Saturday, December 22, 2007

And then there were stars...........

Do you ever recall the days when as a kid you'd hate to get up for school, hate the exams, hate evrything in this world which came in your way of having fun?? When you were noted all around for being a brat?? Sample this now, what if you were the parent? How would you react? Will you look into the matter or simply subject your kid to the pressures of the rat race.

Much has been said about how in today's competitive world children are suffering, but very little has been done. Take a look around. The next door kid rushes off to tennis practice at 6:00 am, school from 8:30, tutorial classes from 4:30 and finally home at 9:00 pm. The trial doesn't stop here.... there are assignments to be done, projects to be made, exams to be prepared for (you need top marks!!) weeks in advance if not months. In the process, I personally a kid loses out the very essence of childhood fun. Having been part of this rat race for years now, goen through more or less a similar regime, I can safely vouch for its side effects.... I dunno in the process the basic skills, or may be the one which are really special in the kid might be getting lost. Not many are bold enough to withstand expectations and other pressures and still make a life out of what they love and can do best!! And what's more... sometimes the parents are so ignorant of the problems that can plague their children that they fail to look into some genuine problems that the kid might be suffering from attributing the dismal performance on soemthing else.


Aamir Khan in his directorial debut upholds this very problem.... He artfully weaves it around a typical aspiring middle-class family of today. Ishaan, was never good at school. He couldn't understand a word... he was pathetic at his lessons... couldn't clear papers... yet he was imaginative... an artist!! But then, ebing an artist doesn't count does it?? So, given his dismal performance at school he was sent away to boarding school in the hope that he'd be discipline d into performing. It was there, while shrinking into the world of a recluse, that he was meets Nikumbh and then the world slowly turns around.... and Ishaan turns out slowly to be a brilliant boy....
The entire journey leaves you smiling, fuming and at times tearful... for when rational and ata distance from the situation we all do understand the right and wrong of the situation. Along the way we come across papa NandKishore, mum Maya, big bro Yohann and friend Rajan, all lending that essential flavour to the plot making it a story that you'll remember, understand and indentify with at one go.
Darsheel Safary as Ishaan makes a mark that cannot be ignored. Splendid is the word for him. Tisca Chopra (Maya), Vipin Sharma (Nandkishore), Sachet Engineer (Yohann) and Tanay Chheda (Rajan) provide a strong support becoming key elements in the movie and assuming their own importance. And finally, Aamir Khan plays the part of Nikumbh sir, who with his intense charater portrayal sets out to set things right for Ishaan. Another wonderful performance from this perfectionist!!


Taare zameen par... questions everything about the education system. And quite rightfully so... After all, if I imagine starts to be on the ground why is it wrong??? That's my imagination and that is how I like to sketch it.... what's wrong with it???


Or is the title pointing it out to you, that if not handled carefully, we'd lose our kids to soemthing unknown.. and the result would be similar to one fine day waking up to a ground full off stars for they've fallen!!!


Kids are like stars in the sky... please guide them but let them be kids!!!


Pink Flloyd said it right years ago in the song Another brick in the Wall!!


In the end I ask you youngsters who are gonna be parents in the future, have you understood exactly where parenting, depsite the best intentions, is going wrong???

19 comments:

... said...

:)That's a nice review!

Sam said...

hey thnx.. wot r u doing up at this hr?? :o

IncorrigibleV said...

beautiful review ... and got me thinkin too
pata hai when i was in my 10th and every smart kid i knew was takin some kinda coachin or the other... and i used to always see that they get no weekends off no days out with friends no movies out, no time for bday treats ... and i never took coaching during school times for that very same reason coz i didnt wanna stop living the way i did and stop doin the things i did...but then today the competitions just gotten fiercer, and theres just no place for avg ppl...the education really needs to be questioned now more than ever!
i dunno i might even fret crazily when i have my own kids....

IncorrigibleV said...

education system*

Me said...

Nice review.

Rajarshi said...

Nice way to review a movie.....well what cn i say....im rite nw in collg nd facing all those problms.

Pri said...

heyyy just watched 'TZP' yesterday and was about to write a review...but u raced me to it :x...
but must say, i couldent have written it any better than this...
well done! :)

Sam said...

@vands: the problem is.. we all end up being part fo this system no matter how much we hate it!!!

@me: hey thnx for the visit!! :)

@tentacles: I can understand ur sitation... am glad u liked it!!

@pri: hey girl... wud luv to read ur take too... do post something.. at least inspired by the movie!!
btw, do read ashu's take too.. it's better i think!!

Occasional Brilliance said...

i saw this move today and im still feeling empty in my head... i havent been able to come up with a single coherent thought that i could use to sum up the expeience... an amazing debut for the director... absolute and total admiration for the young stars... i laughed, i cried and i laughed again... riivetting!!!

... said...

HEHE! I was studying! I go to sleep at 2. :)

Lena said...

you know i believe thats the same problem everywhere in world. Parents who want their children to live better than they make them attend all the classes, take all the coaching, learn everything from music to sport - all they forget is that children lose their childhood, the time when they are supposed to be kids, have fun, enjoy with friends.
Even here to get a place in a good school children have to work hard since they are 3 or 4. How can we speak about childhood if a 3 years old kid can read and knows at least 2 languages? When do they get time to live their lives?
it is not about educational system but about the requirements that society has put, about new values where success, career and money and parents see themselves left with no choice but to torture their kids with all this study and what not. Weird, sad, complicated but hardly to be changed.

Sam said...

@bubbles: ic an identify with that.. only i had a zillion thoughts playing hopskotch in mymind!!

@clouds: ee-gawd!!! i never studied that late untill i strtd on engg... (had no option if one strts past midnite :P)

@lena: point taken lena... but den isn't the society comprised of ppl like us???

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sam said...

coming from u... i do take a bow.. i do take a bow and accept the honour!! :D

Anonymous said...

babu moshai, kyu sharminda kar rahe ho. i m no big shot or anything......hassled soul and an aspiring manager / to be lead!!!!

What's In A Name ? said...

waa waa waaa....seems my jaywalking in blogosphere has landed me to your blog. And whats that ??? you have written a review of TJP too. Why?? same to same! I wrote one too.

and ur's one is good.

Merry Xmas!

Sam said...

@ashu: and thus a senior!! :) to isme sharminda hone wali baat kaha se aayi???

@stranger (:P): well... i wrote abt it coz i wanted to... anywyz, good to see u arnd here.. keep coming arnd!! :)

Sach1 said...

nice review :)
the movie undoubtedly makes a space in evry1's heart....

Aashi said...

ok.me late as usual.....:P

well namesake....i neednt say much think everyones practically summed wat uv written beautifuly :)


only there was an issue i thot a lot abt post watching TZP........i kinda thot of mentioning it in my blog.but as usual..nvr really got 2 write..n now again at 5am.i get a wild thot n voila.....i write a lil sumthing....chck it out wenevr u can :)

its in simply me......