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Taare Zameen Par
(Like Stars on Earth)
Directed byAamir Khan
Amole Gupte (creative director)
Written byAmole Gupte
Produced byAamir Khan
Kiran Rao
StarringDarsheel Safary
Aamir Khan
Tisca Chopra
Vipin Sharma
Sachet Engineer
Tanay Chheda
M.K. Raina
CinematographySetu
Edited byDeepa Bhatia (also concept and research)
Music byShankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyrics:
Prasoon Joshi
Distributed byAamir Khan Productions (India - film)
UTV Home Entertainment (India - DVD)
Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment (International - DVD)
Release dates
Theaters:
21 December 2007 (2007-12-21)
UTV DVD:
25 July 2008
Disney DVD:
12 January 2010
Running time
165 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesHindi
English
Budget₹12 crore (US$1.5 million)
Box office₹131 crore (US$16 million)[1]

Taare Zameen Par (Hindi: तारे ज़मीन पर, International (Disney) DVD title: Like Stars on Earth)[2] is a 2007 Bollywood film that tells the story of an nine year old child who suffers greatly until a teacher identifies him as dyslexic. It is directed by Aamir Khan, produced by Aamir Khan Productions, and was initially conceived of and developed by the husband and wife team, Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia. [3] The film stars Khan and Darsheel Safary, features music by the trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyrics by Prasoon Joshi, CG animation by Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Ltd., 2D animation by Vaibhav Kumaresh’s Vaibhav studios,[4][5] and title animation by Dhimantvyas.[6][7] Taare Zameen Par is also the recipient of a number of awards including the 2008 Filmfare Best Movie Award and the 2008 National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare.[8]

Its theatrical debut was on 21 December 2007. In addition, there are two DVDs of the film. UTV Home Entertainment released the 2008 version in India as Taare Zameen Par. A few years later, Walt Disney Home Entertainment released the 2010 edition outside of India under the title, Like Stars on Earth [9] (the first time an Indian film was released by Disney for home entertainment).[10]

Plot[edit]

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 tests and 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 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[edit]

  • Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi: A poor performer in academics, he is sent to the New Era boarding school where a new teacher diagnoses him with dyslexia. Though the first part of Safary's screentest lacked dialogue, producer Aamir Khan knew from the expression in his eyes and face, "That's the child. He is Ishaan."[11]
  • Aamir Khan as Ram Shankar Nikumbh ("Nikumbh Sir"): An instructor of the mentally-handicapped children of Tulips School, he becomes the temporary art teacher at Ishaan's boarding school. He comes to diagnose Ishaan's condition and helps him to overcome it.
  • Tisca Chopra as Maya Awasthi ("Mother"): Ishaan's mother, she gave up her career to tutor him, and initially blames herself for his failures. Chopra tended to speak softly during filming, and was later required to rerecord some scenes using automated dialogue replacement.[12]
  • Vipin Sharma as Nandkishore Awasthi ("Father"): Ishaan's "strict, hard, dominating father" who initially does not accept failure, but is redeemed by the film's end.[12] One reason for Sharma's casting was his "extremely strong and dominating" face that "exhudes harshness". Described by Khan as "naturally polite" and sensitive, Sharma tended to give a higher pitch in his performance, but was instructed to lower his voice to sound "harsh" and "dominating".[12]
  • Sachet Engineer as Yohaan Awasthi: Ishaan's older brother who excels in both sports and academics.
  • Tanay Chheda as Rajan Damodran: The top student of his New Era class, Rajan befriends Ishaan upon his arrival.
  • Bugs Bhargava and Shankar Sachdev as Sen Sir and Tiwari Sir: Teachers at New Era, they are at first harsh towards Ishaan because of his academic problems. They were written as caricatures of teachers in general.[12]
  • M.K. Raina as Principal of New Era High School
  • Lalita Lajmi as Herself: Judging the art-fair competition, this was Lajmi's first acting performance.[12]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

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.[3] 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—he had performed poorly in school—because she wanted to explore the story of "a child who did not fit into the school stream".[3] Bhatia referenced a specific moment when Kurosawa began to bloom only after meeting an art teacher who devoted time and attention to him.[3] Bhatia further stated, "It was this scene that became the inspiration for how a teacher could transform the life of a student."[3]

In developing the character of a young boy based on Kurosawa, Bhatia and Gupte explored possible reasons why he failed in school. 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.[3] 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.[3]

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."[3]

