Customer Reviews

Taare Zameen Par

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is truly a gem of a film - a beautiful script by Amol Gupte, incredible incredible acting by the little boy who is the main character and very nice direction by Aamir Khan in his first attempt. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would! The only awkward moment in the whole film is Aamir Khan's entry but fortunately that passes and you forget it as you get wrapped up in the beauty of the movie.

(SPOILER ALERT) The basic story is of a frustrated child who is failing in every aspect of school and is always in trouble and acting out as a result. His teachers, classmates and even his parents fail to see the intelligence behind his apparent academic failures. It takes a new teacher to recognize that he is suffering, in fact, from a learning disability (dyslexia) and has been so frustrated and misunderstood that he has spiralled into depression. The teacher reaches out to him and slowly teaches him to deal with his learning disability, and, even more importantly recognizes his other, wonderfully creative abilities, as well as his spirit and strength and nurtures those. (END SPOILER ALERT)

To say that this is an absolute gem of a movie is an understatement. Just to give you an idea of its impact, my father who is the most stoic movie watcher in the WORLD actually shed tears while watching this! This movie should be distributed to all the parents in India - show them that the conformity mandated of children in all levels of society is a disease in itself, that creative talents can be just as wonderful and deserving of attention as academic successes, and also to teach them about the differences in learning and ability that exist so that children are not simply labeled as stupid but can get the help they need to succeed.

Oh and the kid Darsheel Safary who plays the main character, Ishaan, is absolutely phenomenal. He communicates every nuance of emotion and story with very very few words. Honestly - of all the actors I've seen this past year, he deserves an oscar!!

Watch this movie - you won't regret it.

Bollywood (for the uninitiated) is the Hollywood equivalent of the Indian film industry which has its base in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Most films are essentially vibrant musicals, hero, heroines, dance, lush song sequences, action packed etc.. But this film is so different, that its a commerical blockbuster among its peers without any of the aforementioned effects that one would normally associate with a Bollywood film.

Taare Zameen Par tells the story of a dyslexic child , played by Darsheel Safary , directed by Aamir Khan who is the producer, actor and debut director with this film.

Ishaan Awasthi [Darsheel Safary] is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colors, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, exam results, order and discipline, 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. (Some of the scenes in this sequence are so remarkably acted by little Darsheel , its a real wonder)

One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh [Aamir Khan], 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 himself, realizing that its something he also was in the past associated with.

There are several moments in the film that leave you misty eyed, i can say that i was moved to tears especially in the last scene during the painting contest.

Directorially, Aamir Khan has done a stupendous feat making darsheel act in such a fantastic manner and who plays the role of a confused, helpless child, not being able to comprehend his inability to read, acted out brilliantly and directed equally well too.

This is a cinema for global audiences and everyone should see this, it will really change you. The minimum is 5 stars. Great movie, will definitely add this to my collection.

Disney owns the American rights to this video and should release it in several months.

This is probably the best Bollywood movie I've seen and I too would give it more stars if it were possible. Others have described the story so I wont go there but I mainly wanted to comment on the kid's acting (Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi)- its amazing and he deserves all the kudos for his performance. I hope this gets released on Blu-ray format sometime soon; its a must-see and a must-have movie.

I don't believe I have seen a quality movie such as this from Bollywood. Maybe Salam Bombay.

I am getting to know this Amir Khan dude. WoW! freaking amazing work.

This ain't your typical bollywood fare...and neither is this a pseudo "intellectual" garbage from West Bengal. I mean, no offense.. I like those eye candy movies from Bollywood. But this was absolutely shockingly good.

Now, I am sitting here googling to find out who those players are... particularly the kid. I was endeared to this kid in about 2 minutes. Yup, it took me no more than 2 minutes to identify with him and take him in (Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi).

Amir Khan..Bravo!

I just found out that Disney's version is called "Like Stars on Earth" and its listed as English (Dubbed). No mention of providing for the original track as an addition to the dubbing. That sucks.

IF Disney does not provide for language choice. English (dubbed) and the original English/Hindi (Hinglish), you may want to try to get the original version or a copy of the original and watch it in its original Language. The best place to get this is in Indian grocery stores where they would either sell a copy for $2 or you may be able to rent it from there. Ask around. The Original movie title is "Taare Zameen Par". Just google for Indian grocery stores near you and call them up to see if they have copy you could buy or borrow and you don't even have to wait for the Disney release.

Greatest love stories ever told on film:
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This was an amazing film. If you do not cry during this film, I fear that you may not have a heart. This inspiring story of a young boy with an unknown disability is bound to tug at the heartstrings of any who watch his tale unfold. There were interesting approaches to the filming of this movie, and the cinematography was not the best, but it is well worth it to see. Two thumbs up!!

No wonder it is a very touching movie and will sure touch your heart - no doubt about that.

But I am pretty much pissed because the movie is not yet out in DVD format where as it was supposed to be released in last April, 2008 !!
Disney owns the American rights to this video but no one knows when will it be released in market as a "Legal" DVD.

You will get numerous duplicate copy available in all most all non-american DVD rental stores - but not a single legal DVD !!! - what a farce!! Don't you think a good movie needs a proper ending?

Movies don't often have the effect on me that this movie had! It had hit home so close! Yet, I couldn't stop watching! Every child is special and this movie makes you realize it over and over again. It also helps to understand a childs behaviour under certain circumstances better. It not only shows the problems, but also gives answers. I would recommend each and every parent to watch this movie - especially if you have a child with special needs! I saw a preview of the movie beforehand and it intriged me very much - I just knew I want to see it - no matter what! I have a son with special needs and it helped me to understand so many behaviours better!

In the best of Indian cinematographic tradition, the happy ending follows misunderstanding, singing, crying and all the fighting of evil with good whilst an art schoolteacher helps eight-year- old pupil to realise boy's abilities and saves him from placing in school for mentally retarded.

Some Westerners could find a line of more special in depicting such a deep involvement of young father into strange boy's privacy, which is, perhaps, differentiate cultures round a globe while movie shown the middle class modern Indians, so nicely different from usual landscapes of country-side villains.

This is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Being a father of two children, this movie opens your eyes & changes your attitude towards children. At times, we as parents, fail to understand our own children & instead of helping them, we tend to ignore their capabilities & limitations. This movie portrays that same failure.

Though this movie tackles the subject of a dyslexic child, I personally feel that the message can apply to any child. Every child is different. It is important to understand every child differently and recognize his or her weakness and talent. That is so well picturized in this movie.

The movie goes on to show that there is so much pressure on the little children to do well in all aspects of life. That pressure can bury the child's own desire to do something different.

I would really recommend this movie for every parent. Not just parents but to everyone. This movie should be shown in all schools across India & abroad. As parents and teachers, it is important for us to help children by understanding them & not by pressuring them to perform well.

Great masterpiece by Aamir Khan.