Taare Zameen Par (2007)

An eight-year-old boy is thought to be a lazy trouble-maker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school.

Directors:

Aamir Khan, Amole Gupte (uncredited)

Writers:

Amole Gupte (dialogue & screenplay), Amole Gupte (story)

Stars:

Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra

Top Rated Movies #84 | 14 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Darsheel Safary	...	Ishaan Awasthi
Aamir Khan	...	Ram Shankar Nikumbh
Tisca Chopra	...	Maya Awasthi
Vipin Sharma	...	Nandkishore Awasthi
Sachet Engineer	...	Yohan Awasthi
Tanay Chheda	...	Rajan Damodaran
Lalitha Lajmi	...	Herself - Art Mela's Chief Guest
Girija Oak	...	Jabeen - Amir's Co-worker (as Girija)
Ravi Khanvilkar	...	Mr. Holkar (as Ravi Khanwelkar)
Pratima Kulkarni	...	Principal - St. Anthony's School
Meghna Malik	...	Victoria Teacher
Sonali Sachdev	...	Irene Teacher
Sanjay Dadich	...	Maadhoo
Raaj Gopal Iyer	...	George Sir
Bugs Bhargava	...	Sen Sir

Storyline

Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old child whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colours, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class. When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to 'be disciplined'. Things are no different at his new school, and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family. One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rules of 'how things are done' by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiasm, all except Ishaan. Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy, and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find ...

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Plot Keywords:

papadum | man's best friend | short haired woman | female masculine short hair | masculine female | 

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Taglines:

Every Child is Special

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material, brief violence and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi English

Release Date:

21 December 2007 (India)

Also Known As:

Like Stars on Earth

Filming Locations:

Panchgani, Maharashtra, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$352,568, 23 December 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,223,869

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$21,897,373

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aamir Khan Productions, PVR Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claymation was used in the opening credits for three minutes and for all the important parts of Ishaan's life. A lot of transitions that take place, such as water changing into a spaceship, a fish changing into a jellyfish, and so on were created by Dhimant Vyas, who had done the storyboards for the movie Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001).

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Goofs

During the song "Jame Raho," which portrays the busy and mechanical life of the family, Maya is shown ironing a striped short for Nandkishore. Next cut, he is shown actually wearing a plain shirt instead of the just hurriedly ironed shirt.

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Quotes

Ram Shankar Nikumbh: On Solomon Islands when the natives want a part of the forest for cultivation they don't cut the trees. They simply gather around the tree and shout abuses to their heart's content. They curse it. In a matter of days the tree withers and shrivels. It dies on its own.

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Crazy Credits

A thankful message is displayed at the end before closing credits, which reads, "Thanks to all those children, parents and teachers, who shared their lives with us and opened windows for us to see clearly".

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Connections

Referenced in 3 Idiots (2009)

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Soundtracks

Kholo Kholo
Written by Prasoon Joshi
Composed by Shankar Mahadevan (as Shankar), Ehsaan Noorani (as Ehsaan) and Loy Mendonsa (as Loy)
Performed by Raman Mahadevan
Courtesy of Super Cassettes Industries Limited (T-Series)

User Reviews

A splendid effort..

First point: Taare Zameen Par is not a movie for children. Its also not a movie only about 'special' children. What it stands for and depicts stunningly is how the cruel world outside is stealing away our children's precious childhood. It is about how our parents are turning into monsters and imposing their own dreams and aspirations on their children which eventually destroys our children's confidence and can only create a generation of hate. Its about how each child needs attention and care and how we so lack those qualities in this life thats bounded by time.

Aamir Khan does a fabulous job both behind and in front of the camera. There are scenes in which just his facial expressions tugs at our hearts and moves us. That is truly the hallmark of a great actor. But then, Taare Zameen Par is not about Aamir. Its truly owned by Darsheel Safary. Right from the first scene to the very end he steals the show and our hearts with his endearing acting.

Taare Zameen Par is a biting criticism of the times we live in. But it also makes you smile, laugh, cry, nod in agreement and seethe with anger.. everything that a movie is supposed to do. It truly is a movie which everyone can relate to. Reminds you that movies are meant to make us think.. to provoke us and act as a mirror of our times. Taare Zameen Par does all this and much more. Watch it if you like watching meaningful movies.

• Sreejith - dailyrium.wordpress.com