Monday, December 31, 2007

Movie review: taare zameen par (तारे ज़मीन पर)

well, today, i had the opportunity to go check out this much talked about movie.... all the publicity has been making it look really awesome.... so i thought i would go see if it really is all that....

just to give you a quick run down, it is a brilliant movie directed by aamir khan who also happens to play a role in the film. the film is a story of Ishaan Awasthi, An eight-year old dyslexic child who has difficulties in reading, writing and understanding letters, words and sentences. His world is filled with wonders that no one else seems to appreciate; colours, fish, dogs and kites are just not important in the world of adults, who are much more interested in things like homework, marks and neatness. And Ishaan just cannot seem to get anything right in class. For that he gets punished every time.

When he gets into far more trouble than his parents can handle, he is packed off to a boarding school to ‘be disciplined’. Things are no different at his new school, and Ishaan has to contend with the added trauma of separation from his family.

One day a new art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh (aamir khan) bursts onto the scene, who infects the students with joy and optimism. Nikumbh soon realizes that Ishaan is very unhappy, and he sets out to discover why.

Yes, that’s the story of the film…. But the film is more than the story per se. The film belongs to the performances of Aamir as the ultra-sensitive art teacher who was dyslexic himself and sees his own image in the child. It belongs to Tisca Chopra’s portrayal of the mother who loves her child and is exasperated with him in equal measure.

However, more than anything, it belongs to Darsheel Safary as Ishan, who silently conveys turmoil, glee, wonder, anger and carries the film on the strength of his performance alone.

At that level, it is a intensely human film that tells us a very human story.No item numbers, no heroine, no songs in Switzerland. And it works ! Bravo, Aamir Khan, producer, director and actor of “Taare Zameen Par” ! In fact, the only drawbacks in the movie were the caricatures of some characters, like Mr. Awasthi, the father, and the boarding school teachers (who apart from Aamir Khan, are made to look like either buffoons or cruel sadists). The high achieving elder brother however, is not a caricature, thankfully !

Some facts about this movie:

Taare Zameen Par opened with 425 prints across India. The initial Box Office response was low the film quickly picked up due to strong positive review from both critics & audience. The Director Aamir Khan has posted in his official website that he's been informed by the movie distribution team of PVR that this movie is headed for the biggest grosser of the year.

IndiaFM has awarded the movie 4 out of 5 reels saying "TAARE ZAMEEN PAR isn't one of those films that merely entertains, but also enlightens." and "On the whole, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR is an outstanding work of cinema. To miss it would be sacrilege. It has everything it takes to win awards and box-office rewards!". The gross first week collection of TZP is INR 16 Crore in India

Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN has stated "Taare Zameen Par may change your life" giving it a positive review.


I loved this movie. Its the sort of movie which anyone can relate to on a personal level... and it will definately bring tears to your eyes atleast once..... so i would score this movie 9 out of 10.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

update from ahmedabad

man..... this place has changed heaps since the last time i was here 5 years ago.... i have been here now for just one week.... and already, i can point out so many things that have changed here... firstly, its scary to admit this... but i no longer feel like i know this city... on the way here to the place i am staying from the airport, i had absolutely no idea where i was.... all i knew was that there were roads and stuff.... but i had no idea where i was.... at all... and thats scary... the first couple of days, it used to annoy the hell out of me anytime anybody honked.... and trust me, there is a lot of that here... and besides, this city is NEVER quiet.... not even in the middle of the night.... there is always something going on all the time... but now, i think i am used to all the honking... this city has grown heaps though.... there used to be this club that we used to go to all the time..... its called rajpat club.... it was out there on the highway in the middle of nowhere... all that was surrounding it was wilderness... but when i went there this time around..... (i was actually headed to a wedding reception which just happened to be down the road) that area has developed heaps now... there are 2 huge multiplexes... and a huge reliance mall.... and also a big bazaar... lol... that place is unrecognizable now... also another good thing about ahmedabad.... since the introduction of the CNG auto rickshaws, the pollution fog every morning and evening is now gone.... one thing i am really satisfied about is the food.... it sure feels good to eat the properly spicy will burn your mouth type of food again.... and that was one thing i used to miss heaps about this place.... the awesome tasting yummy yummy food...

anyways, thats all i have for now.. will keep you updated...

Laters...