‘Taare Zameen Par’ (Stars on Earth)
Aamir Khan is cementing his rep as the Tom Hanks of Hindi cinema, going after mid-market family movies with solid execution and few surprises. What does it say about Taare Zameen Par (Stars on Earth), a tearjerker about a child with dyslexia, that the best thing about it is the animation? In the opening credits, stop motion-style animation shows childish drawings — octopi, spaceships, alphabets — rendered professionally. In a later scene, dreamy, buck-toothed Ishaan stares into space while a choo-choo train circles his head followed by a pint-sized, fire-belching dragon. It’s childlike and adorable.
This film is Khan’s jeremiad against India’s rote, anti-artistic educational system. It’s made sentimentally with quiet competence, but little in this pastiche of Dead Poets Society and Patch Adams will seem new.
Note to Indian reviewers: Ewan McGregor killed the fauxhawk.
on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008, 9:54 am in Animation, Fashion, Film › 
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Mr. Vij, Don’t be dissing my tried and trusted Thursday-night-out-on-the-pull look;)
How can you not swoon over the sweetness of Ishaan? The movie does drag at some points, but the script was tight and kept you waiting for the inevitable cheely end. Aamir does impress with his directorial skills. And, such a wonderful antidote to the Dhoom bukwas movies. Saw Strangers (based on Hitchcock’s Stranger on a Train), and had the same elements of shunning ‘boy meets girl’ storyline in favour of some noir characters.
Ishaan’s adorable, and I love the childhood wonder sequences. But here’s the thing: how condescending is it to say ‘by the crappy standards of Bollywood, this is a decent movie’? Doesn’t it pay Khan more respect to judge it by the standards of the world film market? Because that’s where he’s been aiming for years.
Well, Khan does judge his own film by a global standard, but he adheres to the Bollywood formula of including silly songs. Granted the songs about Ishaan’s mother and his frustrations fit in, but did he need to dance around the class shaking his bum? He is still subscribing to the Bollywood standards that song n’ dance is needed, hence crappy! Pun intended…I think they might be referring to the true n’ tired fornula, and less to the content or subject matter.
It’s new to a large section of india and the indian diaspora, hence it is much needed. actually, the whole concept of learning disabilities was news to me until i hit university and took up a tutoring job at the special needs student center. reflected my bringing up and i know others within my extended family who still not understand there are alternatives to the whole rod and rote learning mechanism.
One thing leaves me a little suspicious about TZP is the noone-but-me (narcisssistic?) attitude with Khan. He risks becoming a parody if he goes further down the Manoj Kumar route [cf Jabberwock’s musings on the same]. It was a stretch to see him play a college student speaking in an awful punjabi accent in RDB. I havent seen any of his later movies but i’d be curious how well he portrays a teacher. I mean, does he have a jhola and drive a ‘92 scooter in this movie with a squash sticking out of the storage unit at his feet?
what is a ‘cheely’? dont leave us in suspense Dari
Oh I saw that in the trailer too. and that’s just another extension of my point earlier on his inability to see himself as anything but the HeeeRo … he has a rather voluptuous behind for a guy, and those tight pants are not flattering.
Array khoofi ji,
Oops…cheeky ending. No pun intended.
shukriya badi khala [hmmm.. I am gauging Dari is not Beard but may be Dar-es-Salaam, n’est ce pas?]
i hope the end was as juicy as you wished it to be.
Badi theri ma! Dari is “angel” in Sanskriti. An nickname from a Punjabi khala.
wogay Angel-Ji. i am just respectful of my elders, ji.
Bum bum bole stop it at once.
Actually, the kid gets the burnt orange jhola at the end. It’s part of his artistic makeover.
Finally saw this movie Manish,..thanks for the review..u are right..mom and one of my girlfriends sitting next to me cried big time..even I had tears flowing down at the end of the movie…all my girlfriends who saw the movie cried a lot..super sentimental sweet realistic movie..
I have a great respect for Aamir khan as an actor and a director now..he is becoming a fine film maker who understood India and its pulse really well like satyajit ray.. I wont be surprised if aamir khan makes a movie which will fetch an oscar for him someday…he is probably indian tom hanks..
There were movies in this category made in india but nothing was as good as taare zameen pe..Maniratnams Anjali is one such a movie, sparsh with naseeruddin shah is another one, hrithik roshans movie partly had him as a mentally retarded kid..but nothing as touching as taare zameen pe..the kid was supercute , acted so well with such restraint and emotion..it was just so perfect..
I dont think dead poets society comes under this category of movies but relates to a unique teaching system.. I saw an english movie some 15 years back on a whole bunch of spastic children and a teacher putting up an art dance show with them and they become a popular entertaining group..I dont remember the name…that was a very good one..
It is very realistic to me..I have to admit most of the families I know of including my parents always stressed on education and achievements, there was always pressure…no one loves us that unconditionally not even our own parents, everyone wants a normal child and I have two cousins with children with defects and they are having a hard time dealing with that…specially both mothers are always very sad…
and not all indian parents are supportive and dont even understand the symptoms though they are educated..hope a lot of indian parents watch this movie and be more liberal with kids and stop comparing unfortunate kids with smart kids..
one of my cousin sis who passed away three years back was not good at studies, so my mama sent her to our house..I was in my 10+2 and she was 10th grade. she could not concentrate, her hands would shake all the time…I used to coach her, taught her multiple times the same thing, simplify answers and would make her study standing and walking and I used to do the same with her so that she would have company to study with her.. and no one thought she would pass 10th grade and u know what after so many long nights of teaching coaching she passed , she later finished her Bcom, got married, had 3 kids and unfortunately passed away because of her inlaws and hubby neglecting her health..
and if we pay enough attention, kids come out of their disabilities well, now in india last few years there are institutions which are helping disabled kids, give them vocational training and help them stand on their own feet. end of last year I met a group here in US who started a organisation to help disabled, mentally retarded and unfortunate kids, I sponspored a kid which just costs 250 dollars for the whole year and from what they told me they are offering new techologies to help them learn , educate themselves..they also have physio therapy, psychiatist help, special medications etc,., atleast for kids in that center.. I hope to see this center personally when I go to India.
like this movie I believe with attention , you can inspire and improve quality of life for such kids…
I know it’s marketed that way, but I don’t really think it’s a family film. I saw it with four preteens who didn’t like it at all. They felt the commercials, which show Khan dancing around as a clown, to misrepresent the somber mood of the film. I would agree. Not saying it’s bad. I cried a little. They rolled their eyes at me.
I wish every student in my class who has dyslexia had a private tutor. Oh wait… they do. Never mind. ;)