TAARE ZAMEEN PAR=2007

Taare Zameen Par (Hindi: तारे ज़मीन पर, Urdu: تارے زمین پر, English DVD title: Like Stars on Earth) is a 2007 Bollywood film directed by Aamir Khan, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, and initially conceived of and developed by the husband and wife team, Amole Gupte (writer and creative director) and Deepa Bhatia (concept, research, and editing). It features music by the trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, CG animation by Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Ltd., 2D animation is by Vaibhav Kumaresh’s Vaibhav studios, and title animation by Dhimantvyas.

Taare Zameen Par was released to theaters worldwide on 21 December 2007 and the Indian DVD was released in Mumbai on 25 July 2008. Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment purchased DVD distribution rights for North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia, releasing it on 12 January 2010 as Like Stars On Earth. This Disney release is "the first time an international studio has bought the video rights of an Indian film."

The film tells the story of eight year old Ishaan (Darsheel Safary) who suffers greatly until a teacher (Aamir Khan) identifies him as dyslexic. Both commercially and critically acclaimed, Taare Zameen Par is the winner of the 2008 Filmfare Best Movie Award and the 2008 National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was declared tax free by the Government of Delhi.

PLOT

Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) is an eight-year old boy who hates school. Every subject is difficult for him and he perpetually fails his exams. He also lacks motor coordination skills and finds it difficult to throw a ball in a straight line. Rather than helping him, his teachers and classmates subject him to constant acts of public humiliation. At the same time, Ishaan's internal world is rich with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate: magical lands filled with color and animated animals. His forte is art, although no one realises this at first.

It is no better at home. His father, Nandkishore Awasthi (Vipin Sharma), is a successful and busy executive who expects the best from his boys. His mother, Maya Awasthi (Tisca Chopra), is a housewife who is perpetually frustrated by her inability to help Ishaan excel. Ishaan's elder brother Yohaan (Sachet Engineer) is a successful scholar/athlete, a fact which Ishaan is constantly reminded of. After discovering that Ishaan skipped (or "bunked") school, in addition to having poor grades, his parents decide that he needs to attend boarding school in order to be 'disciplined'.

Life at the boarding school does not help Ishaan to excel, despite being befriended by Rajan Damodran (Tanay Chheda), one of the best students. Instead, he sinks into a perpetual state of fear and depression as he now has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family. This changes, however, when a new temporary art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh or "Nikumbh Sir" (Aamir Khan) joins Ishaan's boarding school. Nikumbh, with his characteristic teaching style that is markedly different that his strict predecessor, soon becomes popular among the students. He begins to notice that Ishaan is unhappy and a non-contributor to activities in the class (despite creating an atmosphere in the class that actively seeks contribution from the students). Disturbed, Nikumbh begins to review Ishaan's past work and determines that all of his "failures" are actually reflective of dyslexia.

On his day off, Nikumbh visits Ishaan's parents and asks to review more of his work. He is also stunned by the sophistication of Ishaan's paintings. Nikumbh tells Ishaan's parents that Ishaan is a bright child who processes information differently than the other children in class. He describes dyslexia to them and clarifies that this is a neurological condition which is not a sign of low intelligence. He also tells them he can provide extra tutoring which will help Ishaan succeed. To support this argument, Nikumbh highlights Ishaan's artistic ability as demonstrated by his many paintings and creative works-of-art. In order to make his point, Nikumbh demands that Ishaan's father read a box with Japanese text. When Mr. Awasthi states that he cannot read the text, Nikhumbh reprimands him. In doing so, Nikhumbh demonstrates to them what Ishaan struggles with on a daily basis.

When he returns to the school, Nikumbh brings up the topic of dyslexia one day in class and offers a list of famous people who are considered dyslexic: Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Walt Disney, Agatha Christie, Thomas Edison, Pablo Picasso, and actor Abhishek Bachchan. As the students are leaving the classroom Nikumbh asks Ishaan to stay back. At that time Nikumbh reveals that he has experienced the same difficulties with dyslexia. Nikumbh also conveys the same information to the principal of the school (M.K. Raina) and asks if he can act as a tutor for Ishaan. After gaining the Principal's assent, Nikumbh then proceeds to teach Ishaan using remedial techniques developed by specialists in the area of dyslexia. Ishaan soon develops interest in language and mathematical skills and his grades improve. Towards the end of the year, Nikumbh organizes an art fair for staff and students alike. The competition is judged by Lalita Lajmi (who portrays herself in the movie). Ishaan, with his strikingly creative style is declared the winner, while his teacher, Nikumbh (who paints Ishaan's portrait) is declared the runner up.