"While Amole has written what I think is a brilliant and moving script, his contribution towards the film is not limited to that of a writer. The entire pre-production was done by him including the most important task of creating the music [...] he has been present on set throughout the shooting as the Creative Director, and has been a big support and strong guiding force in my debut as a director. I thank him for that, and more so for having the faith in me by entrusting to me something that is so close to him."
— Aamir Khan [13]

Khan and Gupte first met while they were in college, where Khan states that he admired Gupte's abilities as an actor, writer, and painter. Three years prior to the film's release, Gupte brought Khan to the project as a producer and actor; Gupte himself would direct.[13] However, the first week's dailies greatly disappointed Khan, who "lost faith in Amol and his capability of translating on screen what he had so beautifully written on paper".[14] Khan desired to withdraw his participation due to these "creative differences",[11][14] but Gupte kept him onboard by stepping down as director. Had a third party been hired, production would have been postponed six to eight months for the new director to get a feel for the film. Keen to keep Safary as Ishaan—the actor might have aged too much for the role had production been delayed—Khan assumed the directorial position.[14] Taare Zameen Par was Khan's first experience in a dual role of actor and director. He has admitted that the transition was challenging, stating that while he had always wanted to direct a film, it was unknown territory for him.[15] Gupte still remained on set, "guiding [Khan] and, at times, even correcting [him]".[14]

Title[edit]

Taare Zameen Par literally translates as Like Stars on Earth, Stars on Earth, or Stars on the Ground. However, the film initially was to retain the short story's title of "High Jump" due to Ishaan's inability to achieve the high jump in gym class. This subplot—later cut from the film—tied into original ending for the movie.[16] After winning the art competition and receiving his prize, a "ghost image" separates from him and runs to the sports field; the film would end on a freeze frame of Ishaan successfully making the leap. Khan opposed this ending, and convinced Gupte to rewrite it.[16] With the working title no longer relevant to the film,[16] Khan, Gupte, and Bhatia discussed a number of possibilities.[17] They finally decided upon the title because, according to Khan:

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.[17]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography for the film took place in India over a period of five months.[12] Khan spent his first two days as director blocking the first scene to be filmed—Ishaan returning home from school and putting away his recently-collected fish—and becoming comfortable with his new responsibilities.[12] He settled on a simple filming style—the camera would have little movement—because he believed the audience should not be aware of the camera.[12]

Despite the simplistic filming style, the movie did make use of illusory camera tricks. For example, the opening scene of Ishaan collecting fish outside of his school was shot both location and at Film City. Shots focusing on Ishaan took place at the former, while those focusing on the terrarium itself were of a water tank at the latter. The tank's water often became murky because the mud would rise to the top, forcing production to constantly empty and refill it. Due to the hindrance, the scene took eight hours to film.[12] The film's next sequence involved Ishaan playing with two dogs. To compensate for the "absolutely petrified" Safary, most joint shots used a body double, though other portions integrated close-up shots of the actor.[12] Ishaan's nightmare—he becomes separated from his mother at a train station, and she departs on a train while he is trapped within a crowd—was filmed in Mumbai on a permanent railway-station set. To compensate for the immobile train set piece, production placed the camera on a moving trolley to cast the illusion of the train departing. For the portions told from the mother's point of view—these were shot from behind the actress—Chopra stood on a trolley next to a recreated portion of the train's door.[12]

All the school sequences were filmed on location. Production sought a Mumbai school with an "oppressive" feel to establish the "heaviness of being in a metropolitan school",[11] and eventually chose St. Xavier's School.[18] With the school situated along a main road, production filmed there on weekends in an attempt to avoid the noisy atmosphere. However, an early scene in which Ishaan is kicked out of the classroom was filmed on the day of the Mumbai Marathon. The production staff placed acrylic sheets invisible to the human eye on the classroom windows to insulate the sounds of nearby crowds and helicopters.[12] New Era High School served as the boarding school Ishaan is sent to. The change of setting was a "breath of fresh air" for the production crew, who moved from Ishaan's small house in Chembur to the "vast, beautiful environs" of Panchgani.[11]

Production relied on stock footage for the brief scene of a bird feeding its babies. Khan carefully selected a clip to his liking, but learned three weeks before the film's release that the footage was not available on film solution. With three days to replace it or else delay the release, Khan made due with what he could find, and "cringes" every time he sees it.[12]

Children[edit]

