(I notice that there are many spoilers here already,therefore I wont go much into the plot detail)
There seems to be an implied understanding that Aamir Khan represents the last word on intellectual mainstream cinema.It was many years back when he decided to curtail the number of projects he takes up in an year which was considered suicidal then but now is the norm for most of the top stars.For last 14 years this man has pushed the envelope for mainstream by taking some unprecedented risks with young directors and pulling it off time and time again.For some of us who have followed his career choices,there was a feeling that he would make a great director.His choices of films are a testimony to his understanding of the medium and the audience within the mainstream perspective.
"Taare Zameen Par" is his first directorial venture,less by design and more by circumstances.Based on the brilliant script by Amol Gupte who is one of the innovative painters and theater personalities,the story dwells into the life of boy struggling to find himself in this ruthless world.Briefly,the boy "Ishan" who suffers from dyslexia comes from a middle class Indian family who is unable to read/learn or identify letters.Constantly bombarded with unrelenting taunts for his poor academics and being labeled as a "duffer",he is isolated into his world of colors which is the only place he can seek solace in.But Ishan reaches a new low when he is packed off to boarding school by his father.The hard regimen and discipline of the school frustrates the boy out of his wits and he is finding drastic ways to put an end to his misery.He no longer feels th need to communicate .Just when things seem irrevocable,comes the art teacher,Aamir Khan,who being a dyslexic himself and working with the "less privileged" children identifies Ishan's troubles and can read through his silence,is sanitized by the apathy towards him.Then starts the process of resurrecting the boy's dying self belief and charting out a way for him to read and learn.The boy starts to slowly but surely come out of his shell and become a "child" again.
One of the many aspects of a perfect film is that nothing seems to stand out,every aspect whether it be the performances,the camera work,the sound mixing,the lighting,the editing etc everything seems in sync.Same can be said about this movie.But the thing that I found overwhelming as a viewer is the music by "Shankar"-Ehsaan-Loy" and the lyrics by "Prasoon Joshi".Watch out for "taare zameen par","Meri Maa",these will definitely break you down.The cinematography by Setu is flawless and Aamir does not fall into the trap of being slick or showing off in his debut effort.(Watch how the camera is usually at Ishan's height to show his perspective,watch how slowly the camera pans into Ishan's space and how still and focused it is on his face when he is about to bare his emotions)
The performances are top draw.Darsheel who plays Ishan is the crux of the film.Being the main protagonist his performance was critical to the film.I dare say,we have found a new star.The boy is brilliant in his joy,in his enthusiasm,in his loneliness as he allows us to enter his world.I feel he represents children all over the world and more critically the "child" within all of us.Of the support cast Tisca Chopra and Aamir Khan are brilliant as his mother and teacher respectively.Because the movie revolves around a middle class family in suburban Mumbai,I guess these characters and their emotions are something I can relate to.
Finally(on the movie),kudos to Amol Gupte and Aamir Khan.Let us not forget this was Amol's baby and he had worked with children and done research for 7 years.What he came with was a near perfect script and it is only fair that he was credited as a creative director.What can I say about Aamir Khan that hasn't been said before?I think with every movie he is setting new yardsticks for Indian cinema.His movies clearly have elaborated that our movies can have all the commercial trappings yet need not be "dumbed down".They can be as intellectually stimulating.All I can say is that it is privilege to be in an era where this champion actor is at the absolute peak of his powers.With this movie he goes into the elite list of actors who happen to be great story tellers.
But is this movie about dyslexia?Is this movie about the failure of our education system in not nurturing the individual talent but creating assembly line products?Are we as a society so obsessed with the "idea" of security through academics that creativity is of no accord to us?Are we preparing our children for a rat race or we preparing them for life?Are parents right in imposing their ambitions on the life they bring to this earth ?Some question that I have asked of myself before and some that I ask now.I guess the main motive of the film is as the tag line says "every child is special" for the talent he has.Our job is to nurture it,not mold it.
p.s. I have been a frequent movie goer for last 7-8 years.But haven't seen a response like I did for this one.Everyone in the theater was in tears and simultaneous applause and is not because it was a sad film but it was "overwhelming".I guess there some part of Ishan in all of our lives.The second aspect that I have never witnessed in theaters before was that nobody moved till the credits were over.There is documentary on children at the end(do not miss it for anything,it is as moving as the film).
