Taare Zameen Par facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Taare Zameen Par
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Aamir Khan
Produced by	Aamir Khan
Written by	Amole Gupte
Starring	Darsheel Safary Aamir Khan Tisca Chopra Vipin Sharma Sachet Engineer Tanay Chheda
Music by	Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Cinematography	Setu (Satyajit Pande)
Editing by	Deepa Bhatia
Distributed by	Aamir Khan Productions
Release date(s)	21 December 2007 (2007-12-21)
Running time	164 minutes
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget	₹120 million
Money made	est.₹889 million

Taare Zameen Par (titled Little Stars on Earth internationally) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film produced and directed by Aamir Khan. The film explores the life and imagination of Ishaan, an 8-year-old dyslexic child. Although he excels in art, his poor academic performance leads his parents to send him to a boarding school. Ishaan's new art teacher suspects that he is dyslexic and helps him to overcome his reading disorder. Darsheel Safary stars as 8-year-old Ishaan, and Aamir Khan plays his art teacher.

Creative director and writer Amole Gupte initially developed the idea with his wife Deepa Bhatia, who served as the film's editor. Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy composed the film's score, and Prasoon Joshi wrote the lyrics for many of the songs. Principal photography took place in Mumbai and in Panchgani's New Era High School, and some of the school's students make appearances.

The film made its theatrical debut in India on 21 December 2007, and UTV Home Entertainment released a DVD for Indian audiences in 2008. Disney's later release of the international edition DVD marked the first purchase of distribution rights for an Indian film by a global company.

Taare Zameen Par has received numerous awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film for 2008 and the 2008 National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film, but did not progress further to the short-list.

Plot

Ishaan Awasthi is an 8-year-old boy who is suffering from dyslexia, though he is assumed by all to hate school and learning. He finds all the subjects difficult and is frequently belittled and disliked by both his teachers and his classmates. His imagination, creativity, and talent for art and painting are often disregarded. His father, Nandkishore Awasthi, is a successful executive who expects his children to excel, and his mother, Maya Awasthi, is a housewife frustrated by her inability to educate Ishaan. Ishaan's elder brother, Yohan Awasthi, is an exemplary student and athlete in whose shadow Ishaan remains.

Fed up, Ishaan's parents send him to a boarding school. Alone there, he rapidly sinks into a state of fear, anxiety, and depression. His only friend is Rajan Damodharan, a physically disabled boy who is one of the top students. The boarding school teachers are even more abusive than his old school's.

Ishaan's condition improves when a new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, a cheerful and optimistic instructor at the Tulips School for young children with developmental disabilities, joins the boarding school. Nikumbh's teaching style is markedly different from that of his strict predecessor, and he quickly notes Ishaan's unhappiness. He reviews Ishaan's work and concludes that his academic shortcomings are indicative of dyslexia.

Nikumbh sets off to Mumbai to visit Ishaan's parents, where he is surprised to discover Ishaan's hidden interest in art. He demonstrates to Ishaan's parents how Ishaan has extreme difficulty in understanding letters and words due to dyslexia. Nandkishore labels it as mental retardation and dismisses it as laziness. Frustrated by Ishaan's father, Nikumbh leaves. Nandkishore then feels guilty for his mistreatment of Ishaan.

Back at school, Nikumbh brings up the topic of dyslexia in a class by offering a list of famous people who were dyslexic. He comforts Ishaan by telling him how he struggled as a child as well. Nikumbh obtains the principal's permission to become Ishaan's tutor. With gradual care, he attempts to improve Ishaan's reading and writing by using remedial techniques developed by dyslexia specialists. Eventually, both Ishaan's demeanor and his grades improve.

At the end of the school year, Nikumbh organizes an arts and crafts contest for the staff and students, judged by artist Lalita Lajmi. Ishaan, with his strikingly creative style, is declared the winner and Nikumbh, who paints Ishaan's portrait, is declared the runner-up. The principal announces that Nikumbh has been hired as the school's permanent art teacher. When Ishaan's parents meet his teachers on the last day of school, they are left speechless by the transformation in him. Overcome with emotion, Nandkishore thanks Nikumbh. Before leaving, Ishaan runs toward Nikumbh, who lifts him high up in a hug.

Cast

Darsheel Safary's initial screentest lacked dialogue. When Aamir Khan saw the expression in his eyes and face, however, he instantly knew, "That's the child. He is Ishaan."

Tisca Chopra, lead actress, addressing at the Press Conference, during the 39th International Film Festival (IFFI-2008) in Panaji, Goa.

• Darsheel Safary as Ishaan 'Inu' Awasthi: Maya & Nandkishore's son
  • Veer Mohan as Little Ishaan
• Aamir Khan as Ram Shankar Nikumbh: An art teacher & Ishaan's tutor
• Tanay Chheda as Rajan Damodran, Ishaan's best friend and classmate at boarding school
• Sachet Engineer as Yohaan 'Dada' Awasthi: Ishaan's brother
  • Aniket Engineer as Young Yohaan
• Tisca Chopra as Maya Awasthi: Ishaan and Yohaan's mother
• Vipin Sharma as Nandkishore Awasthi, Ishaan and Yohaan's father
• Girija Oak as Jabeen: Ram Shankar's co-worker
• Bugs Bhargava as SeN SiR & Shankar Sachdev as Tiwari SiR, Two teachers at New Era High School
• M. K. Raina as the principal of New Era High School
• Sonali Sachdev as Irene Teacher: An English teacher at Ishaan's former school.
• Meghna Malik as Victoria Teacher: Class teacher of Ishaan's former school.
• Lalita Lajmi as herself (Cameo)

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Taare Zameen Par was released on 4 November 2007 under the label T-Series. 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." Joshi received the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, and Shankar Mahadevan won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for "Maa."

See also

In Spanish: Taare Zameen Par para niños