Print

Please post once and this message will disappear! Introduce yourself, say hello, jump into a discussion...

[keep-it-cool]

One of the movies I am really looking forward to ... actually, I look forward to all movies ... but, I guess TZP is one I will watch with high expectations.

====================================================================================
The Conjuror Of Improbable Dreams

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main36.asp?filename=hub221207Improbable_dreams.asp

Aamir Khan takes risks. They always pay off. Previewing his directorial debut, SHOMA CHAUDHURY assesses the superstar’s unique ability to bend the rules and trigger new conversations. Exclusive photos from the making of Taare Zameen Par

WE ARE a ragtag group in a small, bare room. No more than six or seven. On the wall before us, a little boy with impossible teeth is darting with an infectious comet-like energy through his little life. Neighbourhood fights, exasperated parents, scowling teachers, undone homework. He’s always in trouble, but there is something brilliantly joyous about him. You can’t help smiling in the dark. But then the darkness starts to deepen. The undone homework, the exasperated parents, the scowling teachers — they all gather in a frightening crescendo. The little comet can’t preserve its light. It is overwhel med. Extinguished. The little boy droops before our eyes.

And then, a flute note.

On December 21, a film will slip like a redemptive dewdrop into the noisy razzle-dazzle of multiplexes across the world. Superstar Aamir Khan’s directorial debut, Taare Zameen Par (TZP). It cannot get further from what one would expect. It has none of the staples of Bollywood: no fancy camerawork, no glitzy song, no triple star cast. None of the vanities of a first film from a man who could have all of it at a whim. TZP is just a simple story, simply told. Its effect is evident now in the small, bare room. Like the rest of us, Arshad, 23, is in tears. Neither his youth nor his trendy long hair is defence enough against the raw honesty of the film. “I know that helpless feeling. It took me back to when I was in Class III,” says he. “I was so bad at Maths I slipped a suicide note under my parents’ pillow. I was crying thinking of what the world expects of all of us.”

That is the secret of Aamir’s magical new film. It speaks to everyone. On the face of it, TZP might be about a dyslexic boy crushed un - til an empathetic art teacher rescues him, but at its core, it’s about the world’s imprisoning expectation. Quick-eyed Ishaan Awasthi, mesm erised by puddles and tadpoles, is the face — the aching remembr ance — of the free spirit each of us had as a child before we were ben - chpressed into adulthood. To watch his life-affirming anarchy leached away from him is to revisit a hundred buried memories. If not of ourselves, then of others whose lives slid by us.

It is because of this that, like Arshad, almost everyone who’s seen TZP in its trials has a cath - artic moment to share. Zakir, director Rakeysh Mehra’s driver, told him, “I’ve got four kids and I treat them the way the father in the film does. I will never again do that.” Suk oon Zak a ria, mother of two, says, “One always expects something extraordinary from Aamir, and he’s proved it again with this film. It’s so moving, so thought-provoking. You realise in your desire to be great parents, you end up damaging your kids.” “I was hypnotised,” says Mridula Joshi.

“The film puts you in touch with all the small emotions we’ve lost in our over-hurried lives.” Cinematographer Baba Azmi calls it “one of the most important films in our country now.”

Important, because like Rang De Basanti, TZP is certain to trigger crucial new conversations. RDB divined the sleeping idealism bene - ath India’s cynical urban youth. TZP touches a deeper and forbidden subject: the intensely personal world of children, parents and differing abilities. A world marked by private hells, anxieties, silences. Reshma Jiwani, mother of a 27-year-old son with learning difficulties, talks of the immensely difficult journey they had to make as a family. “My daughter was excellent at studies, but my son couldn’t cope. Both went to Bombay Scottish. When my son was 12, he sank into depression. We couldn’t understand what was happening. There were no facilities. We sent him away to a military school in Pune. There was so much hurt and antagonism. Then he met a teacher, Medha. She helped him hugely. He was a six-footer in Class VII and played great basketball. She put him in touch with his own special skills. The turning point came when I learnt to accept he was different.”

TZP almost exactly mirrors Reshma Jiwani’s story. And a million others such. In the overheated world of new age parenting — neurotic, success-driven, craving of the utopian child — counsellors and teachers across the country are struggling to shift the paradigm. “Parents don’t know how to leave kids be. They are so confor - mist, so competitive, they even compete about children’s hobbies and where they should go in their free time,” says Carole Paul, a special educator with The Step by Step World School in Delhi. “Individuality and imagination have no value.” Pressure, depression, low self-esteem, escalating adolescent suicides. That’s the underbelly of a normal childhood in India today. Insert a child with learning difficulties in that and you have a true measure of the darkness and self-hatred people live with.

“Parents forget children are like stem cells,” says Annie Koshy, principal, St Mary’s, Delhi. “They can take any shape, become anything. You can’t squeeze them into the figure you want. Education should be a romance, an adventure, a mystery, an opportunity to find the secret gift of every child. Not a regimentation.”

TZP — with its jugular message: every child is special — will come as powerful ballast for such conversations. In telling its affectionate, heart-warming story with delicate emotion and a courageous lack of melodrama, the film lifts the idea of children with special abilities out of their isolation and stigma and places them in a broader conversation about childhood at large. Leaving you strangely moved and introspective about what ability means in the first place. Because Aamir is a superstar in the most powerful cultural medium of our time, because his films are always rooted in the language of mass entertainment, and because Ishaan Awasthi is played to haunting perfection by saucy little Darsheel Sarfary, 8, discovered in a Shiamak Dawar class, TZP is bound to slip into people’s bloodstream and effect subconscious emotional transformations. A flute note in the noise. A reminder of the healing power of acceptance, imagination and play — the “fresh birth of everything”, as Tejal Chheda, mother of one of the child actors, puts it.

AAMIR HIMSELF has always had a gift for hearing this flute note in the noise. In following that note, in trusting its lone and often difficult call, he’s radically alt e - red the industry. “Only Aamir could’ve made TZP,” says Rakeysh Mehra. “Ten years ago, every star was doing several films at the same time and justice to none. Only one man in that madness had the clarity and strength to pull out and say, no. People called him too idealistic, difficult. They said he was throwing his career away, but ten years later you realise Aamir has changed the system single-handedly. Every star now does only one film at a time, it’s raised the quality bar of the entire industry.”

“It’s true. Aamir has modernised filmmaking,” says cinematographer Ravi Chandran, who’s shot films like Black, Dil Chahta Hai, Paheli and Saawariya. “It’s he who brought in sync sound as a producer. He who insisted on the discipline of written scripts and first ADs and contracts. He changed the ethos. Now everyone wants to make good films. Subcons c - iously he’s made us want to improve ourselves.”

Everyone is agreed Lagaan, Aamir’s first film as a producer, was a watershed. More, it was an act of lunacy. A crew of 300 carted from Bombay to a one-horse town in the Bhuj desert for a six-month outdoor shoot. An ent - ire village recreated in the harsh sand. And at a time when Bollywood is belting out its frothi - est and most colour saturated formulas, 25 crores spent on a quixotic script, a rookie director, and a film that has no star cast, no costume change, no conventional romance, no villain, and speaks in Awadhi and English — languages untested on the Indian box-office. In hindsight it looks easy: success is a powerful negotiator: it commands sanction. Once Lagaan became an international hit, few needed to remember that Aamir floated his own production comp any to make the film because no other producer would back its harebrained magic. As Satyajit Bhatkal, long time friend and fellow sufferer from Lagaan says,“Mad hai, kuch bhi kar sakta hai!”

