Note: Please don’t take notice of my grammatical errors
I believe, Art is not just a form of entertainment. That is a misconception. Art is a tool to inspire and encourage individuals, and has been doing so evidently for centuries. Movie-making is an art too, and I do not refer to the documentaries or artistic movies. No! even Commercial Movies are an art piece in themselves. And nothing would be a better example of such art than Aamir Khan’s directorial debut – Taare Zameen Par: Every Child is Special… For readers who do not understand Hindi, Taare Zameen Par would roughly translate as: Angels on Earth.
That being said – Taare Zameen Par (TZP, now on… for typing ease) is an art piece, commercial art from Bollywood. I will roughly talk about the story first and then about the art. If you avoid spoilers, kindly skip the following paragraph, even though I do not disclose much.
TZP is the story of a dyslexic child Ishan Awasthi. How nobody realises that he is dyslexic and is thus performing poorly in academics and in life in general. Even though blessed with above-average intellect and a great painter for his age, he is regularly penalised at school for not completing assignments, flunking in tests, bunking school, etc. His parents and teachers believe that what Ishan lacks is discipline and thus he is sent to a boarding school, where in a stricter and harsher environment, and with the ignominy of separation from his family the creative boy becomes sorrowful and unhappy. Bursts on the scene a new Arts Teacher – Ram Nikumbh, who being associated with the Tulip School has a far better understanding of Ishan’s situation and has experience of helping dyslexic and retarded children. Powered by his compassion for the child, Nikumbh makes effort to recover Ishan from all the damage done to him and replenish his self-confidence. He succeeds obviously.
TPZ is a wonderful movie. The Acting is wonderful, Music is Excellent, Technical details have been taken well care of. The movie inspires you, makes you aware of the world most of us have to face due to the ever-running race of performance where only those activities are encouraged that have viable commercial future. It is a movie that, at least, every parent should see.
Story-wise, TPZ uses what I call the Disney Device to full effect. If you have seen the Disney Animation Movies, they had a pattern – the protagonist was orphan/separated from his family and initially faced hardships in life. Midway, due to the intrinsic values of the protagonist something good will happen to them that would change the whole course of their life: be it finding a magic lamp, or meeting your son from the future. In the meanwhile, Exaggerate the Negatives so much that the positive gets highlighted without any efforts and is valued as something very rare and special.
What separates TPZ from other movies is not its Story, Acting or Music etc. These are wonderful and of top-notch quality no doubt. But what really makes the movie into the experience it is are two things: Direction and Effective use of Special Effects.
Débutante director Aamir Khan has done an exceptional job. I have been a big fan of his since QSQT but this is not my bias showing. Perfectionist, as he is, Aamir Khan has really woven the movie in a manner where every one can associate himself with Ishan and feel his pain. This connect between the characters and the audience is very well drawn.
It is also one of those Bollywood movies that understands what Special Effects are and can achieve. There has been a trend in Bollywood, to use special effects only to prove that you can afford them or that the audience are always awed by special effects. But very few movies understand the reach and story-telling-effectiveness of special effects. The Special Effects in TPZ are a great tool to see into the person of Ishan, his world, his perspective. And thus, they act as a great directorial tool and constructs the aforementioned character-audience connection. Be it the Title Claymation that really sets the tone for the movie or the intermediate animations showing Ishan’s perspective or the final animation that shows how Ishan manipulates colors into a master-piece provide great insights into the character.
Being a Bollywood movie, TPZ is high on emotions… that’s what sells a movie in India, anyway. So take with you a tissue-box when you go watch this movie and even though the mother-son relationship is not a very big part of the story, yet the movie would make you nourish your relationship with your mother, esp the song “Maa“, which I have been listening to the past 3 hours (yes, I am a bit cranky). But go watch the movie!
And with this note, I wrap up this review-cum-rant. I have almost said nothing about the movie and yet in a way spoke something. But there was only one thing I wanted to say: Go watch the movie in the nearest theatre as soon as possible and don’t judge it by the flaws inherent to a Bollywood movie. Judge it by its message.
God Bless. Peace.
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