Real schoolchildren participated throughout the movie's filming. Khan credited them for the success of the film, and was reportedly very popular with them.[15] Furthermore, Khan placed a high priority on the day-to-day needs of his child actors, and went to great lengths to attend to them.[17] The production staff made sure that the students were never idle, and always kept them occupied outside of filming.[11] New Era Faculty Coordinator Douglas Lee thought the experience not only helped the children to learn patience and cooperation, but also gave them a better understanding of how they should behave towards children like Ishaan who have problems in school.[11] Because filming at New Era High School occurred during the winter holiday, those portraying Ishaan's classmates gave up their vacation to participate.[12] To fill out the campus background, students from nearby schools were also brought in.[11] A total of 1,500 children were used for wide-shots of the film's art-fair climax, while medium shots only required 400 students.[12]

New to acting, the children often made errors such as staring into the camera,[12] and Khan resorted to unusual means to work around these rookie mistakes. For example, an early scene in the film featured a school assembly; Khan wanted the kids to act natural and ignore the principal's speech, but recognized that this would be a difficult feat with cameras present. First Assistant Director Sunil Pandey spoke continuously in an attempt to "bore the hell out of [them]", and they eventually lost interest in the filming and behaved normally.[12] A later scene involved Nikumbh enlightening his class about famous people who suffer from dyslexia, and the children's responses to his speech were the last portion to be filmed. Having already spent three-to-four days hearing the dialogue, the children gave "jaded" reactions. Khan opted to film them while he recited a tale, and manipulated his storytelling to achieve the varying spontaneous reactions.[12] The subsequent scene had the children playing around a nearby pond. Horrified when he learned the pond was fifteen-feet deep, Khan brought in four lifeguards on set in case a child fell in.[12]

Khan found it important that the audience connect the film to real children, and had Pandey travel throughout India filming documentary-style footage of children from all walks of life. These visuals were later integrated into the end credits.[12]

Art and animations[edit]

The film's title sequence—a representation of Ishaan's imagination[12]—was the first instance of claymation in Bollywood. Khan gave claymation artist Dhimant Vyas free rein over the various elements.[11] The "3 into 9" sequence, in which Ishaan delves into his imagination to solve a math problem, was originally conceived as a 3D animation. Halfway through its creation, however, Khan felt it was not turning out as he had envisioned it.[11] Khan scrapped the project and hired Vaibhav Kumaresh, who hand drew the scene as a 2D animation.[11]

Artist Samir Mondal composed Ishaan and Nikumbh's art-fair watercolor paintings. He held a workshop with the schoolchildren, and incorporated elements from their artwork into Ishaan's.[11] Mondal also instructed Khan on the mannerisms and movements of painter.[11] Gupte created the rest of Ishaan's artwork, though Assistant Art Director Veer Nanavati drew Ishaan's flipbook.[12] The art department's designs for Ishaan's school notebooks disappointed Khan, who had familiarized himself with dyslexic writing. Using his left hand, Khan instead wrote it himself.[12]

Musical sequences[edit]

"Jame Raho" establishes the four members of Ishaan's family; for example, the father is hardworking and responsible, and Yohaan is an "ideal son" who does all the right things.[12] A robotic style of music overlaps most of the sequence—this is mirrored by the machine-like morning routines of the mother, father, and Yohaan—but changes for Ishaan's portion to imply that he is different from the rest. This concept is furthered by speed ramping and having the camera sway with the music to create a distinct style.[12] The twilight scenes of "Maa" were a particular issue for the production crew. Because the specific lighting only lasted ten to fifteen minutes a day, the scenes took nearly ten evenings to film.[12] Production at one time considered having a child singing, but ultimately deemed it too over the top and felt it would connect to more people if sung by an adult.[12] Shankar initially performed the song as a sample—they planned to replace him with another singer—but they eventually decided that his rendition was best.[12]

The trio of Shankar Mahadevan (left), Ehsaan Noorani (right), and Loy Mendonsa (not pictured) composed most of the film's music.