Lagaan was singular in enabling a new imagination in Bollywood, redefining what a star or a hit film in a status quo industry could mean. But almost each of Aamir’s films since has displayed a similar illogic in choice followed by unblinking commitment. Lagaan was followed by Dil Chahta Hai — unconventional slice of life film, ensemble cast, first time director. Followed by a four-year hiatus and Mangal Pandey — a historical in the midst of chocolate NRI films, a low-octane director. Followed by Rang De Basanti — ensemble cast, fifth film on Bhagat Singh in recent time, and a director freshly emerged from a flop. “Only a man of immense self-confidence could make such choices,” says Kunal Kohli, director of Fanaa (Aamir’s only masala film in recent years), currently shooting a film in Bangkok with Rani and Saif. “In an era of Raj and Rahul NRI films, in an industry where everyone airkisses and ass-licks, we need a man like Aamir who doesn’t pamper anyone and never lowers his standards. He keeps things sane and level. Today, top filmmakers like Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali can get any star with a phone call, but no one can get Aamir without a script. It’s beautiful. It’s lovely to have a person like that.” “He’s swum miles and miles against the current, that’s why we’re talking about him today,” says Mehra. “He’s a fabulous entertainer yet when we look back, I think, his body of work is going to shine almost like a lonely star. He never judges directors by their flops and hits. He has the capacity to reach into the core and touch the nectar.”

WITH AAMIR, touching the nectar can express itself in many ways. Refusing a coveted statue at Madame Tussauds’. Refusing to back down on the Narmada under threat from Modi. Stoica lly withstanding a call from Abu Salem years earlier. Or turning down a 35 crore deal from Adlabs now because they didn’t have a script. When director Rakeysh Mehra ran into financ ial trouble before the start of Rang De Basanti, he sent him an SMS: Never fear. And waited five months without giving away the dates. “Which star at the peak of his career would give two years of his life to a film,” says Ketan Mehta. Aamir had not cut his moustache or hair for months after Mangal Pandey was wrapped, waiting till Ketan felt he had the footage he needed. “Producing a film like Lagaan, giving two years to Mangal Pandey, doing one film at a time — it takes great guts to do that and I think he’s been revolutionary in that sense.”

“I don’t intend it that way,” laughs Aamir, driving home late from a studio in Film City. He’s deep in the entrails of his new film. The first print is a few days away and he’s racing around town checking Dolby and colour and subtitles. He’s just re-recorded a 60-piece string section live because the synth sound didn’t satisfy him. (AR Rahman once laughed with amazement at Aamir’s ability to locate an off-note in a track with 20 layers in it.) “I listen to narrations as an audience, and I find myself attracted to the most off-beat scripts. Each time, I tell myself, Oh no! Not again! It can be very tiring to go with your belief. Lonely too. Once you’re in though, you have to hold firm.”

MORE REFLECTIVELY, he adds, “I’m hungry for different things now. I want to make really quality films about important subjects — but in a completely mass entertainment space. Somehow I feel more courage to do that now without looking over my shoulder.” It’s not just the gigantic boxoffice success of his choices that’s responsible for this. In a curious way, the turmoil of his break-up from a 17-year marriage — civilised as it may have been — and living separately from his children, has honed him, moved him closer to who he really is, both in his work and his personal life. Adversity has a way of clarifying one’s being. “It made me more aware of myself, more sensitive to others,” says he. Kiran’s companionship has completed the circle.

Aamir has always been a fiercely private man. In recent years, the media has feasted on unverified stories about him: an imminent break up with second wife, Kiran; supposed bitterness with his first wife, Reena; supposed cruelty to his ill brother, Faisal. He’s often portrayed as an anal perfectionist, brilliant at his work but lacking in human warmth. Nothing could be further from the truth, say those who are close to him or have worked with him.

“People are completely wrong when they describe Aamir in terms of some ‘analysisparalysis’,” says Prasoon Joshi, lyricist and CEO, McCann Erickson. “He’s a man who operates purely from heart and instinct. Everything else is post-rationalisation. I’ve worked with many stars,” he continues, “and I can tell you, Aamir is the gold standard. He’s a mirror in which other people have to square with themselves. He’s a rare friend. A superstar who’s not a meg alomaniac. He’s changed mainstream sensibility.” Even Karan Johar admits he has yet to make his own Lagaan or RDB.

“Two things drive Aamir,” agrees Kiran, “passion and instinct. Both for people and work.” During the July floods of 2005, Aamir almost rode out on a bike to look for his exwife who could not be traced for a while. He has looked after his brother and father for years. He’s widened the bed in his children’s room so he can sleep with them when they come to stay over. He let actor Siddharth deliver the climax of RDB because he felt it suited his character better. These are the kind of humanising details Aamir will never voluntarily share in public. Add to that the fact that he never goes for any award functions; he’s lashed out at the media for its celebrity obsession at the expense of primary duties; and he never graces supplements with gossipy interviews, and one has a sense of how precariously Aamir plays his stardom in a media saturated universe where success is often only as real as the perception of success.

Aamir cannot easily be drawn into cheap competitions, but as a close cousin says, “Aamir loves to win.” So if you scratch hard enough, he will concede the media’s superstar billings do grate on him sometimes. “I make no money for them, so the media would like to scale me down from a superstar to a good character actor, a kind of Balraj Sahni,” says Aamir, chuc k ling ruefully. “But star power is measured by a star’s ability to draw crowds in the first week on the strength of his name alone. To measure that accurately you have to look at the numbers.”

THE NUMBERS always look splendid on Aamir. He commands astronomical rates: he will earn 25 crores from his fee and share-of-profit from his forthcoming film, Gajini. And every maverick film of his has earned the same if not more than the masala competition, including films like Don, Krrish, KANK, Koi Mil Gaya, Main Hoon Na and K3G. The thing to remember here, says Kohli, is that on one side there’s only Aamir, risky scripts, and a host of unknown actors and directors. On the other, there’s all the fire power of the industry. Star directors, multiple stars, powerful production houses, and tested formulas. Yet the numbers compare favourably. What’s more, each time other superstars move away from their secure comfort zones, they falter. As Naseer uddin Shah says, “Aamir is the only star I can think of who is not producing films only to make money. And the same directors have fallen flat when they have attempted similar films without him. That says a lot about him.”

“Perhaps a star should be measured by his flops,” says Aamir wickedly, confident in the knowledge that Mangal Pandey made about 18 crore in its first week, while hits like Veer Zaara made 17. But that’s only a momentary wickedness. Truth is, Aamir and Shah Rukh represent two diametrically different impulses in the industry. Shah Rukh is the Dionysian principle: charisma, material flamboyance, and cheeky self-appropriations, endearing in their outrageousness. He does not challenge people, he fulfils their fantasy. He makes people comfortable because he allows them to coast in shallow waters: he is the magnified image of the world’s hunger for razzle-dazzle luxury: its desire to work hard and live light. There’s an honesty to that which has a charm of its own. It may not make for great cinema, but it creates great and crucial placebos.

Aamir represents something harder, more complex. He whispers to people about their better selves. His stardom lies in his craft, his deep, almost uncanny, acumen to reach for the heart of things. The mystique of Aamir is that he is an idealist in an industry that does not require him to be one. That’s his magic move. And it pays rich dividends.

Drawing away from Aamir’s house, a cab driver says, “Is sheher mein bahut sitare dikhte hain, par is aadmi ko dekh ke dil khush ho jata hai. Bahut nek hain. (This is a city full of stars, but seeing this man makes one’s heart happy. There is such a clean sincerity about him.)” And purity can be very flamboyant. As Jaideep Sahni, scriptwriter, Chak De, says, “In a cynical world, what can be more flamboyant emotionally for people than an important man who consistently stands by what he believes in. I’m certain Aamir’s film will have great sensitivity coupled with a quiet aggression about what the film has to say, backed by the philosophy that nothing has the right to be boring.