When Ishaan's parents meet his teachers on the last day of school, they are speechless over the changes in him as he has improved in all of his subjects. Before leaving for the holidays, Ishaan runs to hug his teacher. The film ends with a freeze frame shot of Ishaan being tossed in the air by Nikumbh as if he were flying.

CAST

Darsheel Safary Ishaan Awasthi
Aamir Khan Ram Shankar Nikumbh ("Nikumbh Sir")
Tisca Chopra Maya Awasthi/Ma
Vipin Sharma Nandkishore Awasthi/Papa
Sachet Engineer Yohaan Awasthi/Dada
Tanay Chheda Rajan Damodran
M.K. Raina Principal
Lalita Lajmi Herself (painting competition judge)

PRODUCATION

PRE-PRODUCATION

The husband and wife team of Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia initially conceived of the idea for Taare Zameen Par out of the desire to understand why some children cannot conform to an educational system. The screenplay began as a short story titled “High Jump” and developed into a full work seven years later. Deepa Bhatia later stated in an interview with The Hindu that her initial inspiration was not the subject of dyslexia. Instead, it was derived from the childhood of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (who was a poor student in school), as she wanted to explore the story of "a child who did not fit into the school stream." Bhatia referenced a specific moment when Kurosawa began to bloom only after meeting an art teacher who devoted time and attention to him. Bhatia further stated, "It was this scene that became the inspiration for how a teacher could transform the life of a student."

In developing the character of a young boy based on Kurosawa, Bhatia and Gupte found themselves perplexed: "Amole kept posing issues like: what was wrong with the kid? Was he a slow learner? Was he disinterested, or incapable? All these questions kept coming up and we felt that there were not enough answers.” They became involved in intensive research which led them to groups such as the Maharashtra Dyslexia Association and PACE (Parents for a Better Curriculum for the Child). Eventually they decided to make dyslexia the central topic and theme of the film: “We thought this was the way to address Ishaan’s story, as a child who has learning disabilities and nobody understands what the problem is.”They began to spend time and work with dyslexic children in order to begin development of the screenplay, carefully protecting their identities in the final version of the screenplay. Gupte recalled that, “We began with a small workshop with eight or nine kids. A fun session, this became a space to observe their anxieties and the way their mind was working through art, paper and colours. And it was clear that their minds were thinking ‘out of the box’. This had to be respected, honoured and clapped for."

In looking for an actor to play the central figure of Ishaan, Gupte and Bhatia turned to Shiamak Davar’s Summer Funk workshops. Gupte had a number of boys audition for a scene in which they would informally describe how they would bunk school after being given a few scenarios. Of his decision to cast Darsheel Safary, Gupte recalls that, "it was a tough call. But Darsheel has the mischief in his eyes to be Ishaan. Everyone just naturally gravitated towards him."

PRODUCTION

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan and Amole Gupte first met while they were in college where Khan states that he admired Gupte's abilities as an actor, writer, and painter. After Gupte and Bhatia put seven years of work into developing the Taare Zameen Par, Khan states that he became involved three years prior to the film's release, initially as a producer and actor (with Gupte as director). However, after a period of time, Khan became the film's director, a transition which Khan states was a mutual decision between himself and Gupte. Khan credits many aspects of the film to Gupte's involvement.

Taare Zameen Par was Khan's first experience as director/actor. Khan has admitted that the transition was challenging, stating that he while had always wanted to direct a film, he had to "jump in without any preparation." He felt fortunate, however, to be working with a "great bunch of kids, especially Darsheel, Sachet and Tanay Chheda." Indeed, Khan was so popular with children during filming that "all the 43 children at the New Era High School in Panchgani (where they shot) wanted to sport his kind of hairstyle. An indulgent Aamir went to the extent of turning hairstylist and actually gave them their desired cut." Furthermore, Khan placed a high priority on the day to day needs of his child actors. According to a spokesman for the film, "Aamir took great care of the kids. He hired five experts to draw up their schedules, diet and recreational activities. Aamir never made them work for more than two hours at a stretch and that too with frequent breaks for refreshments. We even planned our shooting, alternating indoors with outdoors so that the children were not confined in one space. It was such a refreshing change from the way Bollywood works." Khan also noted that:

I think that working with children comes with its own challenges. It was great fun but it can be testing at times, especially when you have forty kids It was important for us to work around the children and their energy and time constraints. So we made sure that the kids were happy and comfortable. We were pretty much around for them.

