problem, so much so that when he sees his son struggle to read a pamphlet on the notice board he turns away crying, making it a truly heart-rending moment.

Darsheel Safary has given a remarkable performance and much of the credit should go to Aamir Khan the director, who has very patiently crafted out such a natural performance from the boy. Vipin Sharma as the boy’s father is natural to the core, his scene at the end when he thanks Aamir for all that he has done for his son brings a tear to the eye. Tisca Chopra as the mother does a good job she plays the under-stated wife and the patient mother with great ease. The teachers have also been very aptly cast and all of them are in character.

Aamir Khan once again proves that he is not only an outstanding actor, but also a thinking director with his heart in the right place, kudos to him for choosing such an unconventional story to mark his directorial debut. The film has been narrated in a very simple but effective manner and that’s where it’s strength lies.

With "Taare Zameen Par", Aamir Khan has started a new chapter in his career, one that will bring him more acclaim and praise for a job well done. Please take a bow…. Aamir, for making, a very watch able film.

Rohit Tanejaa is a film director.