Taare Zameen Par

Theatrical release poster

***Taare Zameen Par*** ( ***Like 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 disability. 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 todsdssok 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 to the short-list.

## Plot

Ishaan Awasthi is an 8-year-old boy who hates school and learning, as 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 or unnoticed. 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 whose merits Ishaan is often ashamed of.

After receiving a particularly poor academic report, Ishaan's parents send him to a boarding school. There he rapidly sinks into a state of fear, anxiety, and depression, despite being befriended by Rajan Damodharan, a physically disabled boy who is one of the top students in the class. Ishaan is anguished due to missing his parents, the boarding school teachers being even more abusive than the previous school's, and starting to feel that he genuinely was a failure. Ishaan contemplates suicide, climbing up the fence in a terrace, but Rajan intervenes, saving him.

Ishaan's condition changes 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 school. Nikumbh's teaching style is markedly different from that of his strict and abusive predecessor, and he quickly observes Ishaan's unhappiness and apathetic participation in-class activities. He reviews Ishaan's work and concludes that his academic shortcomings are indicative of dyslexia, a condition suppressing his artistic capabilities.

One day, Nikumbh sets off to Mumbai to visit Ishaan's parents where he is surprised to discover Ishaan's hidden interest in art after finding some of his drawings. Upset, he asks Nandkishore why he sent his son to a boarding school in the first place and shows Maya her son's notebooks giving an analysis of his struggles. He explains how Ishaan has severe difficulty in understanding letters and words due to dyslexia even though Nandkishore, labelling it as mental retardation, dismisses it as a mere excuse for laziness. Frustrated by his crude and inaccurate explanation of Ishaan's condition, Nikumbh leaves. Nandkishore finally feels guilty for his mistreatment towards Ishaan.

Nikumbh returns and subsequently brings up the topic of dyslexia in a class by offering a list of famous people who were dyslexic. Afterwards, he comforts Ishaan by telling him how he struggled as a child as well by facing similar problems. Nikumbh then visits the school's principal and obtains his 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. Ishaan soon develops an interest in his studies and eventually his grades improve.

Towards the end of the school year, Nikumbh organises an art-'n'-craft contest held at the school amphitheater for the school staff and students. The competition is 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 they see in him. Overcome with emotion, Nandkishore thanks Nikumbh. As Ishaan gets into the car to leave with his parents for summer vacations, he turns around and runs toward Nikumbh, who gives him a hug and tells him to return next year.

## 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)