TITLE

Khan stated for an interview that the original working title for the film was not Taare Zameen Par and that he, Amol Gupte, and Deepa Bhatia discussed possibilities. Of the final title for the film, Khan noted:

Taare Zameen Par is a film about children and it is a film which celebrates the abilities of children. Taare Zameen Par is a title which denotes that aspect. It is a title with a very positive feel to it. All the kids are special and wonderful. They are like stars on earth. This particular aspect gave birth to the title.

RELEASE

BOX-OFFICE

Box Office India declared Taare Zameen Par to be a Super Hit at the box office in India. It was released on 21 December 2007 with 425 prints across India and eventually became the fifth top grossing movie of 2007 there. In the UK it grossed £351,303 by its ninth week and grossed Rs 131 crores worldwide.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Taare Zameen Par received a number of positive reviews. Subhash K. Jha (film critic and author of The Essential Guide to Bollywood) suggests that Tarre Zameen Par is "a work of art, a water painting where the colors drip into our hearts, which could easily have fallen into the motions of over-sentimentality. Aamir Khan holds back where he could easily resort to an extravagant display of drama and emotions." Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India noted that "the story is simple and connects instantly with every adult and child in the auditorium, even as the climax is predictable and plays heavily on your emotions. But what uplifts the film is its very simplicity, sensitivity and its performances. On the one hand, there is the non-filmy script which doesn't make anyone the villain...even the adults are victims of ignorance [...] we recommend a mandatory viewing for all schools and all parents." Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it four out of five stars and argues that the film "is an outstanding work of cinema. To miss it would be sacrilege. It has everything it takes to win awards and box-office rewards! Do yourselves a favor. Watch Taare Zameen Par with your child. It will change your world. It will also change the way you look at your kids!." Two critics from the BBC each gave the film a rave review. Manish Gajjar stated that the film "touches your heart and moves you deeply with its sterling performances. [It is] a film full of substance! " Furthermore, Jaspreet Pandohar noted that Taare Zameen Par is a "far cry from the formulaic masala flicks churned out by the Bollywood machine," and is "an inspirational story that is as emotive as it is entertaining; this is a little twinkling star of a movie." Pratim D. Gupta of The Telegraph described Taare Zameen Par as a "film that cuddles you, cajoles you and finally confronts you, it’s unlike anything you have seen before" while Kaveree Bamzai of India Today declared that it "is quite simply the best film of the year." The film was also highly recommended by Sudhish Kamath of The Hindu who called it the "movie of the year.It’s not just out of the box, ‘Taare…’ is simply out of this world." In addition, Finally, Aprajita Anil of Screen gave the film four stars and stated: "Taare Zameen Par cannot be missed. Because it is different. Because it is delightful. Because it would make everyone think. Because it would help everyone grow. Because very rarely do performances get so gripping. And of course because the ‘perfectionist’ actor has shaped into a ‘perfectionist’ director."

Other critics differed in their perception of the film. Concerning the screenplay, Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN argued that the true power of the film lies in its "remarkable, rooted, rock-solid script which provides the landscape for such an emotionally engaging, heart-warming experience" while Gautaman Bhaskaran in The Hollywood Reporter suggested that "despite great performances, the movie suffers from a weak script." Bhaskaran, in later article on Bollywood cinema, described Taare Zameen Par as "well directed, splendidly performed (Darsheel Safary was exceptional as the dyslexic child) and wonderfully mounted." Another critic from The Hollywood Reporter, Lisa Tsering, liked the film, describing Taare Zameen Par as "powerful and moving" while Derek Kelly of Variety, criticized it for what he described as its "touchy-feely-ness" attention to "a special needs kid's plight." Kelly also disliked the film for being "so resolutely caring -- and devoid of real drama and interesting characters" that "it should have 'approved by the Dyslexia Assn.' stamped on the posters."

Taare Zameen Par tied with Chak De! India for best film (in India) of 2007 according to various Bollywood film directors such as Madhur Bhandarkar, David Dhawan, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Anurag Basu, and Sriram Raghavan. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap stated that, "Taare Zameen Par took me back to my hostel days. If you take away the dyslexia, it seems like my story. The film affected me so deeply that I was almost left speechless. After watching the film, I was asked how I liked 'Taare Zameen Par'. I could not talk as I was deeply overwhelmed."

