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Taare Zameen Par was a heartwarming film with a young protagonist with dyslexia. Possibly the first time Indians saw a mainstream depiction of it.
Taare Zameen Par (2007) is a film that has a special place in many of our hearts, especially those of us who see ourselves in its protagonist. As the film turns 15, let’s take a look at five reasons why we fell in love with the world that the filmmakers created within the film:
Taare Zameen Par starts with its protagonist, Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary), seeming to be a notorious child who refuses to listen to his parents and teachers. This eventually leads to him being sent away to a boarding school. Does this ring a bell? Didn’t most of us get told as children that we’d get sent to boarding schools if we didn’t behave?
While the film does initially appear as the story of a regular middle class Indian child, it’s only later that we realise how unusual it is in its true essence. That being said, Taare Zameen Par is the only Indian film that I can relate to as a neurodivergent person. I am sure there are many more who continue to find comfort in it even after 15 years.
Darsheel Safary convinced us into believing that he was actually Ishaan Awasthi, that he wasn’t just acting on screen. Be it his chemistry with Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma and Sachet Engineer – the actors who played the roles of his family members – or his comic timing in the film, everything adds to him turning into someone we can never stop loving. We laugh and cry with Ishaan while watching him and even celebrate his small achievements as he sets out to conquer a world that is extremely hostile towards dyslexic children.
The film has innumerable impactful scenes. The scene in which Ishaan has to part with his family members upon joining boarding school or when he runs to hug his teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Aamir Khan) after winning an art competition can leave one teary no matter how many times they have watched the film. Even smaller sequences such as the ones in which Ishaan observes the world around him after bunking school or when he wakes up early one morning to get ready on his own are powerfully written and directed.
Additionally, the scenes where Ram Shankar Nikumbh tries to explain the symptoms of dyslexia to Ishaan’s parents and later, the principal of Ishaan’s school have dialogues that can be easily understood by a person who might not know anything about dyslexia.
The title song of the film is one track that we, as a nation, can never get tired of hearing. Alongside that, the song ‘Maa’continues to be sung and played in Indian singing reality shows and daily soaps. Not to forget, ‘Bum Bum Bole’ which became a sensation back in 2007 and hasn’t been wiped out from our memories even now.
While Aamir Khan, as an actor, has often received praises for his creative choices that include films like 3 Idiots (2009) and Dangal (2016), Taare Zameen Par was one film in which he didn’t just shine as an actor, but even as a director. Khan breathed life into a masterpiece like this one by flawlessly portraying the character of Ram Shankar Nikumbh and by giving us Ishaan Awasthi whom a lot of us grew up with.
On the film’s 15th birthday, let’s take a moment and say “Bindaasssss!!!” (carefree) like Ishaan Awasthi.
A dysgraphic writer who spends most of her time watching (and thinking about) Bollywood films. read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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