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| Every Child is Special Movie Poster |
Taare Zameen Par "Every Child is Special" or also known as Like Stars on Earth is a Hindi film and a directorial movie debut for Aamir Khan released 2007. The film generated rave reviews and was well received both in India and globally. It garnered various recognition such as the Filmfare Best Film Award, National Film Award and Best Film on Family Welfare for the year 2008 in India. It is also an entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film.
The movie revolves around the story of an 8-year old boy Ishaan Awasthi played by Darsheel Safary who's stuck in Grade 3 for the second year around, tanks all his exams, barely knows how to read and write, sees the numbers and letters dancing and prancing, thought of as lazy and a troublemaker.
He gets into trouble day after day until his parents can't handle it anymore and was eventually sent to a boarding school which probably did more harm than good for little Ishaan. He used to love to paint but he was so depressed that he stopped painting altogether until a substitute art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh played by Aamir Khan (also the director of the movie) saw what the real problem was. Nikumbh was patient and he helped Ishaan get through the hurdles of being a kid who is dyslexic the same way he did when he was younger.
Slowly, Ishaan realized that he was not "dumb, a duffer and an idiot." He was just different and there are people who were as different as he is and they include famous and well celebrated personalities such as Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Pablo Picasso, Walt Disney, Neil Diamond and Agatha Christie.
From there, it was pretty much a happy ending. Ishaan started to paint again and his parents especially his father who demands his kids to excel in school finally gets him. This is all thanks to that "Pied Piper" art teacher who sees that every kid has their own talent, every kid needs to be understood and Every Child is Special.
What I appreciate about the movie was the very engaging music and the colorfulness of Ishaan's world. The attention to details was truly amazing. It is memorable and when you look at it as a whole picture, it makes sense. The puddle, the kid on his dads' shoulder buying an ice candy, the puzzle Ishaan is trying to finish, the mixing of paint color and the notebooks with the red marks. Add to that the outstanding portrayal of Darsheel for the role of Ishaan. My favorite scenes are the ones when he was not talking verbally but simply communicating through his silent, big, innocent eyes sitting on his chair, staring at nothing. He's a marvel and a pleasure to watch. Of course, Aamir Khan was excellent and he had great chemistry with the kids. The story gets predictable near the end but in a good way. It leaves a pleasant feeling which means audience's were basically satisfied. Even my younger siblings loved the film. In fact, they've watched it several times already.
The movie was both funny and can be extremely sentimental to a point. It can even get a little corny and melodramatic too which I don't mind very much. It tugs at the heart and ultimately, the message of the story that Every Child is Special was communicated well to the audience. It is a simple message but it is one that most of us often forgets and this movie is a reminder.
What a shame that I have only discovered this film recently. My movie experiences usually only involve the Holywood types and Filipino movies. Who would have thought there are some gems in Bolywood and I'm sure looking forward to seeing films like this in the future.
It is one of those films that was tastefully and artfully put together, the message was clear and positive. It is one that I would highly recommend.
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