2009 ACADEMY AWARDS BEST FOREIGN FILM SUBMISSION

Taare Zameen Par was India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film (Oscars) but was not chosen for the short list. Jury member and director Krishna Shah stated that Taare Zameen Par was rejected from the Oscar shortlist due to its musical format and length. He also commented that he conveyed these critiques to Khan. Khan, himself, stated in a separate interview with NDTV that he was "not surprised" that Taare Zameen Par was rejected from the Oscar shortlist arguing that, "I don’t make films for awards. I make films for the audience. The audience, for which I have made the film, really loved it and the audiences outside India have also loved it. What I am trying to say is that film has been well loved across the globe and that for me it is extremely heartening and something that I give very high value to."

Others have also responded to the decision. Mahesh Manjrekar who portrayed the gangster Javed in Slumdog Millionaire (which won multiple awards at the 2009 Oscars) stated that, "I’m sad that Aamir’s Taare Zameen Par didn’t make it to the final round of the Oscars. I thought it to be way better than Slumdog..., without taking away anything from Boyle and the kids. But, Indian movies are underestimated there." In addition, Lisa Tsering, of The Hollywood Reporter, noted:

Three days before Chandni Chowk hit theaters in the U.S. and India, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its shortlist of nine films edging closer to a foreign-language nomination. India's submission, the powerful and moving Taare Zameen Par by Aamir Khan, didn't make the cut. Sadly, that film never will be seen by mainstream American audiences; yet Chandni Chowk is enjoying a hefty publicity push. If only Taare Zameen Par could have gotten its hands on that magic potato.

LIST OF AWARDS

Taare Zameen Par won the Filmfare Best Movie Award for 2008. It also received a number of other awards including three National Film Awards and five for best director (Aamir Khan). The young actor Darsheel Safary also received a number of awards including Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance (2008).

HIGH PROFILE SCREENINGS

Sean Hepburn Ferrer invited Aamir Khan for a special screening of Taare Zameen Par in Berlin on 3 May 2009. The screening was part of a larger 80th birthday celebration for Ferrer's late mother, Hollywood legend, Audrey Hepburn. He also asked Khan to join the "Audrey Hepburn Children's Fund," which is supported by the United Nations Children's Fund. Ferrer stated:

I find that Taare Zameen Par is one of the most beautiful movies ever made about the inner world of a child [...] I am very happy to announce that his (Aamir's) movie expresses the same caring spirit towards children that Audrey Hepburn represented and which was so important to her, and therefore Taare Zameen Par would be the right choice to celebrate this important occasion.

Khan, who is a fan of Audrey Hepburn, responded to the high turnout for the screening by stating, "I’m touched and flattered that the film got this kind of a response here." He also documented the experience on his blog stating:

And of course my whirlwind trip to Berlin where I was most happy, no thrilled, to see some of the blog gang [...] Being such a huge fan of Audrey Hepburn I just had to accept the invitation and I am so happy I did. Got to meet all my fans in Berlin, especially the bloggers. Thanks for being there guys.

INTERNATIONAL DYSLEXIA ASSCIOTION

Taare Zameen Par was screened in the United States (Seattle, Washington) on 29 October 2008 for the International Dyslexia Association. Khan noted that there were about 200 people in the audience and that he was "curious to see the response of a non Indian audience to what we had made." He felt some concern that the film was shown in a conference room rather than a cinema hall and was projected as a DVD rather than as a film. He stated that the film concluded to an "absolutely thunderous standing ovation" which "overwhelmed" him and that he "saw the tears streaming down the cheeks of the audience." Khan also noted that the reaction to the film "was exactly as it had been with audiences back home in India."

SOUNDTRACK

The CD for Taare Zameen Par was released on 5 November 2007. The music is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Joshi received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics and Shankar Mahadevan received the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (Maa).

DVD

INDIA

The DVD of Taare Zameen Par by UTV Home Entertainment was released in India on 25 July 2008. It was launched at Green Lawns High School, Mumbai, Darsheel Safary's school. Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma, Sachet Engineer (the actors who portrayed Ishaan's family), and the rest of the cast and crew of the film were present. In his speech, Khan stated: "Darsheel is a very happy child, full of life and vibrant. I am sure it's because of the way his parents and teachers have treated him. I must say Darsheel's principal Mrs. Bajaj has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The true test of any school is how happy the kids are and by the looks of it, the children here seem really happy."

DISNEY EDITION

The Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment (which acquired 14.85 per cent of UTV) bought the DVD rights for distribution of Taare Zameen Par for its release in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia as Like Stars on Earth. It was released on 12 January 2010. The Disney DVD offers versions in Hindi with English subtitles and dubbed in English.