TZP lives up to that. As Javed Akhtar says, “Taare has a minimal quality that only masters of their art can afford. They know how much is enough — you find this in actors like Brando and poets like Meer.” Writing about Aamir can be hazardous, because to ring true, every encomium needs a critical note the black spot that will make it real. In Aamir’s case, it’s tough to find. He can be bull-headed, Mehra offers gamely. But that’s a necessary trait. To hear the flute note.

[LosingNow]

Kic:
Thanks for posting this. I like Aamir Khan and am looking forward to TZP. It is good to see that he is different from others.

The skeptic in me still feels that the article is a bit over the top.

[keep-it-cool]

Almost like a testimonial, isn't it?? I agree.

I however look on the good words that his peers in the industry - names such as Naseer, Rakyesh Mehra, Ravi Chandran - have for him as big compliments. One cannot take away from him the credit for pioneering things such as "one film at a time", sync sound, backing virtually unknown directors / non formulaic scripts by putting his own money on the line etc.

Anyway, I dont really have any opinion on Aamir, the man. I have found that I generally like the movies he features in .. barring the odd Mela or Ishq ... and, that is the reason I am a big fan.

[LosingNow]

The first review is out.. I don't like Taran Adarsh's reviews but he has seen this movie before anyone else!!
--
Taare Zameen Par Review

By Taran Adarsh, December 18, 2007 - 14:25 IST

Come to think of it, after two back-to-back hits [RANG DE BASANTI, FANAA], Aamir Khan could've given a positive nod to any masala flick and chosen to work with anyone he desired. But he preferred to make a film on a dyslexic kid, make him the focal point of the story and don three caps -- producer, actor and director.

At the very outset, let's make one thing clear. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR isn't one of those films that merely entertains, but also enlightens. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is one film that makes you peep into a child's mind and how some parents, in their pursuit to make them 'stronger' academically, forget that there's hitherto untapped talent that needs to be nourished and encouraged.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR drives home a strong message, making you empathize with the kid, compelling you to draw parallels with your life, making one realize that some of the renowned geniuses were once scoffed at, but the world had to bow down to their intellect later.

Sure, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR boasts of a story that strikes a chord, but most importantly, it has been treated with such sensitivity and maturity that you're left shell-shocked in amazement by the sheer impact it leaves at the end of this 18 reeler.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR heralds the birth of a topnotch storyteller -- Aamir Khan. To choose a story that's a far cry from the mundane stuff that's being churned out like factory products, requires courage and conviction and to execute it with panache is a rarity.

Those who somewhere nursed a grudge that the camera follows Aamir in all his films, will chew their words once they watch TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. Yes, Aamir has a key role to portray as an actor, but the camera captures the child's emotions like never before in a Hindi film. Also, let's also clear the myth about TAARE ZAMEEN PAR being a kiddie film. It's not! It's about children. Note the difference!

In a nutshell, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR serves as a wake up call for every parent or parent-to-be. Also, it heralds the arrival of a magnificent storyteller -- Aamir Khan. At the end of the day, it's not difficult to choose who's better -- Aamir, the actor or Aamir, the director. TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is a triumph all the way from the director's point of view.

Ishaan Awasthi [Darsheel Safary] is an eight-year-old whose world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colors, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class.

When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to 'be disciplined'. Things are no different at his new school and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family.

One day a new art teacher bursts onto the scene, Ram Shankar Nikumbh [Aamir Khan], who infects the students with joy and optimism. He breaks all the rules of 'how things are done' by asking them to think, dream and imagine, and all the children respond with enthusiasm, all except Ishaan.

Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy and he sets out to discover why. With time, patience and care, he ultimately helps Ishaan find himself.

On face-value, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR looks like a kiddie film, but as the story unfolds, you realize that the story peeps into the mind and heart of a kid, his interests, his hobbies, his strengths and weaknesses. The director opens the cards at the very outset, when you realize that the kid is just not interested in books/studies. And his interaction with his stern father, doting mother and lovable brother is straight out of life.

A number of sequences in the first hour leave you spellbound --

-Ishaan's altercation with the neighboring kid over a cricket ball;

-Ishaan's parents' decision of putting him in a hostel and Ishaan's constant pleas falling on deaf ears;

-Ishaan going into a shell in the boarding school, looking disinterested in life. Also, the art teacher punishing him for his inattentive behavior.

There are several moments in the first hour that make you moist-eyed. The bonding between the mother and son is remarkable. These moments effectively capture the special bonding, making you realize that a mother's mere touch can act like a soothing balm on a troubled soul.

Aamir takes the courageous stand of placing the story on Ishaan's shoulders right through the first hour and not once do you feel that the kid doesn't have the power to keep your attention arrested.

The second hour is equally challenging and most importantly, motivating. The introduction of Aamir's character, Aamir spotting the indolent Ishaan, Aamir traveling to Mumbai to meet Ishaan's parents and then citing examples of extra-ordinary men who were ridiculed by their contemporaries/peers -- these moments linger in your memory even after the show has concluded.

But the best part is reserved for the finale -- the art competition in the penultimate twenty minutes. The emotions reach an all-time high as the kid regains his confidence. The finale would melt even the stone-hearted!

Directorially, Aamir Khan deserves distinction marks for extracting an exemplary performance from the kid and handling the plot with supreme sensitivity. In his debut film itself, Aamir proves that he's a gifted storyteller, someone who has the courage to swim against the tide and also convince the viewer that there's more to film-making than the mere masala entertainers. Bravo!

Setu's cinematography is mesmeric. The camera captures every minute detail, every emotion, every tear with precision. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is easy on the ears. 'Bum Bum Bole', 'Jame Raho' and the title track are first-rate compositions. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics in 'Maa' deserve special mention. Editing [Deepa Bhatia] does justice to the material. Only thing, the film, if trimmed [second hour], will only be more impactful. Animation and visual effects are fantastic.

TAARE ZAMEEN PAR belongs to Master Darsheel Safary. A performance that make the best of performances pale in comparison. A performance that deserves brownie points. A performance that'll always come first on your mind the moment someone mentions TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. A performance that's impeccable, flawless and astounding. A performance that moves you and makes you reflect on your growing years. A performance that merits a special award!

Aamir is excellent. Note his scenes with the father of the kid. First, when he visits their home. Next time, when he cites the example of Solomon Islands. Splendid! Tisca Chopra is outstanding. Here's an actress who needs to be lapped up in a big way by film-makers.

Tanay Cheda [as Ishaan's friend Rajan Damodaran] is excellent. Vipin Sharma [Ishaan's father] is slightly theatrical. Sachet Engineer [Ishaan's elder brother] is apt. The teachers have performed well.

On the whole, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR 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!


4 out of 5 stars
--
http://www.indiafm.com/movies/review/13306/index.html
--
I donno how this will do at the BO...given that Welcome with Akshay Kumar is being released on the same day.

[Zacked]

Even Anurag Kashyap has talked highly of this film on his blog....

www.passionforcinema.com

I think the kid in the film is gonna win all the laurels

[LosingNow]

Thanks Zacked for the link. Interesting comments in the comments section.

Looks like if I watch this movie with wife, I will have to take a kleenex box with me.

[Zacked]

 

coming back to the point aint sure if its just the hype... i trust aamir to do something different... will watch it on friday.. wanted to watch today but ... night shift sux

[LosingNow]

coming back to the point aint sure if its just the hype... i trust aamir to do something different... will watch it on friday.. wanted to watch today but ... night shift sux

Oh.. it is released already? I thought it was 21st.

I just checked our theaters.. they have Billa(Tamil) and Welcome playing on Friday and Saturday..and TZP for one show on Sunday. AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH.

[Zacked]

yeah it did got released here in dubai,,,

[LosingNow]

yeah it did got released here in dubai,,,

Oh..because your weekend starts early ?

[Zacked]

i guess its because it was Eid here yesterday... n yeah i am working on Eid Day

[keep-it-cool]

WN, taran adarsh is a joke. He had written a simililarly raving review for mein prem ki diwani hoon. I am scared when he likes something. Anurag Kashyap,s views are good to see.

