Taare zameen par

Taare zameen par

Cast: Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Darsheel Safary, M. K. Raina, Tanay Cheda, Sachet Engineer, Vipin Sharma

Producer: Aamir Khan

Director: Aamir Khan

Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Rating: ****

Indian cinema was always colourful, vibrant and full of life, but it sadly lacked soul. Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par changes the face of Indian cinema as we know it, infusing life into it and giving it its soul. This star twinkles and catches your attention and amazement, tugging at your heart throughout its two-and-a-half-hour plus playing time, bringing the shades of a child's imagination in blazing colour onto the screen canvas, and making us realize that truly every child is special, all we have to do is help them attain their true potential.

Yes, Aamir Khan's directorial debut is special, a heart-warming tale of a small child who has learning difficulties and is largely misunderstood by his parents. Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi is simply marvellous, making you believe that he is Ishaan and not just an actor enacting a role.

When the parents see Ishaan's academic performance deteriorate, they send him to a boarding school for disciplinary measure. Finding himself away from his doting mother and lovable family, Ishaan gets grief-stricken and lonely. Failing to understand why he has been removed from the shade of his mother and family, his otherwise vivid imagination withers and life turns into a morose black-and-white pattern. But a saviour in the form of Arts teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh enters his life, and the colours creep back in slowly, as Nikumbh works hard on reviving the child's spirit, peeling away the layers that have clouded the taara. Aamir Khan as Nikumbh is outstanding, playing a man who has been through life trying to help children find themselves and their true calling, and in the process finding his own true self.

Inclusion, empathy and emotional bonding with caring is what this film beautifully propagates, telling an entertaining story that at the same time makes you sit up and take notice of what we must do for our next generation. The film also encourages every individual to repose faith in himself against all odds, advocating the concept of multiple intelligences. In an age of competitive fervour, this film takes the solid stand of individualistic innate skills to shine with support and encouragement, making it topical considering the academic pressure tragedies that one finds on front pages today.

Taking his time to set up the story, the director extracts a most believable and genuine performance from Darsheel, and the deft helming ensures that the efforts don't show. Even the other children slip into their characters comfortably, becoming the characters to the finest of details. Worthy of mention are Sachet Engineer as Yohaan Awasthi, Ishaan's bright elder brother, and Tanay Cheda as Rajan Damodaran. While the veteran actor himself is bound to give a great performance which he does, what truly amazes one is the genuinely fine performances by Tisca Chopra as Ishaan's mother and Vipin Sharma as the father. Both don't look like actors at all but are truly the characters in every sense, and every mother in India will identify with Tisca's Maya Awasthi.

Maa is Tisca's song as much as Darsheel's, and when she weeps while flipping through the flip-book of Ishaan, your heart truly goes out to her, bringing a lump to your throat. All other songs are genuinely from the heart, and Shankar Ehsaan Loy are at their very best, giving Prasoon Joshi's soul-stirring lyrics great music. The title song Taare Zameen Par is poetic, with no line being repeated in its sea of similes, and Bum Bum Bole is joyful with Aamir swinging with the kids to the catchy rhythm with Shiamak Davar's inventive choreography; Kholo Kholo is a true eye-opener, inspiring and uplifting in mood and content, making a fine album that will keep shining in music stores for a long long time.

This one is from the heart, uplifting and inspiring cinema that is a must-see for every parent and to-be parent, with lots to offer for kids also, who will no longer hesitate to follow their true calling. Aamir Khan, the filmmaker, has arrived!