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Film Studies - Review of the film (Taare Zameen Par)

Presentation · May 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33325.92649

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 Film Studies

CIA- 3

Review of the film:

Submitted by :- Vincy Varghese

1734073

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“Movies have immense potential in depicting the intricacies of human life. Further, movies go a long way in

touching human lives in great detail. Unlike any of the other medium which humans have invented so far,

movies are influencing persons hailing from all cross sections in our society, irrespective of their age, sex,

education, occupation, intellectual levels and socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. These comments are

of more relevance while one ponders over a recent Indian movie, Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth),

with a subtitle, Every child is special, as a timely reminder of an oft forgotten truth.” (Sathyanarayana Rao &

Krishna, 2008)

Media plays a very significant role in today’s world. As a result of which, the Indian Cinema

takes considerable effort into making films that would inspire people, apart from the films which

lay focus only on providing entertainment, Cinema is the most powerful art form of our generation.

An essay by Istiak Mahmood on “Influence and Importance of Cinema on the lifestyle of of

educated youth”, talks about the heavy influence and impact cinema has on the lives of children and

adults alike. Cinema often reflects and affects the way an individual thinks or acts and in a country

where cinema has been a huge success since its initial days, its importance in people’s lives is only

increasing with each generation. Certainly movie is the reflection of society which works to change the

existing condition of it (Mahmood, 2013). Keeping these notions into perspective, in 2007, Aamir

Khan directed and acted, casted along with Darsheel Safarey, in the movie “Taare Zameen Par”,

also known as Little Stars on Earth. Although this movie particularly deals with central theme of

Dyslexia, it also focuses on the way parental pressure effects a child. The movie had attracted the

attention from all spheres of the country and had also gained international recognition. Inspired by

the movie, a number of schools and universities organised dyslexia workshops under the

supervision of NCERT.

This movie talks about parental pressure, as seen in the characters of the parents of Ishaan, a

boy who suffered from dyslexia. As seen in the article, “Academic-related stress among private

secondary school students in India” by Sibnath Deb , Esben Strodl and Jiandong Sun, parents often

push forward their ambitions on their children and pressurise them to fulfil them. It is very common
in our society where children are expected to pursue a certain profession in their career and the

failure of doing so causes great deal of conflict with their families. Some professions are looked

down upon than others, even in the movie, when Ishaan is shown to have explicit talent for painting

and art, we can see the reluctance and displeasure from his parents. Ishaan is often compared to his

older brother, who is very good in academics as well as sports. This is a very hazardous trend as it

often creates psychological tensions in the mind of the child who is regularly compared and termed

less than other(s). Ram then explains the school staff as well as the parents to understand the fact

that every child is different from other and is unique in his own way, with own abilities and

shortcoming and is needed to be treated equally with special care. Parents are encouraged to

acknowledge their child’s interests and their talents, then nurture and support them to meet their

own goals, rather than setting up predefined ambitions for them.

Patriarchy and role of women is also a theme which can be perceived from the movie.

Supriya Garikpati’s work on “The Impact of Lending to Women on Household Vulnerability and

Women’s Empowerment: Evidence from India” sheds lights on some of these features reflected in

the movie. We can see how Ishaan’s father is shown to be a patriarchal character and is the

dominant figure in the family. Most fathers in the Indian household presume that since they are the

earning member of the family hence it is their right to make decisions in the family, as observed in

the article by Garikpati. Then it is implied that the responsibilities of household including the

development of chidden is a woman’s duty. Ishaan’s mother is often blamed in the movie for the

disabilities of her child. Importance of both parents in a child’s life is highlighted through the movie

as Ishaan is often shown to crave intimacy from both his parents, especially in the song ‘Maa’. A

child’s self esteem is affected by this factor, and is shown in various instances throughout the

movie.

Another important theme that can be observed in the movie is the inefficient education

system of India, as well as ignorance towards people with special needs. Ishaan is send to the
boarding school as a result of his incapability to get good grades in school, instead of getting special

attention from his teachers and parents, they ridicule him. Even in the boarding school, no one

understands his condition till Ram joins the school. An article by Nidhi Singhal, “Inclusive

Education in India: International concept, national interpretation” talks about education in India of

the marginalised section with special reference to disabled community. It is observed through this

article that even though India has a number of reservations for backward communities, and even

though some of them are wealthy, they still get the same benefits of reservation, as opposed to the

disabled groups whom little reservation and amenities are provided for. The teachers of Ishaan’s old

school represent Indian society as a whole being ignorant to the needs of disabled children, while

Ram in Ishaan’s new school represents limited section of the society who takes care of these

individuals. Although a number of schools for disabled children exists, but parents should have an

option to educate their children in regular schools too as it provides with both exposure as well as

awareness amongst individuals. Children in Ishaan’s old school were punished when they couldn’t

respond to question, this often creates hostility in students and might be contributory factor as to

why they bullied him. Hence it is very essential to educate students with integrity.

Juxtaposition is used in the movie in order to explain its elements further. Yohan, who is

Ishaan’s brother is represented as being excellent in studies, sports and is a disciplined child,

showcasing an ideal character, this is done so as to gravitate the audience’s attention towards

Ishaan’s problems.Another scene in which juxtapositioning is evident is in the title track of the

movie, where in a dance performed by disabled children of Tulips School receive a lot of

appreciation from their parents, and in the following scene Yohan is shown playing tennis, in the

end of which, instead of getting praised for his efforts he is scolded by his father for losing the

match. This is a very important scene as only difference is the expectation of the parents. The

parents of children from Tulips School don’t expect much from their children rather than to face the

world with confidence, and do not pressure their children for meeting their expectations, as the
 result of which both parents and children are happy, as their efforts are appreciated by their parents.

On the other hand, Yohan does not get appreciated for his efforts in the game, and the pressure from

his parents is also evident in the scene, thus emphasising the level of pressure Ishaan had to endure.

Taare Zameen Par is a beautiful film which ignites emotions inside an individual every time

one watches it. The messages it portrays are equally important and should be paid attention to. It is

an important movie not only for parents but also for teachers and students as it shows the

importance of treating every child with special care and attention.

Bibliography

• Deb, S. , Strodl, E. and Sun, J. (2014) Academic-related stress among private secondary school

students in India. Asian Education and Development Studies Journal.

• Garikpati, S. (2008) The Impact of Lending to Women on Household Vulnerability and Women’s

Empowerment: Evidence from India. World Development Journal.

• Mahmood, I. (2013) Influence and Importance of Cinema on the lifestyle of of educated youth.

IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science.

• Sathyanarayana, R. and Krishna, V. (2008) Wake up call from 'Stars on the Ground’. Indian J

Psychiatry.

• Singhal, N. (2006) Inclusive Education in India: International concept, national interpretation.

International Journal of Disability.

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