[LosingNow]

WN, taran adarsh is a joke. He had written a simililarly raving review for mein prem ki diwani hoon. I am scared when he likes something.

LOL.. I agree he is a joke and a joker.

[dhruvdeepak]

BEAUTIFUL MOVEI!! 5 stars. the topic of dyslexia was handled to adeptly and delicately, differentiating it from problems such as mental retardation etc. aamir and the boy did a superb job. and overall the movie was very tastefully done, handled really well. excellent story too, and a real kick up the backside for some parents. a very relevant topic, and bravo for bringing out a movie on an issue that matters.

 

[LosingNow]

BEAUTIFUL MOVEI!! 5 stars. the topic of dyslexia was handled to adeptly and delicately, differentiating it from problems such as mental retardation etc. aamir and the boy did a superb job. and overall the movie was very tastefully done, handled really well. excellent story too, and a real kick up the backside for some parents. a very relevant topic, and bravo for bringing out a movie on an issue that matters.

 

Great .. I assume that is 5 out of 5! 
I will see it on Saturday. Were the theaters full and what was the audience reaction

[dextrous]

anyone know if its any good? one of the theaters here is playing it...but don't want to waste money if it isn't

[Aloo Kashmiri Ul Haq]

not your usual masala film, but a good watch

[Zacked]

it seems dd watched it and liked it

http://www.cricketvoice.com/cricketforum2/index.php?topic=14011.msg175955#msg175955

can u merge both the topics

[LosingNow]

Rajeev Masand, Raja Sen and Anupama Chopra.. now I am waiting for our resident experts - KIC & JFK
--
Review: Taare Zameen Par may change your life

Rajeev Masand / CNN-IBN

Cast: Aamir Khan, Ishaan Awasthi

Director: Aamir Khan

Don't sign off on your list of the Best Films of 2007 just yet, because ladies and gentlemen, the year's most honourable film has arrived. Taare Zameen Par, directed by Aamir Khan and written by Amole Gupte is the one film you have to watch, even if you haven't watched anything else this year because it's a film with a big heart, an important message, but mostly because it's a film that could change your life.

Who can't relate with Taare Zameen Par's eight-year-old protagonist Ishaan Awasthi who can't seem to get his head around his studies? Be it words or numbers, he struggles to make sense of them, falling way behind his classmates, much to the frustration of his teachers and his parents.

Naturally, it doesn't help that his elder brother is a class topper and a tennis champ to boot. Ishaan meanwhile, is a dreamer who's fascinated with little fish, and spends most days punished outside class letting his imagination run riot. At home, he's mixing colours, painting away instead of doing his homework.

Convinced that some strict discipline will straighten him out, Ishaan's father packs him off to a boarding school, much against both his wife and Ishaan's wishes. Unable to deal with this betrayal, Ishaan goes into a shell at his new school, not only failing to show any improvement in his academics, but also no longer inspired to paint. When substitute art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, recognizes in him all the symptoms of dyslexia, he takes it upon himself to help Ishaan.

First educating his parents about his condition, then urging the school's principal to give the boy more time to catch up, Nikumbh devises unconventional methods to teach the boy, and succeeds eventually in changing his life forever.

There should be no doubt whatsoever in anybody's mind after watching Taare Zameen Par that the real hero of this film is its remarkable, rooted, rock-solid script which provides the landscape for such an emotionally engaging, heart-warming experience.

Between the writer and director, they construct some of the most memorable moments you're likely to come across on screen. Take that simple one that illustrates the everydayness of a schoolboy's life - the one in which we see Ishaan biding his time, punished outside class, moon-walking in the corridor and burping away enthusiastically. Or that heart-wrenching scene in which Ishaan's mother discovers a flip-book he made which reveals just how vulnerable he's been feeling.

It's not just the little moments that stay with you, but also the film's crucial scenes, which are handled with such rare maturity. Like the one in which Aamir, playing art teacher Nikumbh, recognizes that Ishaan has dyslexia when he takes a closer look at the boy's notebooks and identifies such obvious symptoms as poor handwriting, inconsistent spelling and mirror-image writing - it's a big revelation scene and it's filmed in such an inclusive manner that we as the audience make that discovery with Nikumbh.

And then there's that other scene which I consider the most important in the film - the one in which Nikumbh visits Ishaan's home and explains to his parents what exactly is the problem with their son, and how they may have damaged his confidence even further - it's a poignant and delicate scene because Nikumbh is at once confrontational, admonishing, comforting and hopeful, and it works also because it's performed so instinctively by Aamir and the actor playing Ishaan's father.

Lest you be mistaken, let me make it clear that although it's centred around a dyslexic protagonist, Taare Zameen Par is not a film about dyslexia. Nor is it a film about any disease or disorder. It's a film about parents and children, about the pressures we put on our kids, about how we push them into becoming assembly-line products instead of encouraging them to find their own unique strengths. It's also about finding our heroes.

In that, it is a noble film. It's well-intended and sincere, and it goes about its business with utmost earnestness. Of course Taare Zameen Par has its fair share of hiccups, but then which film doesn't. At times snail-paced and repetitive, it takes its own sweet time to unfold. It also rushes through Ishaan's whole "learning process" in the end, a portion where a little more patience and detail might have helped.

But such nitpicking aside, Taare Zameen Par is an accomplished effort - it's that rare film that carries an important message and tells a sensitive story, all within the Bollywood-movie format. Yes don't for a moment forget that this is no niche film, it's a film meant for all, and hence the commercial trappings.

Few films have innate goodness within them and Taare Zameen Par is one such film. It tugs at your heartstrings, it urges you to introspect, it makes you look at children differently. How many Bollywood films achieve all that? Simple in the truest sense of the word, it's a film that wins your heart because it's such a relatable story - Ishaan could be your friend, your child, who knows he could be you.

You'll recognize the other characters too, they're all flesh and blood people you know only too well, even though the actors who play them are mostly anonymous faces. Vipin Sharma and Tisca Chopra who play Ishaan's father and mother respectively, make their characters instantly relatable by approaching their roles instinctively.

As Ram Shankar Nikumbh, Ishaan's well-meaning teacher, Aamir Khan is expectedly brilliant, delivering a mature, sensitive performance, adding those little touches that make a difference. It is to his credit as an actor and director that he never once over-shadows the real star performer - Darsheel Safary, who steals your heart as Ishaan Awasthi. Darsheel is a revelation as an actor, he's spontaneous and lovable and carries this film completely on his shoulders.

Taare Zameen Par benefits enormously from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's inspired score, which is original and unconventional, and complements Prasoon Joshi's lyrics perfectly. As a director, Aamir Khan makes a solid debut, turning a fantastic script into a fantastic film.

Never once falling into that trap that most debutant directors cannot escape, Aamir doesn't feel the need to show off with fancy camera angles and stylish storytelling tools. He lets the drama take its own course, keeping a simplistic, accessible style at all times.

When he does use ingenious tools, it's in keeping with the scenes' requirements - like those excellent animation and claymation portions used to convey Ishaan's wildly imaginative thoughts. With no hesitation at all, I'm going with four out of five and two big thumbs up for Taare Zameen Par, it's easily one of the finest films you'll see in a long time.

The film's success is the result of both Amole Gupte's tremendous script, and Aamir Khan's nurturing supervision. Neither could have achieved this without the other. Be prepared to shed tears, not because it's always a sad story, but because it's such an overwhelming experience.

Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
---
Aamir's Taare is a nice watch

Raja Sen | December 21, 2007 | 12:02 IST

Mighty nice, Mr Khan, mighty nice.

