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 (which means Little Stars on Earth) is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language drama film. It was produced and directed by Aamir Khan. The movie tells the story of Ishaan, an 8-year-old boy with Dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning difference that makes reading and writing difficult.

Ishaan is very good at art. However, he struggles a lot in school. Because of his poor grades, his parents send him to a boarding school. There, a new art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, notices Ishaan's difficulties. He realizes Ishaan has dyslexia and helps him learn to read and write better. Darsheel Safary plays Ishaan, and Aamir Khan plays his art teacher.

Amole Gupte first thought of the story with his wife, Deepa Bhatia. She also edited the film. The music was created by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, and Prasoon Joshi wrote most of the song lyrics. The movie was filmed in Mumbai and at New Era High School in Panchgani. Some students from that school even appeared in the film!

Taare Zameen Par first came out in India on December 21, 2007. Later, Disney bought the rights to distribute the movie internationally. This was the first time a global company bought the rights for an Indian film. The movie won many awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film and the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was also India's official entry for the 2009 Academy Awards Best Foreign Film.

Story of the Film

Ishaan Awasthi is an 8-year-old boy. He has dyslexia, but everyone thinks he just hates school. He finds all his school subjects very hard. His teachers and classmates often make fun of him. Ishaan is very imaginative and creative, especially in art. But no one seems to notice his artistic talents.

His father, Nandkishore Awasthi, is a successful businessman. He expects his children to do very well in school. His mother, Maya Awasthi, is a housewife. She feels frustrated because she can't help Ishaan with his studies. Ishaan's older brother, Yohan, is a top student and athlete. Ishaan always feels like he is in his brother's shadow.

A New School

Because Ishaan struggles so much, his parents decide to send him to a boarding school. Being away from home makes Ishaan feel scared, worried, and very sad. His only friend there is Rajan Damodharan. Rajan is a physically disabled boy who is one of the best students. The teachers at the boarding school are even stricter than his old teachers.

A Special Teacher Arrives

Ishaan's situation starts to get better when a new art teacher arrives. His name is Ram Shankar Nikumbh. He is a cheerful and positive teacher who also works at a school for children with developmental disabilities. Nikumbh's way of teaching is very different from the other strict teachers. He quickly notices how unhappy Ishaan is.

Nikumbh looks at Ishaan's schoolwork and drawings. He realizes that Ishaan's problems in school are signs of dyslexia.

Helping Ishaan

Nikumbh travels to Mumbai to visit Ishaan's parents. He is surprised to see all of Ishaan's amazing hidden artwork at home. He shows Ishaan's parents how hard it is for Ishaan to understand letters and words because of his dyslexia. Ishaan's father, Nandkishore, first thinks it's just laziness. He even calls it "mental retardation." Nikumbh gets frustrated and leaves. Later, Nandkishore feels bad for how he treated Ishaan.

Back at school, Nikumbh talks about dyslexia in class. He shares a list of famous people who had dyslexia. This list includes people like Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci. He comforts Ishaan by telling him that he also struggled with reading as a child.

Nikumbh gets permission from the principal to become Ishaan's special tutor. He uses special methods to help Ishaan improve his reading and writing. These methods are designed by experts who help children with dyslexia. Slowly, Ishaan starts to feel happier, and his grades begin to get better.

The Art Contest

At the end of the school year, Nikumbh organizes an art contest. Both students and staff can join. The famous artist Lalita Lajmi is the judge. Ishaan wins the contest with his amazing and creative artwork! Nikumbh paints a portrait of Ishaan and comes in second place.

The principal announces that Nikumbh will stay as the school's permanent art teacher. On the last day of school, Ishaan's parents meet his teachers. They are amazed by how much Ishaan has changed. Nandkishore is very emotional and thanks Nikumbh. Before leaving, Ishaan runs to Nikumbh, who lifts him up in a big hug.

Cast

• 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)

Images for kids

• 

  Darsheel Safary plays Ishaan. When Aamir Khan saw his acting, he knew he was perfect for the role.

• 

  Tisca Chopra, who plays Ishaan's mother, speaking at a press conference.

Soundtrack

The music for Taare Zameen Par was released on November 4, 2007. Most of the music was created by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy. Prasoon Joshi wrote the lyrics for many of the songs. However, the song "Mera Jahan" was made by Shailendra Barve and written by Amole Gupte. Prasoon Joshi won an award for Best Lyrics, and Shankar Mahadevan won an award for Best Male Singer for the song "Maa."

See also

In Spanish: Taare Zameen Par para niños