Taare Zameen Par – A Tale of Two Ditties
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P(l)ayback (Mumbai, India)
Email:
playback2007 [at] gmail [dot] com
Taare Zameen Par – A Tale of Two Ditties
I usually have a cautious approach to films where the roles of Director, Producer and Actor are attributed to the same person.
The “heightened reality” clip at the very onset caught me off guard. Why was it there ? To set the tone of the film ? It seemed not with what followed immediately after.
Starting from Ishaan fishing in the gutter right uptil when he is to leave for boarding school, I witness one of the most delightfully honest and natural portrayals in Indian Cinema. ‘Here is heart and soul storytelling’…’the unmistakable ring of truth’… I say to myself as I edge up on my seat, anticipating the years magnum opus.
And then everything changes.
We are transported into a boarding school full of unidimensional sketchy characters ( Bugs Bhargava’s character is ridiculous to the point of a doodle ) and probably loathe the transition more than poor Ishaan does. Its as if the storyteller changes, …the indulgence and empathy in the narrative gives way to a lifeless “music video” treatment.
The endearing bubbles of truth which rise above the surface of beautifully portrayed everyday reality are burst with the inconsideration and loud brashness of Nikumbh’s “entry” into the film. What is this ? A self obsessed showman on a rampage ? He is so “into” delivering his act that he actually misses out on Ishaan in his misery ! An out of place Pied Piper act,… where a heart to heart introductory interaction would have “eased in” the character and ensured better narrative flow. And even if one were to grant some outlandish creative license to this song and dance routine, …why couldnt it be a product of “in character” spontaneity rather than a Shiamak Davar choreographed jig. Compare this to the person whose mind, heart and hands created Ishaan’s paintings.
Darsheel engages you with a seemingly effortless performance that wins you over. However, Aamir’s portrayal of a sensitive mentor is strangely limited to bloodshot teary eyes — someone hyper-emotional and quite “over the top” — no wonder he romps around a class full of unknown students he is entering for the first time ! Shouldnt there have been more depth ? Are terms like sub text and internal monologue alien to our actors or do they just avoid it ?
There are good reasons why the traditional three act structure has stood the test of time and introducing a key player ( resolving agent in this case ) well into the second act is bound to have pitfalls. We are led through a whirlwind process of diagnosis, treatment and finally an unexpected event ( the painting contest ) imposed on the timeline of destiny by Nikumbh, almost like pressing a “fast forward button” to resolution which seems distinctly engineered as a showcase for Ishaan.
Its ironic that a film which is vehemently critical of the “rat race culture” eventually needs the premise of winning a contest among hundreds for the protagonist to attain acceptability. Why couldnt it be a quiet, less spectacular personal victory where the learning and consequent growth is internalized more profoundly at the individual level ?
The editor on any cinematic venture should ideally bring a fresh “third person POV” to the narrative. Being in “the thick of things” from the very beginning somehow limits the editors creative contribution and also results in flaws like aesthetic shot bias and discordant rhythm.
The cinematography seems a victim of fractured directorial vision and appears as disassociated “pretty pictures”. There were such rich visual possibilities in associating the three realms of the city, the boarding school scenics and Ishaan’s imagination.
The music and animation sequences were delicious by themselves.
I couldnt fathom the “cut-aways” of children which seemed out of context. Did you say “the context was children” ? Well then, why not make a documentary ? …Why explore a journey,…a relationship ? …Which brings me to the documentary at the end. Why is that needed ? Why do we have this compulsive urge to send messages through cinema ?
As Louis B. Mayer said, “If you want to send a message, call Western Union.”
See it twice and you will see two storytellers in conflict.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
thanks, tzp is extremely best .i definetly watch it 2 to 3 times in near future.i cried so much and it effects on my point of view ….amol sir thank u,really.
the ending shows that even when it is showed that ishaan has great painting skill still it must be proved that it really exists a competition proves that point!
and of course we cannot tolerate mindless competition however it does not means that medocracy can be tolerated. the movie in fact tell us that it is not important to be best in studies or academics but it is important to be best in whatever we chose to do.
Also nowhere in competition aamir asks the kid to come first or to show world his talents. there is no such mention in the film.
i would have bullshitted the movie if it would have show that the painting made by the kid gets sold for few lacs etc etc.
however talents do NEED recognition. the competition recognizes them and you don’t see the kid being pressurized as well.
i cant understand what you mean by silent victory.
silent victory is an irony.
victories are to be celebrated.
“quiet, less spectacular personal victory where the learning and consequent growth is internalized more profoundly at the individual level ?”
too difficult words but how do you show them on screen in 10 mins?
the only way talents such as painting can be recognized is by the either a competition or an art exhibition?
say what if he had other talent say sports (running for particular or even chess)
now will you show him winning race or show him running in track with aamir khan holding stopwatch to measure time? sounds foolish.
beating oneself by going faster in each lap is internalized less spectacular victory?
how many people would buy such ending?
also in case of chess say will you show him winning competition or playing against chess master 2007 on pc?
talk about alternative rather than
“quiet, less spectacular personal victory where the learning and consequent growth is internalized more profoundly at the individual level”
true as it is said in famous poem that
“You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.”
internal personal victory has to materialize there is not point in drawing paintings and keeping them locked in your home. either one must go out and exhibit them or prove there skills.
thus main points is that the competition was never portrayed as a rat race also if you look for alternatives you find none.
btw if you find my grammar a bit odd let me tell you something even i have a learning disabilty!!!
How different TZP would have been had if Amole Gupte Directed it?
PLEASE VOTE HERE
http://curioustelugodu.blogspot.com/
Great write-up, P(l)ayback. I wonder if I will be able to see the film again in such short interval, it left me heady from the first viewing, for many reasons.