Taare Zameen Par is an impressive debut indeed for filmmaker Aamir Khan, and showcases a brilliant performance by the young Darsheel Safary�-- one of those child actors you can't possibly resist. More than just dyslexia, the film is a look at childhood dreamers who feel shunted out by the rest of the world, the cruel world that doesn't understand them. At some level, I guess we all relate. And this ends up a nice watch -- sincere, even if somewhat simplistic.

Aamir is particularly gifted with imagery. The film opens with Darsheel's character, the impish Ishaan Awasthi fishing from a naala, and heading home to literally feed dogs his homework. The child doesn't talk much but is strikingly imaginative -- a Calvin without his Hobbes -- and given to art. Misunderstood at almost every step, he stands up to a local bully defiantly, as scrappy as the strays that chewed upon his test papers. His parents have their hands full, choosing instead to concentrate on their elder son, an achiever of Complan-Boy levels.

Darsheel is superb in the role as we see him bewildered, then hurt, then frustrated with constant rejection. Khan, who handles the school sections of the film with relatable nostalgia, reels us in with poignant, simple visuals and makes us feel the child's pained confusion. A song bursts onto the scene, cut smartly like an edgy music video, showing Ishaan's father (played by Vipin Sharma) get ready for a business trip, while his harrowed mother (Tisca Chopra) gets eggs and bread ready for first father then each son, in turn. All while Ishaan is blissfully oblivious to the need of the hour, or the hour itself. By this point, we're hooked.

A still from Taare Zameen ParIt is hard to know, as a director, when there can be too much of a good thing. Khan indulges himself with his nice little visual flourishes significantly in the first half, to the point of repetition. There is the clever device of the child�-- being shunted off to boarding school against his desperate pleas�-- making a flipbook which shows a family with one kid moving away, as the pages turn. It's a strong, simple touch, yet Khan chooses to show it to us again and again, showing the audience the flipbook every time any character sees it.

While Ishaan stands in a corridor, punished, some seniors walk by. Each of them -- every single one -- points and laughs at our protagonist, which is depressingly overdone and unreal -- even social outcasts aren't picked on by everyone; a lot of the kids just wouldn't give him a second look. The first few times the teachers rebuke Ishaan or are frustrated by him, it works. But we are forced to see everything again: pain in English class, Maths, Hindi... and so on. Flip, flipbook, flip. It doesn't help that outside of Darsheel and Tisca (and later, of course, Aamir), the rest of the performances seem either amateurish or over-the-top.

The director himself enters neatly at halftime, shushing us to announce intermission. Aamir plays temporary Art teacher Ramshankar Nikumbh, one who works part-time with a special-needs school, and wants Ishaan and his buddies to open up. Khan plays the role in just the right key, a sympathetic teacher who notices a problem but doesn't want to force himself through the child's shell. It is he who realises Ishaan has dyslexia, and goes to meet the Awasthis.

Aamir now balances his own character speaking like a Public Service Announcement with Ishaan's father spouting lines seemingly written for... laughs? Sure, they are laughs at his ignorance and a look at his lack of conviction, but the sharp contrast between the two seems contrived. The child's mother rapidly goes from confused-but-undoubtedly-caring to one who thinks googling dyslexia is enough. In fact, the whole parental angle is left considerably half-baked, seeming to serve only for a few good comebacks the teacher gets to make.

A still from Taare Zameen ParYet, let's discount that as nitpicking. This is the story of the child and his teacher, and Nikumbh stands at a blackboard and shows pictures of Albert Einstein and Abhishek Bachchan and tells us� -- and the kids -- that dyslexia is more common than we think, and that it can be helped given the proper aid. Nikumbh speaks to the faculties, asks that Ishaan be given a little more time, and, after having educating the audience thoroughly on dyslexia, proceeds to charm Ishaan out of it.

Though I really wish Nikumbh didn't confess to himself having grown up with the disability; it makes it feel like only ones who have experienced it can empathise with the condition.

All great, except he does this over the length of one song. There are far too many musical digressions in this film anyway -- and while most are touching interludes to enhance the narrative, they end up stroking what's already been touched�-- yet this is wrong in particular, to show and identify the problem and then dismiss it in a manner of minutes. It is all very well to depict that love and care will conquer all, but the process cannot be as simple as making plasticine elephants.

The songs are good, however, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy do a bang-up job, as does lyricist Prasoon Joshi. Scriptwriter and conceptualiser Amole Gupte has clearly written a heartfelt script, and his imprint lies all over the film, even visually -- outside of the two final paintings painted by Samir Mondal, all of Ishaan's artwork is done either by Gupte or his wife Deepa, who also edited the film. This is clearly a labour of love for them.

Highly watchable and�-- again, because of Darsheel and Aamir's knack for sentimental imagery�-- warmly likeable, Taare flounders fatally at the end. Sure, it's okay to appease the masses with a tacked-on and cheesy ending, but for a film which stresses that we need to give our kids their space and not force themselves into constant comparisons, a film which asks them to take their time to find their talents, the climax becomes about a competition, about how winning magically makes everything better. And that's a scary thought, in context of what the film tries to say, overall.

Taare Zameen Par is, above all else, an earnest film.�

Aamir brings us the debut of both a great child actor and a budding director with a fine eye, though he seems slightly Ashutosh'd in terms of pace. Economy is the one thing this film cries out for. Crisper, tighter, and less repetitive, and we'd have a very good movie on our hands. For now, we have a director with clear potential for solid work. And we need as many of those as we can get.

Rediff Rating: 3/5
---
http://www.ndtvmovies.com/reviews.asp?lang=hindi&id=286&moviename=Taare+Zameen+Par

- Anupama Chopra, Consulting Editor, Films

This week marks the directorial debut of Aamir Khan. Aamir, easily the best actor of his generation, carries a heavy load in Taare Zameen Par.

He directs, produces and plays the lead. Incredible enough, he scores in all departments.

Taare Zameen Par is a difficult story, simply told. Clearly, Aamir is not aiming to impress us with snazzy technique or craft. What he constructs instead is a heart-wrenching tale of Ishaan Awasthi, a nine-year-old boy who suffers from dyslexia.

Ishaan is the kind of kid who spends hours watching fish swimming in a gutter but routinely fails school. To him, the letters of the alphabet seem like a swarm of insects that he must escape from.

He is hounded by teachers who don't have the time or energy to delve into Ishaan's problems. Eventually even his frustrated parents dump him into a boarding school hoping he will be disciplined into conformity and productivity.

Ishaan's fiesty spirit and enormous artistic talent has almost been crushed when an arts teacher reaches out to him and helps him to soar.

Taare Zameen Par is an insightful journey into childhood. The film is likely to alter your view of children because it paints their joys and horrors so accurately.

Aamir and his writer and creative director Amol Gupte persuasively argue against parents imposing their ambitions and aspirations on their children. At times, they argue too hard. Post-interval the film becomes more polemics than plot. But don't lose your patience either with the slow pacing pre-interval or lecture-baazi after it.

The narrative picks up and builds to a superb climax. This film would have been impossible not without Aamir but without Darsheel Safary who is a better actor than many of the adults in Bollywood.

He's in almost every frame of the film and he never hits a false note. He makes even the slow and repetitive scenes work. Aamir is also superbly controlled as Ishaan's guardian angel.

Taare Zameen Par is deeply emotional without being manipulative. It's moving and magical, in a quiet heartfelt way. I strongly recommend that you see it and carry a large hankie with you. I can't remember the last time I cried so much in a film.

Rating : 4/5

[Zacked]

Brilliant stuff... amazing movie ... a must watch .. The kids turned up a tremendous performance.. and we all Know Aamir Khan never dissapoints.. when every star in the industry is flaunting thier 6 pack abz and doing item *ty songs Aamir Khan has dared to be different and it shows.. Take a Bow Aamir Khan 

[LosingNow]

Saw the movie..