Ishaan's bunking scene originally coincided with the song "Kholo Kholo", but Khan did not believe it worked well for the situation. In his opinion, the accompanying song should focus on what a child wants—to be free—and be told from the first-person perspective instead of "Kholo Kholo"'s second person. When Khan took over as director, he opted to use "Mera Jahan"—a song written by Gupte—and moved "Kholo Kholo" to the art-fair.[12] Viewers of test screenings were divided over the bunking scene. Half thoroughly enjoyed it and connected with it, while the rest complained that it was too long, did not make sense, and merely showed "touristy" visuals of Mumbai. Despite this, Khan kept it because he "connected deeply" with the scene and felt it established the world of Ishaan.[12]

Shiamak Davar choreographed the dance sequence of "Bum Bum Bole", and was given free rein over its design. He initially wanted to bring in 40 students of his dance school, but Khan did not want trained dancers.[12] Davar gave the children certain cues and a general idea of what to do, but left the style and final product up to them to avoid a choreographed appearance.[11] While Khan was busy filming "Bum Bum Bole", Ram Madhvani took over as director for "Bheja Kum" due to time constraints.[12] The latter sequence allowed the audience to perceive how Ishaan sees the world and written languages.[11] It was intended to represent "a young boy's worst nightmare, in terms of...the worst thing that he can think of",[11] and Madhvani based this visual concept on his son's fear of "creepy-crawlies" such as cockroaches, dragonflies, and lizards.[11] Tata Elxsi's Visual Computing Labs made the creatures out of the English alphabet and numbers, though Khan insisted they include the Hindi alphabet since not all viewers would be familiar with English.[4][11] The chalkboard writing's transformation into a snake was included to surprise the audience and "end the song on a high note".[11]

In writing the song "Taare Zameen Par", lyricist Prasoon Joshi followed the theme of "however much you talk about children, it's not enough". Every line throughout the song describes children, and only one repeats: "Kho Naa Jaaye Yes / Taare Zameen Par" ("Let us not lose these / Little stars on earth").[11] The song is mostly set to the annual day performance by the mentally-handicapped children of Tulips School. Actual students from Tulips School and Saraswati Mandir participated, and were filmed over a period of five days.[19] The sequence originally featured numerous dance performances, but was trimmed down when test audiences found it too long.[12]

An additional song told from the mother's point of view was to accompany the scene in which Ishaan's mother views home videos of her son. After test audiences expressed their opposition to yet another song, however, Khan replaced it with background music.[12]

Background music[edit]

While timing and other aspects are usually planned out ahead of time when scoring a film, Khan chose to take a more improvised approach. Instead of using a studio, Khan and the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy—Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa—recorded it at Khan's home in Panchgani in order to clear their heads and not be in mindset of the city. As they viewed film, Khan pointed out when he wanted music to begin and what type. Ehsaan noted that this strategy allowed the score to have a "spontaneity to it".[11]

Different styles of background music were used to convey certain things. For example, a guitar is played when Ishaan is tensed or upset, sometimes with discordant notes.[12] The music of the opening scene—the recurring "Ishaan's Theme", which represents the character's peace of mind—overpowers the background noise to show that Ishaan is lost in his own world; the noise becomes louder after he snaps back to reality.[12] However, the scene in which Nikumbh explains dyslexia to Ishaan's family took the opposite approach. Silent at first, the music creeps in as the father becomes enlightened to his son's dilemma. The nearly seven-minute scene scarcely used any background music in order to slow down the pace and make it more realistic.[12]

Release[edit]

Box-office[edit]

Taare Zameen Par was released on 21 December 2007 with 425 prints across India.[20] In the UK it grossed £351,303 by its ninth week [21] and grossed ₹131 crore (US$16 million) worldwide.[22]

Critical reception[edit]

Aamir Khan at a promotional event for Taare Zameen Par.

Taare Zameen Par received a number of positive reviews. Subhash K. Jha (film critic and author of The Essential Guide to Bollywood) suggests that Taare 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." [23] 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."[24] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it four out of five stars and argued 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!."[25] Two critics from the BBC both 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! "[26] 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."[27] 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"[28] while Kaveree Bamzai of India Today declared that it "is quite simply the best film of the year." [29] 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."[30] Furthermore, 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."[31] In addition, 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." [32]

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"[33] while Gautaman Bhaskaran in The Hollywood Reporter suggested that "despite great performances, the movie suffers from a weak script."[34] Bhaskaran, in a 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."[35] Another critic from The Hollywood Reporter, Lisa Tsering, liked the film, describing Taare Zameen Par as "powerful and moving" [36] 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."[37]

International Dyslexia Association[edit]

The International Dyslexia Association screened Taare Zameen Par on 29 October 2008 in the United States (Seattle, Washington). Khan noted in his official blog 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 Taare Zameen Par 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 showing 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."[38][39]

List of awards[edit]

Main article: List of Taare Zameen Par 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).

