Taare Zameen Par

The stars are on earth (Taare Zameen Par), people are queuing up for tickets, the critics are heaping praise on debutant director Aamir Khan (who, incidentally, is also a co-producer and an actor in the movie), and most important of all aam-junta, people who matter the most, have given a thumbs up to the film. I happened to catch the fourth-day-first-show, if I may call it, at the local theatre. I saw people doing their second stint, and a few guys claimed it was their third. That tells you a story.
The story revolves around eight year old Ishaan Awasthi (played by Darsheel Safary). He is dyslexic, therefore he cannot master the english alphabet and is abysmal at math. His parents are, however, unaware of their child's learning disability and worse, they make no concerted effort to try to comprehend his difficulties. The resulting poor grades in school infuriate Mr. and Mrs. Awasthi who attribute the results to their son's intractable and obstinate nature. Part of the problem is that the egotist Mr. Awasthi cannot even think of the possibility that HIS son could have a disability of any kind. When Ishaan's art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (played by Aamir Khan) tries to convince the little kid's parents that their child has a learning disability, Mr. Awasthi fumes incredulously. Ishaan's elder brother Yohaan is the quintessential 21st century Indian upper-middle class teenager - he's a focussed, hard-working, docile careerist- everything his younger brother is not. The other three members of the Awasthi family, however, love Ishaan and are deeply concerned about his future. At one point things get out of control. His parents decide that boarding school is the right cure for their fractious child, that he needs to learn a thing or two about discipline. Each teacher in this school is a martinet, and things look bleak for Ishaan who gets increasingly detached from his family. The story unfolds as Mr. Nikumbh discovers the potential in the little kid and provides him with guidance and encouragement. The movie ends with Ishaan resplendent in victory; finally getting the recognition he deserves for his magnificent talent; and a vindicated Nikumbh.
The scene where little Ishaan stands all alone inside the ominous, squalid boarding school or where he's shown in the middle of the night, out of his bed, thumping on the bathroom wall, crying for his mother, whilst his tearyeyed mother, brother and son are on their way home, is heart-wrenching. I heard a few snivels in the audience. A few people were trying hard to suppress their tears, but Shankar Mahadevan belting out 'Maa' in his rich, melodious voice didn't help matters. Kudos to Prasoon Joshi for the lyrics of this song in particular, not to mention the other five. It reminded me of my mother, and I'm sure that it did the same to quite a few others (I didn't have the tears, though). Shankar,Ehsaan and Loy have done a superb job (as usual ) with the soundtrack of the movie.
Issue-based films are a rarity in Bollywood, hence Aamir deserves an ovation for going beyond the usual song-and-dance bullshit ( like Fanaa) that Bollywood churns out all the time. The movie raises awareness about dyslexia, also blatantly points out how children are being robbed of their precious childhood by overzealous, tyrannical parents who want their little ones to excel in everything from studies to extra curriculars. Failure is not an option in a marks-based education system that needs urgent reforms.
While judging a movie, I take into account only one thing - my feelings and emotions just after watching the movie. I do not let the opinion of my friends and critic's reviews affect my judgement. Hence my ruling would be this - TZP is a good movie, but falls short of expectations. And my expectations were sky-high, simply because it was an out-and-out Aamir Khan movie. He directed, produced and acted in the movie. Considering his track-record, Aamir has the burden of expectation on his shoulders. That is one of the downsides of being so good in an industry plagued by mediocrity. Well, it would be harsh to say that Aamir didn't deliver, but I expected more. The plot has no twists and is hopelessly predictable. Midway through the movie, if you try to conjure up the storyline for the rest of the movie based on what you have seen already, you would be surprised at your accuracy. That abrades the fun part, because you know beforehand how things are going to shape up. The acting, barring that of Darsheel, is okayish. No power-packed performance from any of the actors - and the reason for this is that the storyline is too simple. TZP is not in the league of Rang de, not even Dil Chahta Hai or Lagaan, in the sense that it doesn't offer anything new or extraordinary. The social issues presented in the movie are not new; a lot of writing and discussions have taken place on how our education system is harsh on differentially abled children and needs to be revamped (although yielding no tangible results as of now). Rang De was a revolution; Dil chahta Hai became an attitude; Lagaan went to the Oscars. TZP would bag quite a few Filmfare Awards (the Oscars of Bollywood) this year, that's a guarantee, but I'm afraid that's where it is going to end.