Frankly, I am torn. I like Aamir khan and wanted to absolutely love this movie.

Movie was good and is definitely worth a watch ..but cannot be given 5 out of 5 stars. 3.5 to 4 ..at best.

The positives.. uniqueness of the script, the kid's mind-blowing performance. Tischa chopra was very good

The negatives .. weak direction (great effort by a first time director..but overall could have been much much better), movie could have been shorter and tighter ..and somewhat less preachy. It was also not Aamir's best acting job. Also, casting of the father was bad.. that guy is a bad actor.

I think Aamir should have either directed or acted in this movie. The looseness in some scenes, direction and somewhat Aamir's own acting (I felt a polished director would have limited Aamir's going overboard in many scenes)..indicates to me that he had too much in his hands. Further, this is a very very sensitive and delicate subject matter to get right.. and the length, the preachiness, the repetitiveness .. while did not diminish the message of the movie but could have made it more impactful.

Hats off to Aamir for trying something daring and different. The movie is good ..but I think it could have been great!

BTW, based on the reactions here in Phoenix (the theater was half-empty for the first show on Sat night - which always sells out- while Welcome next door was full), I have serious doubts that this movie will do well at the BO (specially in India, it may do well outside India) .. unless it gets a positive word-of-mouth.

[LosingNow]

Just re-read the reviews..

Raja Sen is spot-on!!

[keep-it-cool]

Awesome movie ... I know very little about the technical aspects of film making, but purely as a viewer, from my perspective, this would definitely be between 4 and 5 stars out of 5.

I have no issues with the pace or length or songs or how the entire issue of dyslexia (and how the kid overcomes it) have been dealt with. The only thing which struck me as paradoxical was the fact that the final redemption comes by way of winning a contest ... where the message throughout has been about the need to get out of this obsession of being on top. I guess that is where the commercial aspect came in ... and, I guess, I can live with that.

Excellent performances all round .. especially by Darsheel ... I hope the kid gets nominated for all awards under the best actor category and not under best child artiste ... but, I guess that is really expecting too much.

PS ... the songs didnt sound very impressive when I heard them first ... but, they took on a whole new meaning when one sees them in the movie ... especially the song "Ma" .. I dont think there was a single dry eye in the hall during that one.

[keep-it-cool]

I have serious doubts that this movie will do well at the BO (specially in India, it may do well outside India) .. unless it gets a positive word-of-mouth.

I doubt this will be a problem ... the show I watched (on a working day) was full .. and tickets were sold out for the 25th too. I suspect this movie is one where word of mouth and all the positive reviews in the press will see collections picking up significantly for a few weekends at least.

Incidentally, aamir is on cloud nine .. read his comments on his blog.

[LosingNow]

I have serious doubts that this movie will do well at the BO (specially in India, it may do well outside India) .. unless it gets a positive word-of-mouth.

I doubt this will be a problem ... the show I watched (on a working day) was full .. and tickets were sold out for the 25th too. I suspect this movie is one where word of mouth and all the positive reviews in the press will see collections picking up significantly for a few weekends at least.

Incidentally, aamir is on cloud nine .. read his comments on his blog.

I read his blog.. his distributor is predicting that TZP will go beyond OSO !!

Anyway.. I think your word-of-mouth theory is working..
--
Taare Zameen Par adds to Christmas sparkle at box-office
26 Dec, 2007, 0205 hrs IST,Meenakshi Verma, TNN

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/Taare_Zameen_Par_sparkles_at_box-office/articleshow/2650998.cms

NEW DELHI: Four days after the release of Taare Zameen Par, actor, co-producer and director Aamir Khan is a happy man. His maiden directorial venture has received a “dream response” from his fans. Despite an initial tiff between exhibitors and distributors on revenue sharing, both Taare Zameen Par (TZP) and Welcome have managed to rake in the moolah, turning the yuletide extended weekend into a premiere season, as important as Diwali for Bollywood.

TZP, which opened with 425 prints pan-India, has raked in Rs 15 crore at the domestic box office in the first three days. PVR Pictures’ first co-production is expected to touch an estimated Rs 20-21 crore by Tuesday-end in revenues. TZP’s co-producer & director Aamir Khan told ET: “The movie has received a great response. I got a standing ovation from fans. It has appealed to all age groups — from 15-45 years, parents to kids — and it is being watched repeatedly. I agree the movie has been marketed well and it was a good week for the release. But I think if the content is bad, marketing alone cannot save any movie. TZP’s storyline has been received well by all.”

He added that an estimated Rs 3 crore was spent on marketing the movie in the domestic circuit. “We got a good response overseas with the US market. The movie is being appreciated and the collections are good,” Mr Khan said. Talking about future targets for his company, Aamir Khan Productions (AKPL), he said: “AKPL would target a variety of relevant scripts — some more mainstream, others less so. But I would strive to make movies that have good scripts and are economically viable for everyone involved with them. This is something which I have learnt in the past 20 years of my career.”

AKPL has lined up projects with partners like PVR Pictures and UTV in the near future. Mr Khan will be next seen in the role of a producer in another PVR co-production Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na where he is launching his nephew Imran Khan.

His next as an actor will be the Hindi remake of Tamil film Ghajini. “I don’t know when will I next direct a movie; it depends on the kind of scripts I get,” he added. Aamir Khan, however, denied that he is consciously moving towards non-commercial cinema. “It is not a conscious decision. My last movie Fanaa was a commercial film. In fact my next (Ghajini remake) would be an action flick. So, it all depends on the kind of scripts I get and like.”

TZP missed the first show on Friday at non-PVR Cinema screens since multiplex owners did not settle down on revenue sharing. “Yes, it has impacted the revenues a bit and created confusion in the minds of moviegoers about timings and we did lose some shows because of the problem. However, it’s not a big problem and the industry people — directors, producers and exhibition company — just need to sit together and sort it out,” Mr Khan added.

Akshay Kumar-starrer Welcome’s distributors, Indian Film Company, said the movie was released with 825 prints and raked in around Rs 17 crore pan-India in the first three days. Indian Film Company’s Priti Shahani said: “We expect collections of over Rs 31 crore by Thursday and expect to be among the top grossers of the year for Bollywood. This also indicates that the Christmas weekend is now as significant as Diwali for the industry.”

Welcome’s screening started only by Saturday afternoon due to the tiff with distributors, particularly persistent in Mumbai and Thane. “Welcome did lose some business to TZP, however the opening was phenomenal and it kind of picked up. The occupancy levels at our theatres for Welcome ranged between 80% and 90%, and for TZP it has been 85-90%,” said Shravan Shroff, CMD, Shringar Cinemas.

Industry players believe that while Taare Zameen Par started on a slow note, occupancies picked up on Monday and Tuesday, Welcome, which hit the screens only on Saturday, did very well. Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra agreed that both films are doing well and not cannibalising each other, thanks to totally different content.

Gautam Dutta, CEO - Cine Media, PVR, said: “Both movies are beautifully co-existing rather than cannibalising each other. While Taare Zameen Par is a sensitive movie, Welcome is a comedy. Therefore, the audience is going to watch both.” As for Aamir Khan, TZP spelt more than just box office success. Working on a script about a dyslexic child made him more sensitive to kids in general, he said.

[LosingNow]

Awesome movie ... I know very little about the technical aspects of film making, but purely as a viewer, from my perspective, this would definitely be between 4 and 5 stars out of 5.

I have no issues with the pace or length or songs or how the entire issue of dyslexia (and how the kid overcomes it) have been dealt with. The only thing which struck me as paradoxical was the fact that the final redemption comes by way of winning a contest ... where the message throughout has been about the need to get out of this obsession of being on top. I guess that is where the commercial aspect came in ... and, I guess, I can live with that.

Excellent performances all round .. especially by Darsheel ... I hope the kid gets nominated for all awards under the best actor category and not under best child artiste ... but, I guess that is really expecting too much.