2009 Academy Awards submission and Slumdog Millionaire[edit]

Taare Zameen Par was India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film (Oscars) [40][41][42] but was not chosen for the short list.[43] 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.[44] Khan, himself, stated in a separate interview with NDTV that he was "not surprised" that Taare Zameen Par was rejected from the Oscar shortlist,[45] 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."[46] American film critic Lisa Tsering also responded in The Hollywood Reporter to the lack of an Oscar nomination for Taare Zameen Par by stating:

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.[36]

In addition, the Indian news media frequently compared Taare Zameen Par's lack of an Oscar nomination with the British film, Slumdog Millionaire's, multiple Oscar nominations and wins.[47][48][49][50] One of the stars of Slumdog Millionaire, Mahesh Manjrekar (the gangster Javed), commented on this juxtaposition, stating: "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."[51] The young actor, Tanay Chheda, appeared in both films.[52]

Soundtrack[edit]

Taare Zameen Par
Soundtrack album by
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Released3 November 2007
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length23:36
LabelT-Series
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Bollywood Hungama link
rediff.com link

The CD for Taare Zameen Par was released on 5 November 2007. The music is mainly composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. However, "Mera Jahan" was scored by Shailendra Barve and written by Gupte, with the latter also composing "Ishaan's Theme".[53][12] Joshi received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, and Shankar Mahadevan won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Maa".[8]

No.TitleSingersLength
1."Taare Zameen Par"Shankar Mahadevan, Dominique Cerejo, Vivienne Pocha4:28
2."Kholo Kholo"Raman Mahadevan3:01
3."Bum Bum Bole"Shaan, Aamir Khan3:32
4."Jame Raho"Vishal Dadlani1:79
5."Maa"Shankar Mahadevan3:14
6."Bheja Kum"Shankar Mahadevan, Bugs Bhargava, Shankar Sachdev, Roaj Gopal Iyer, Ravi Khanwiker, Loy Mendonsa, Amole Gupte, Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan, Ram Madhavni1:27
7."Mera Jahan"Adnan Sami, Auriel Cordo, Ananya Wadkar3:92
8."Ishaan's Theme"Loy Mendonsa, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani 

DVD[edit]

UTV edition (Taare Zameen Par)[edit]

The DVD of Taare Zameen Par by UTV Home Entertainment[54] was released in India on 25 July 2008. It was launched at Darshaell Safary's school, Green Lawns High School, in Mumbai. 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."[55]

Disney edition (Like Stars On Earth)[edit]

Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment (which acquired 14.85 per cent of UTV)[56] 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.[57] The release of the Disney DVD on 12 January 2010 marked "the first time an international studio has bought the video rights of an Indian film."[10] [58] It offers one version of the film in Hindi with English subtitles and another dubbed in English.[59]

