I watched this film last night in Abu Dhabi (UAE). It released here on Wednesday (films always release early here). Just to let you know, so no one accuses me of writing a fake review.*
Taare Zameen Par cannot be classified as just another film, instead, it is more of an entertaining, inspiring and heart-warming experience. A special experience, that will surely be cherished by everyone who loves good cinema.
It is not a children’s film as perceived to be, but a film revolving around children.
Ishaan Awasthi is a eight-year-old boy with an active imagination. His world is filled with colours, animals and space-battles with math problems....A world that no one seems to understand or appreciate. His lack of interest in homework and knack for getting into trouble lands him in boarding school against his wishes. Away from home and his mother, his moodiness increases, and being reprimanded daily only adds to his grievances. Nothing changes, until one day, a new art teacher named Ram Shankar Nikumbh arrives. Ram decides to discover the reason behind Ishaan’s unhappiness, and eventually help the boy regain confidence in himself.
Written by Amole Gupte, the film deals with an unorthodox subject portrayed in a beautifully sensitive manner. The narrative of the movie is simplicity exemplified, the film moves at a wonderfully breezy pace. Yawn-worthy situations are pretty non-existent, as nothing seems forced or out-of-place.
Performances are top notch:
Aamir Khan (Ram Shankar Nikumbh) comes in 90 minutes into the film. And delivers exactly what is expected from him, an excellent performance.
Vipin Sharma as Ishaan’s father (Nandkishore Awasthi) is competant. Tisca Chopra as Ishaan’s mother (Maya Awasthi) is excellent! Sachet Engineer as Ishaan’s brother (Yohaan Awasthi) delivers a fine performance, so does Tanay Chheda as Ishaan’s best friend (Rajan Damodaran).
The star of the show is undoubtedly Darsheel Safary (Ishaan Awasthi). The young actor puts up a brilliant act that needs to be seen to be believed.
Music (Shanker, Ehsaan, Loy) is another high point. The songs have been beautifully incorporated in the narrative. The best of the lot is the Title track, Jame Raho and Maa. The last of three mentioned songs comes at a crucial point in the film. The heart-wrenching situation, combined with the touching lyrics of the song (Prasoon Jhoshi) is bound to get you all choked up. If you don’t, then your dead inside!
Taare Zameen Par marks Aamir Khan’s foray into filmmaking. And with this film, Aamir shows exactly why he’s called Mr. Perfectionist.
He is a fabulous storyteller with a great eye for detail. From handling the sensitive plot with extreme conviction to extracting an award worthy performance from child actor Darsheel, Aamir is brilliant all the way.
One of the best films to have come out this year. It is the ultimate treat this holiday season, go watch it, you won’t regret it.
Rating: 4.5/5