PS ... the songs didnt sound very impressive when I heard them first ... but, they took on a whole new meaning when one sees them in the movie ... especially the song "Ma" .. I dont think there was a single dry eye in the hall during that one.

Agree with what all you said..
..just that it is not 5 star.. and if the direction was tighter and casting better.. it would have been 5 stars and also clear worthy of an Oscar nomination (and maybe a win in the foreign category!).

That is the tragedy.. I think Aamir overworked himself by taking too much on his plate.

[Zacked]

TZP makes it to IMDB top 250 movies list

http://www.imdb.com/chart/top?tt0986264

and is currently no.1 on IMDB Drama List

http://www.imdb.com/chart/drama

[keep-it-cool]

Awesome movie ... I know very little about the technical aspects of film making, but purely as a viewer, from my perspective, this would definitely be between 4 and 5 stars out of 5.

I have no issues with the pace or length or songs or how the entire issue of dyslexia (and how the kid overcomes it) have been dealt with. The only thing which struck me as paradoxical was the fact that the final redemption comes by way of winning a contest ... where the message throughout has been about the need to get out of this obsession of being on top. I guess that is where the commercial aspect came in ... and, I guess, I can live with that.

Excellent performances all round .. especially by Darsheel ... I hope the kid gets nominated for all awards under the best actor category and not under best child artiste ... but, I guess that is really expecting too much.

PS ... the songs didnt sound very impressive when I heard them first ... but, they took on a whole new meaning when one sees them in the movie ... especially the song "Ma" .. I dont think there was a single dry eye in the hall during that one.

Agree with what all you said..
..just that it is not 5 star.. and if the direction was tighter and casting better.. it would have been 5 stars and also clear worthy of an Oscar nomination (and maybe a win in the foreign category!).

That is the tragedy.. I think Aamir overworked himself by taking too much on his plate.

Well, it would be among the frontrunners to be the Indian entry for the Oscars, I am sure.

Btw ... Welcome sucks .. unless your idea of comedy is a kid urinating onto the camera and people biting each others' legs and all that running around that has been patented by Priyadarshan.

It seemed almost like watching the Great Indian Laughter Challenge .. some jokes are good .. others are bad and a lot of it is plain buffoonery ... really, these guys need to take lessons from David Dhawan or even Raj Kumar Santoshi (remember Andaz Apna Apna) on how to make nonsensical comedy. I know one should leave ones brains behind and watch .. but even then this is a pain!

[LosingNow]

Awesome movie ... I know very little about the technical aspects of film making, but purely as a viewer, from my perspective, this would definitely be between 4 and 5 stars out of 5.

I have no issues with the pace or length or songs or how the entire issue of dyslexia (and how the kid overcomes it) have been dealt with. The only thing which struck me as paradoxical was the fact that the final redemption comes by way of winning a contest ... where the message throughout has been about the need to get out of this obsession of being on top. I guess that is where the commercial aspect came in ... and, I guess, I can live with that.

Excellent performances all round .. especially by Darsheel ... I hope the kid gets nominated for all awards under the best actor category and not under best child artiste ... but, I guess that is really expecting too much.

PS ... the songs didnt sound very impressive when I heard them first ... but, they took on a whole new meaning when one sees them in the movie ... especially the song "Ma" .. I dont think there was a single dry eye in the hall during that one.

Agree with what all you said..
..just that it is not 5 star.. and if the direction was tighter and casting better.. it would have been 5 stars and also clear worthy of an Oscar nomination (and maybe a win in the foreign category!).

That is the tragedy.. I think Aamir overworked himself by taking too much on his plate.

Well, it would be among the frontrunners to be the Indian entry for the Oscars, I am sure.

Btw ... Welcome sucks .. unless your idea of comedy is a kid urinating onto the camera and people biting each others' legs and all that running around that has been patented by Priyadarshan.

It seemed almost like watching the Great Indian Laughter Challenge .. some jokes are good .. others are bad and a lot of it is plain buffoonery ... really, these guys need to take lessons from David Dhawan or even Raj Kumar Santoshi (remember Andaz Apna Apna) on how to make nonsensical comedy. I know one should leave ones brains behind and watch .. but even then this is a pain!

TZP will be the front runner or may be India's entry into Oscars.. but it will not win the Oscar. Seriously, the screenplay, the direction and the acting by the father & teachers could have been much much better.

The less we talk about Welcome .. the better. What a piece of trash. I guess Akshay Kumar is the new Mithun/Govinda.. who can sell anything to the tapori & "truly truly brain-less entertainment seeking" crowd.

[LosingNow]

Actually, I would rate JG ahead of TZP .. for Indian awards ..and maybe also for Oscars. JG was a much tighter movie and had controlled performances.

[keep-it-cool]

Actually, I would rate JG ahead of TZP .. for Indian awards ..and maybe also for Oscars. JG was a much tighter movie and had controlled performances.

Agreed .. it is largely between these two in my mind too ... although I find it difficult to rank the two and think TZP is slightly better. Anyway, they are totally different genres and have their own strengths.

I dont think JG stands much chance in the popular awards ... just as Khosla ka Ghosla failed to get anything last year while KANK got its share of awards.

[keep-it-cool]

TZP will be the front runner or may be India's entry into Oscars.. but it will not win the Oscar. Seriously, the screenplay, the direction and the acting by the father & teachers could have been much much better.

The father could have been better, but I dont think the teachers are too far away from reality .. I have seen worse in real life. However, I really have no clue whether this deserves an Oscar or not .. and, anyway, it does not really matter in the overall scheme of things.

The less we talk about Welcome .. the better. What a piece of trash. I guess Akshay Kumar is the new Mithun/Govinda.. who can sell anything to the tapori & "truly truly brain-less entertainment seeking" crowd.

I am proud to be a part of this crowd .. but even we deserve better. I watched Andaz Apna Apna again to remove all traces of Welcome from my mind.

[LosingNow]

TZP will be the front runner or may be India's entry into Oscars.. but it will not win the Oscar. Seriously, the screenplay, the direction and the acting by the father & teachers could have been much much better.

The father could have been better, but I dont think the teachers are too far away from reality .. I have seen worse in real life. However, I really have no clue whether this deserves an Oscar or not .. and, anyway, it does not really matter in the overall scheme of things.

The less we talk about Welcome .. the better. What a piece of trash. I guess Akshay Kumar is the new Mithun/Govinda.. who can sell anything to the tapori & "truly truly brain-less entertainment seeking" crowd.

I am proud to be a part of this crowd .. but even we deserve better. I watched Andaz Apna Apna again to remove all traces of Welcome from my mind.

There is a difference.. Andaz apna apna was intelligent brain-less entertainment . Welcome is truly brain-less.
--
BTW, I saw Bheja Fry on my flight in.. I was rolling with laughter ..and people on the plane were giving me the look. Awesome flick. I am becoming a fan of Vinay Pathak. His Bharat Bhushan will go down as one of the defining characters in Indian cinema.

[keep-it-cool]

Vinay Pathak is on a roll ... excellent in Bheja Fry, Jhonny Gaddar, Manorama SFU .. he also was very good in Khoya khoya chand!

[feverpitch]

TZP was impressive in it's sensitive treatment and explanation of a difficult disease, but with one big wrong message in the end. A dyslexic child doesn't improve so drastically in his/ her studies over the course of a semester. This was a very filmy fantasy ending... however, I could overlook other glitches like the intro of the Aamir Khan character and it's subsequent development [I found the motivation for him to go to extremes to take care of the boy, like visiting his parents home, to be a bit too melodramatic and over the top], some of the paintings by the boy which looked too mature in their execution, etc — because there were so many other good things in it. Overall, this is a wonderful film and a must see for everyone.

