"Taare Zameen Par" tugs at your heartstrings!

Aamir Khan has always been an actor who has let his work do the talking. The reticent actor works in one film an year on an average and invests all his time and energy in that one film to come up with a hugely successful one- both critically and commercially. Taare Zameen Par (TZP) did not hog much of the limelight while in the making because it focussed on a child and not on Aamir. The movie had an art film look about it and the majority of the cine going population was under the impression that TZP was being made for film festivals and awards. But, trust Aamir to come up with something unique! TZP is the first film deep rooted in the Bollywood commercial stream that has successfully managed to narrate its story from a dyslexic child's point of view. Not only that, the hugely talented Aamir assisted by the wonderful script of Amol Gupte comes up trumps and how! TZP is the story of Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Zafary), a 7 year old child with nothing going for him. He lives in his own world and is overshadowed at home by a very successful and hardworking brother. At school, he is ridiculed by all and sundry since he just cannot get anything right at studies. His mother (Tisca Chopra) tries her best to put him on track, his affectionate older brother tries to counsel him to success, his teachers try every rule in the book to set things rolling for him, but none of these work. Disillusioned and disappointed, his parents finally take the big decision to enroll him in a boarding school in Panchgani. The boarding school and the life there is just too difficult for Ishaan who slowly starts withdrawing into a shell. He loses his liveliness and becomes inert to everything that is going around him. Just in time, enters the temporary art teacher Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) who takes a deep interest in the child. The teacher focusses on the child and the kind of mistakes he makes to finally determine that the child is suffering from dyslexia. How the teacher manages to instill confidence in the child and put him on track is what the rest of the film is all about! TZP is unique in ways more than one- this is definitely the first time that a movie focusses on the life of a 7 year old. The camera focusses completely on Ishaan during the first 30- 45 minutes of the movie, clearly establishing his character and the best part is that there is nothing cinematic about the whole affair. Amol Gupte seems to have done his research very well indeed! The script is life like and devoid of any cliches, the dialogues are very realistic. The other department that works in the film's favour is its music. Prasoon Joshi- Shankar- Ehsaan- Loy combo deliver a classic set of songs that gel completely with the mood of the movie. The camera work by Sethu is of avant- grade quality. Editing and Art Direction complement the narrative well. Tisca Chopra is great. Aamir Khan is as good as ever. The actor needs to be applauded for taking up a project like this. He scores as an actor, exhibits a maturity that is rare to find these days in debutant directors and walks away with the credit for having funded a well- intentioned movie like this as its producer. The real star of the movie is definitely Darsheel Zafary. The child actor is a rare find and exhibits such fine timing and talent that he is unbelievably good. He has been shot mostly in extreme close up's and the way the actor emotes needs to be seen to be believed. Darsheel can take acting lessons for at least half the leading lads and ladies in Bollywood! Talents of this kind needs to be rewarded and let us hope that the National Awards jury keeps its eyes open while watching TZP. A bold effort that will be remembered for a very long time to come!