Just like the Hindi movie Chak De India I posted about recently, Amir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par was not the mainstream Bollywood movie that leaves you just with the warm fuzzy feeling after the movie. It gives you more! I watched Taare Zameen Par last night and cried myself to dehydration! It was by far one of the most sensitive, enlightening and silently powerful movies I’ve ever seen. My tears weren’t caused by just what I saw in the movie. It was also the sentiments the movie brought with it. Having seen the sufferings of children in many parts of the world especially during my travels in India, this movie really struck a chord deep within. It reminded me of how ignorant we are of the way our actions may compromise the destiny of innocent beings, who may have no control whatsoever over the things that define them.

Taare Zameen Par was not merely entertaining but also enlightening. It was a sensitive story brought live to the audience brilliantly. After it has won several awards in India, Taare Zameen Par has now been selected as India’s entry for the Oscar 2009 in the best foreign film category.

Taare Zameen Par is produced and directed by Amir Khan and he also acts in the movie though the main focus of the story is on an eight year old dyslexic kid. Here’s a short version of the story as recited in Taare Zameen Par’s official website.

“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, 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 [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.”

Taare Zameen Par forces us to understand a child’s mind and gives us a strong message not to compromise the unique and untapped talent of each child in our pursuit of academic excellence and what we think is better for the child.

It is definitely a must watch which will make you re-think the way you look at life and what it expects of you… and well done Amir Khan for the enlightenment you brought to many!

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1. Chak De India Review
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This may come a bit late but I only watched the movie last night and let me tell you Chak De India has without doubt redefined the Indian Cinema and the label attached to it of being cheesy, dreamy and merely feel-good! This was one among the very few Indian movies which did not grab the attention of the audience with dance, music, skin or scenery. Instead Chak De India thrilled the viewers with nothing more than talent, expertise, commitment and perseverance!

Kabir Khan, the former captain of Indian Hockey team, was forced to leave his home with his mother, unable to bear the humiliation and hurt due to accusations of match-fixing with Pakistani players. Seven years later, he returned to Hockey, not as a player but as a coach to the Indian woman’s hockey team.

The team was hardly even a team with any hope of ever competing in the international arena. It had no focus, commitment or capability. Players were divided by all sorts of social and personal issues. Ego clashes, background differences and senior junior divisions kept them from anything close to a team spirit.

Yet, Kabir Khan made the impossible, possible with sheer hard work and perseverance. He created a true ‘team’ playing for India rather than individual players representing diverse states like Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.

In the end, he succeeded his Mission and how he does it is better watched than be told! All in all, it was a great watch and I was proud to see this change!

Related posts:

1. Taare Zameen Par Review – Sensitive yet powerful!
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