[keep-it-cool]

http://www.businessofcinema.com/boc/?file=story&id=6414

Taare Zameen Par being applauded worldwide
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Businessofcinema.com Team
 
4 January 2008, 01:36 PM 
 
MUMBAI: Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par, being distributed by UTV Motion Pictures in the overseas market, has recorded grand collections worldwide. TZP collected more than $ 1.45 million alone in the US and Middle East at the end of second weekend, giving the film a bigger opening than Chak De! India in the US market.

In the Gulf, TZP collections crossed $ 600,000 on just 25 prints at the end of the second week and the film's collections have held strong over the weekdays as well. In the USA the film has raked in USD 850,000 opening with 71 prints on 66 screens in week one and has now expanded to 69 screens on 74 prints in week two.

The word of mouth is extremely strong on this film, which has sustained it during the weekday showings. There have also been reports of standing ovation for the film all across North America.

"Looking at the response of the film we are certain that it will be one of the top four Hindi films from India in the US," says UTV Motion Picture EVP marketing, syndicate and distribution Siddharth Roy Kapur.

"Every once in a while you are taken aback by a movie. It is a rare experience, especially coming from Bollywood," says owner of FunAsia, a multiplex chain with 27 screens across four cities in the US, Shariq Hamid.

"The movie is one of the best ones to come out of the Bollywood factory," he says.

[keep-it-cool]

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/257533.html

And the awards go to... wait till Jan 10 but shortlist is out
 
Mumbai, January 3: The countdown has begun for the most glittering night in Mumbai. Nominations for the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Film Awards 2007, the most awaited awards of the Mumbai Film industry, are out.

The most-talked about movies of the year-Chak De! India, Om Shanti Om, Guru and Taare Zameen Par-lead the pack but Life in a Metro, a low-budget film that received critical acclaim, has emerged as the dark horse.

While Aamir Khan’s path-breaking directorial debut Taare Zameen Par has bagged nominations in 17 categories, Shah Rukh Khan’s stupendous hits of this year, Chak De! India and Om Shanti Om (OSO), have notched up 12 and nine nominations respectively. Mani Ratnam’s Guru has got 14 nominations while Anurag Basu’s Life in a Metro has got 15.

The industry’s most glamorous awards ceremony, to be held on January 10 at the MMRDA Grounds in Bandra, Mumbai, is not so much about star rivalry as it is about the celebration of sheer cinematic excellence.

Both Chak De and Taare feature in top categories like Best Film and Best Director. Shah Rukh is also nominated for the Best Actor category for his performance in Chak De.

Year 2007 has seen the audience hail some films that departed from the conventional success formulae—and the awards celebrate them, too. *hi My Father, an Anil Kapoor production, gets six nominations while Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday and Sriram Raghavan’s Johnny Gaddaar get three each.

The Bachchan family dominates the Best Actor (Male and Female) Award categories—the Aishwarya and Abhishek-starrer Guru has got 14 nominations and father’s Cheeni Kum has managed three.

The ambitious Saawariya may not have turned out to be a profitable venture but has got nominations in eight categories including the Best Promising Newcomer (Male and Female) for Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor.

[keep-it-cool]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Babus-catch-Taare-Aamirs-celluloid-lessons-to-hit-schools-soon/258964/

Babus catch ‘Taare’, Aamir’s celluloid lessons to hit schools soon
Esha Roy

Posted online: Tuesday , January 08, 2008 at 12:00:00
Updated: Tuesday , January 08, 2008 at 02:23:34

New Delhi, January 7 All senior officials of the state government’s Education department were recently pulled to a theatre by department secretary Reena Ray to watch Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par — a movie that asks parents, teachers and also the system to build an awareness of what is significant to a particular child. Ray wanted to sensitise officials to the needs of children, and is ready to implement some of the innovative methods of teaching encouraged in the movie by Aamir Khan’s character, art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh.
Ray wanted her colleagues to know about the inner hells a child faces in school — cut-throat competition, bullying, corporal punishment, rejection from parents and the negatives of peer pressure. Ray said, “I have an elder sister who is physically challenged. She could not go to school. I did not think she was disabled — the school system was. This movie has shown the difference a teacher with a positive attitude can bring to a child’s life and to a school.”

The government will borrow several leaves from Khan’s movie to be implemented in its schools across the city. Among the more important ones is the technique by which Khan uses the school building, or parts of it, as a learning aid. Ray said, “The ‘building as a learning aid’ method, what we popularly call BaLA, is an interesting skill. The movie portrays several examples of this craft, like when Khan’s character teaches dyslexic student Ishan mental mathematics on the stairs of the amphitheatre. We have looked earlier at introducing this concept in all schools, but this movie crystallises the practical approach for us.”

Ray has called a meeting of all government school principals on Tuesday where she will distribute booklets prepared by the Education department on how to implement BaLA modes. The government is interested in honing a student’s aptitude in maths through the game stapoo, or by painting scales on desks to give students a fair idea of measurements, puzzles on classroom walls or educational games painted in corridors.

Ray said, “The centre of all ceiling fans can be painted in the seven colours of the rainbow, so that when the fan is in full speed, its centre appears white — teaching the child that white light actually comprises seven colours. Instead of teaching in black and white, information found in school books will find its way into the various corners of the school building. Practical learning will be easier for a child to associate with.” She added that apart from the Rs 2 lakh the government is putting aside for each school to spend on innovative ideas, there is little else needed. “Perhaps the right attitude from teachers and tins of paint,” Ray said.

The government has already incorporated certain BaLA techniques in a school at Savda Gheda, Kanjhawala, which it is portraying as its “model”. Sheila Dik* will launch the project on January 23.

[keep-it-cool]

http://www.bollyspice.com/view.php/885-taare-zammen-par-on-its-way-to-being-super-hit.html

 

Taare Zameen Par on its way to being Super-Hit   
 
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com
16 Jan 2008
Taare Zameen Par, the incredibly moving film by actor/director Aamir Khan has continued on its golden run at the box office and is looking to be the next super hit. In fact the film has made an amazing RS 770 million in just four weeks at the theaters and that is only counting receipts in India. If it continues on this track it might even surpass the amount taken in by the Shah Rukh starrer, Om Shanti Om.

Old and young alike are praising the film for its beautiful story and it has bought many a moviegoer to tears. (This reporter included). Both Bharatiya Janata Party leader LK Advani and veteran director Lekh Tandon wept while watching the film.

Tandon said, “Aamir has proved in Taare Zameen Par that a movie sans commercial trappings, 'masala' ingredients and no heroine can also be a box-office success provided the content mix is correct. Plus, the maker must remain faithful to the script. It is Aamir's courage of conviction that runs through the movie - unobtrusively."

In America the film is also doing outstanding business and at the end of the film it is receiving a standing ovation. In the second weekend alone it had all ready netted 1.45 million US dollars in the US and West Asia. This makes it an even bigger hit than Chak De! India in the US. Siddharth Roy Kapur of UTV said, "Looking at the response of the film we are certain that it will be one of the top four Hindi films from India in the US”.

Shariq Hamid, owner of FunAsia, a multiplex chain in the US, said, “Every once in a while you are taken aback by a movie. It is a rare experience, especially coming from Bollywood. The movie is one of the best ones to come out of the Bollywood factory.”

The film, which recently won 6 Star Screen Awards, has been praised by all who have seen it. With all the positive feedback the film is getting from movie patrons it seems as if it will continue its dream run at the box office. And we were all worried because it has a slow start! Seems as if the films distribution team of PVR were correct in sending this text message to Aamir:

“Good evening Khan Saab, film is headed to be the BIGGEST GROSSERS of the year!”

[LosingNow]

Kic:
TZP is a hit for sure.. but the #s in the article above do not make sense.

See www.boxofficeindia.com .. TZP is nowhere close to OSO.