  1. ^ "Screen syndrome". Kolkata Telegraph. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
  2. ^ "Like Stars On Earth (Taare Zameen Par)". Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2010-05-27.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Vij, Gauri (3 February 2008). "A leap of faith". The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  4. ^ a b Bollywood Hungama (26 December 2007). "Tata Elxsi renders visual effects for the Bollywood movie Taare Zameen Par". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  5. ^ Mitra, Ashish (21 March 2008). "Putting clay into play". screenindia.com. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  6. ^ Dhimantvyas. "Making of Taare Zameen Par title animation". dhimantvyas.com. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  7. ^ "Taare Zameen Par brings clay animation to Bollywood". Yahoo! News. January 18, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  8. ^ a b "55th NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2007" (PDF). Press Information Bureau (Govt. of India).
  9. ^ IANS (2009-12-18). "Disney releasing TZP on DVD in US". Times of India. Retrieved 2010-01-07.
  10. ^ a b Dubey, Bharati (21 July 2008). "Disney buys N American rights for TZP". Times of India. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Various (January 12, 2010). Like Stars on Earth Bonus Disc: The Making... (DVD). Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Aamir Khan (January 12, 2010). Like Stars on Earth DVD commentary (DVD). Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
  13. ^ a b "Director's Note: Official website for Taare Zameen Par". Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  14. ^ a b c d Singh, Harneet (21 May 2007). "Yes, I have directed Taare Zameen Par" - Aamir Khan". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2008-04-11.
  15. ^ a b "Aamir bends the rules". 24 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-21.
  16. ^ a b c Deleted Scenes
  17. ^ a b c Patel, Devansh (18 December 2007). "TZP makes me a proud actor, producer and a director". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  18. ^ the film itself
  19. ^ Various (January 12, 2010). Like Stars on Earth Bonus Disc: Panel Discussion on Children (DVD). Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.
  20. ^ Meenakshi, Verma (26 December 2007). "Taare Zameen Par adds to Christmas sparkle at BO". Economic Times. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  21. ^ "'Taare Zameen Par' Overseas". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
  22. ^ "It's films that matter at the box office, not stars: Aamir". Press Trust of India(PTI). 10 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  23. ^ Jha, Subhash (2007-12-27). "Subhash K Jha speaks about Taare Zameen Par"". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  24. ^ Kazmi, Nikhat (21 December 2007). "Review". Times of India. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  25. ^ Adarsh, Taran (18 December 2007). "Review". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  26. ^ Gajjar, Manish. "Taare Zameen Par (2007)". BBC. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
  27. ^ Pandohar, Jaspreet (18 December 2007). "Taare Zameen Par (2007)". BBC. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  28. ^ Gupta, Pratim (23 December 2007). "Return to innocence". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-04-18.
  29. ^ Kaveree, Bamzai (28 December 2007). "ALL STAR SIMPLICITY". India Today. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  30. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (4 January 2007). "Return to innocence -- Taare Zameen Par". The Hindu. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  31. ^ Aprajita, Anil (21 December 2007). "Review". Screen. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  32. ^ UNI (4 January 2008). "'Taare Zameen Par' rocks overseas audience". DNA. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  33. ^ Masand, Rajeev (21 December 2007). "Taare Zameen Par may change your life". IBN-CNN. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  34. ^ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (31 January 2008). "Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  35. ^ Bhaskaran, Gautaman (April/May 2008). "Bollywood Dispatch #18: Cannes, U Me Aur Hum, Mumbai Cutting: A City Unfolds, Khuda Kay Liye". lumiere.net.nz. Retrieved 2009-05-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ a b Tsering, Lisa (15 January 2009). "Film Review: Chandni Chowk to China". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-05-12.
  37. ^ Derek, Kelly (28 December 2007). "Review". Variety. Retrieved 2008-06-01.
  38. ^ Khan, Aamir (2008-11-01). "Sleepless In Seattle". aamirkhan.com. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  39. ^ "'Taare Zameen Par' gets standing ovation in Seattle". IANS (DNA). 1 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  40. ^ Jamkhandikar, Shilpa (2008-09-21). "'Taare Zameen Par' is India's entry to Oscars". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  41. ^ "Taare Zameen Par is India's entry for Oscar". Times of India. 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
  42. ^ PTI (2008-12-22). "Aamir gets congratulatory call from Oscar panel chief for 'TZP'!". Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  43. ^ PTI (14 January 2009). "Taare Zameen Par is special film to all Indians: Aamir". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
  44. ^ PTI (2009-02-01). "Why Taare... didn't make it to the Oscars". NDTV. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
  45. ^ Press Trust of India (31 January 2009). "No Obama-like leader in Indian politics: Aamir". India Today. Retrieved 31 January 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  46. ^ Indo-Asian News Service (2009-01-31). "I don't make films for awards: Aamir Khan". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2009-01-31.
  47. ^ "'Taare Zameen Par' misses out on Oscars". IBT. 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  48. ^ PTI (2009-01-14). "Aamir's 'Taare Zameen Par' misses Oscar shortlist". DNA. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  49. ^ PTI (2009-02-17). "Govt. lauds Rahman, 'Slumdog' team". The Hindu. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  50. ^ AFP (2009-01-13). "Is 'Slumdog' India's?". AsiaOne. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  51. ^ Indo-Asian News Service (2009-04-26). "No more acting for me: Mahesh Manjrekar". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  52. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (2009-04-11). "Slumdog kid will be seen as young SRK in Karan Johar's My Name Is Khan". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2010-05-26.
  53. ^ http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/musicreview/13306/index.html
  54. ^ Shahryar, Faridoon (21 July 2008). "DVD Review (India)". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  55. ^ Ramsubramaniam, Nikhil (25 July 2008). "Taare Zameen Par DVD launch in a complete Masti Ki Paathshala". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  56. ^ Kumar, Arun (29 November 2007). "Europe's Walt Disney set to take control in UTV". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  57. ^ FRATER, PATRICK (25 July 2008). "Disney goes Bollywood". Variety. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
  58. ^ PTI. "Aamir's Taare Zameen Par releases in US". India Today. Retrieved 2010-02-12.
  59. ^ "Like Stars on Earth:Additional Information - Tech Specs". Walt Disney Company Home Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
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