Taare Zameen Par (2007)

96% of users liked it
(18,658 ratings)

A young boy prone to colorful flights of fancy finds his hyperactive imagination may serve a greater purpose after being sent away to boarding school by his frustrated parents. Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old boy who dedicates more time to dreaming up wondrous worlds of animals and kites than he… More A young boy prone to colorful flights of fancy finds his hyperactive imagination may serve a greater purpose after being sent away to boarding school by his frustrated parents. Ishaan Awasthi is an eight-year-old boy who dedicates more time to dreaming up wondrous worlds of animals and kites than he does to finishing up his schoolwork. When Ishaan gets in trouble at school and his parents reach the end of their rope, it's quickly decided that the best thing for everyone is to send the boy away to a school where he can be properly disciplined. Upon arriving at his new school, Ishaan is disheartened to find that things there are much the same as they were back home; he's still a misfit, but now he doesn't even have his parents to talk to. Later, newly arrived art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh arrives at Ishaan's boarding school looking to liven things up by getting his students to think outside the box. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of students respond to their free-thinking new teacher with great enthusiasm -- all except for Ishaan, that is. When Ram notices just how unhappy his most imaginative young student really is, he vows to break through to Ishaan and unlock the promising young student's full potential. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 45 min.
Directed By: Aamir Khan
Written By: Amol Gupte, Amole Gupte
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 21, 2007 Limited
Studio: UTV Communications

Critic Reviews

Derek Elley, Variety
So resolutely caring -- and devoid of real drama and interesting characters -- that it should have "approved by the Dyslexia Assn." stamped on the posters.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
Yes, this is a musical about overcoming dyslexia, but it's also about nurturing creativity and the pressure that the culture of success has put on children...

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

LIKE STARS ON EARTH: I remembered one reviewer stating they had tears of joy from this movie. They were right on... this is a beautiful film. There were a couple of quirky parts, but it fit well with the overall mood. Told through the eyes of a school age Indian boy, this Bollywood… More
LIKE STARS ON EARTH: I remembered one reviewer stating they had tears of joy from this movie. They were right on... this is a beautiful film. There were a couple of quirky parts, but it fit well with the overall mood. Told through the eyes of a school age Indian boy, this Bollywood film addresses societies need to see each child as unique, and special. The superb acting by the main character Ishaan, with direction by Aamir Khan, makes the film uniquely superb.
Pedro H

Touching, Amazing, Extraordinary By far the best Indian movie i have ever seen, A real cinematographic picture, something so heart warming that it will take you to cinem'extasy. The movie is based on a 8 year old who suffers from ADD and dyslexia, unfortunately his parents dont… More
Touching, Amazing, Extraordinary By far the best Indian movie i have ever seen, A real cinematographic picture, something so heart warming that it will take you to cinem'extasy. The movie is based on a 8 year old who suffers from ADD and dyslexia, unfortunately his parents dont see that, and come about the situation by taking him to boarding school. A mixture of "The Wall" in terms of Education and "Dead poets society" the movie is Beautiful I was shocked to see an 8 year old act so well like Safary, the movie wraps up amazing actors, who are really realistic and have a sensibility. Although the 4 hour plot, not one bit will you be bored . Amazing Soundtrack, and Scenery, this movie is by far one of the best movies in the education category, it will make you laugh and cry, and most important it will inspire you. So forget that all the Indian movies follow the Bollywood style, and take a chance, its about time we give these movies a chance, and as i did it, i dont regret one bit. Ram Shankar Nikumbh: lf you fancy racing, breed racehorses, dammit, not children.
Lanning :

My favorite Bollywood movie is Lagaan: Once upon a Time in India. It's probably no coincidence that Aamir Khan also stars in that one. He is excellent. This one goes fairly light on the song, and especially on the dance, but it's still… More
My favorite Bollywood movie is Lagaan: Once upon a Time in India. It's probably no coincidence that Aamir Khan also stars in that one. He is excellent. This one goes fairly light on the song, and especially on the dance, but it's still unmistakeably Bollywood. WIth great heart -- which is why I enjoy Lagaan so much. That's one thing that Bollywood sometimes seems to overlook -- the heart. Some productions are so overwhelmed by the singing and dancing that the heart often takes a back seat or falls out all together. But not here. I DO believe that every child is special, and I work with college students who live with the kinds of challenges Ishaan faces. It's good to see the heart of my life's work confirmed for me onscreen from time to time : )
familiar s

Nice directorial debut, hats off to Aamir for this. Its quite a job to make this kind of movie in Bollywood without involving any unnecessary romantic tracks, even though as side-track.
Dannielle A

This movie was unbearably long and had a lot of parts that were way too drawn out but it was very cute, unique, funny, and had a joyfully tearful ending. (My hubby was getting very teary eyed!) I like the story and it was very colorful and had fun music.
Leo L

An extraordinary movie that follows the struggles of a young boy unknowingly dealing with dyslexia, young Ishaan Awasthi has spent an entire year repeating the same grade and is not doing so well academically. Unlike him, his older brother Yohaan excels in all his schoolwork and this… More
An extraordinary movie that follows the struggles of a young boy unknowingly dealing with dyslexia, young Ishaan Awasthi has spent an entire year repeating the same grade and is not doing so well academically. Unlike him, his older brother Yohaan excels in all his schoolwork and this makes him feel even worse because his parents continuously berate him for his inabilities and erratic behavior. He finds solace in his love for art, and escapes into the leeway his imagination creates. After an incident at school, he is sent to a boarding school for discipline. Away from home and family, Ishaan becomes even more weary when he doesn't do so well at his new school. His confidence and will is shattered, and begins to lose interest until a new art teacher arrives. Ram Shankar Nikumbh instantly notices a despondent Ishaan, and discovers that Ishaan has all the symptoms of a learning disability that he himself dealt with as a child. His compassion, patience, and desire to help has enabled him to work with Ishaan using alternative methods of teaching. This enables Ishaan to regain his love for art, as well as bridging the differences in acceptance. Great cast- Darsheel Safary, Aamir Khan, Tanay Chheda, Vipin Sharma, Tisca Chopra, and Sachet Engineer. Definitely worthy!