“The editor on any cinematic venture should ideally bring a fresh
Thank you Tushar
Great work playback…..
There are really few glitches in the movie…
But after going through all the TZP reviews, i can see that everyone has raised expectations for this bollywood movie.
Every minute detail is discussed,criticized and applauded.
I wonder if we have started expecting a lot from Mr. Aamir Khan.He cant be good, he has to be perfect.
Again, Kudos to Aamir and Amole for the great movie..
cheers
Abhishek
“Starting from Ishaan fishing in the gutter right uptil when he is to leave for boarding school, I witness one of the most delightfully honest and natural portrayals in Indian Cinema….And then everything changes.”
Cannot agree more.
Out of the unidimentional characters and propagandist and ‘over the board’ in the second half a few that stand out:
(*) Ishaan silent walking away from the call from maa. Aamir, silence does speak; you showed it in the first half but missed this fundamental grossly in the second half.
(*) Ideation behind the running around the basketball court sequence (reminiscent of Makhmalbaf’s Cyclist?) – a powerful statement.
(*) The maa song.
Somethings I wished weren’t there:
(*) Ishaan’s boat created during the hands on session not only swam away from him, but seemed to drive more and more honesty away from the script.
(*) The rhetoric dialogues- Aamir, Ishaan’s dad.
(*) The documentary like footage and propogandist sequences. Ishaan’s story in itself is powerful enough.
(*) The last 10-15 minutes was cliche climax at its peak, many of us wished Ishaan just didn’t turn up in the climax as he did.
Inspite of the cliches Ishaan’s and Aamir’s final paintings seemed to stand out; especially in order to say that – this was after all not such a bad film.
The film could have been a gem, with more sensitivity thrown into the post interval period of the script.
I wish Aamir reread the script from his “fishing in the gutter” sequences, while he was shooting the rest of the picture . I wish this gem really shined as best as it should have.
@ INetIdentity
@ Abhishek Patil
Thank you
Thank You P(L)AYBACK for very nice and really different review of TZP. I must say that I loved movie and in second viewing, I will try to focus more on TZP as film and its +ves and -ves. Thanks!
But I think, about Aamir’s performance, it’s good and the thing that occured to me was, though he is Aamir and supposed to be showstealer, even he is on-scree, Darsheel is kept in focus. I thnik it was understood by him that “he” is not protagonist of movie but Ishaan(Darsheel) is. That’s what I felt. I may be wrong but I think so!
Thanks again!
It is a great movie but yes it does have its share of weaknesses.
acc to me the character of ishaan’s father was very unidimensional.
He should have been given one sceneof interaction with his son whenhe realises his folly
he reperesents someone who works all day in office, having 1000 tensions,comes home to fin dthat his son is failing and not even feeling a pinch of guilt while failing and not trying ti study or improve
he is bond to get angry .his character deserved a special scene all to himself
but congrats aamir for an amazing film
Thank you 32
[admin note: comment partially trolled]fu*k you:-w……………..
it’s effect was good and thats what matters, it reaches out to the hearts of people, if u want cinematic excellence, watch david lean……, it is aamir’s debut film as a director, cut him some slack……….
In most reviews that I read, the father’s role (and the actor) has been criticised. I think he was great in his part. Ishaan was shown to be the sort of guy who didnt let his emotions out much in front of ppl. The father, was exactly that. He didnt show his weaker end even (or most) to his children (which is why he runs away from Ishaan, when he realises he was wrong).
The most he does is hug Nikumbh in the end when he is told he has great sons. A real-life person wouldnt do more than that – it would be melodramatic if he did.
Nikumbh’s loud entry was an ice-breaker. He knows children well and he gave a great introduction the way he did.
I’ve only seen the movie once. Sometimes i wonder why we analyse films when we should be enjoying them
Its a wonderful piece of work. The paintings, at the end, completed a magnificent story.
P(l)ayback..what r u man?!!! hahahahahaha!!! u r so damn funny buddy..may be u should deliver that master piece that we all have been waiting for in Indian Cinema..!!…There’s a limit to criticism man..! anyway 3 cheers to your “perfect” review..hahahaha!! Oh God!
@ General
Can’t help posting this back.
P(l)ayback writes: “The endearing bubbles of truth which rise above the surface of beautifully portrayed everyday reality are burst with the inconsideration and loud brashness of Nikumbh
@ INetIdentity …Thank you once again ! You illuminate.
@ Mahesh
What is the limit ?
@ Taher
Agree with you about the fathers character
Playback – I only read the first part of your post and then had to skim thru the rest of the rant. Appears to be another self righteous rant about how a film ought to be and what could be done so much better and blah bah!!
Seriously dude, do you think even Amol Gupte would have gone all out to please you? If he were to then this film would have been lost in oblivion and all the posts on PFC (since Thursday) would not be discussing TZP.
Here is an opinion – the film is simply brilliant and I think only Aamir could have blended this element of artistic expression with commercial viability so well. Everything else is just talk and does nothing to a persons opinion who has watched this.
Here is a suggestion – learn from this film and it may actually come in handy if you ever get a chance to be a filmaker. Otherwise this – pretentious balbber on a blog – may be as good as it gets
@ akshay u bhat
“internal personal victory has to materialize there is not point in drawing paintings and keeping them locked in your home. either one must go out and exhibit them or prove there skills.”
what if Ishaan is not a “great painter” or not a “great anything” which most of kids will be? does it means that he is retarded and should be sent to special school? what if there is a latent talent and its not evident?
I think movie chose an easy way out, happens all the time when any form of art is evolving. Cinema is certainly discovering itself again in India.
It still is a beautiful movie.
@ Bugsnest
(a) Its not about anybody “trying to please” me. Its about making a better film.
(b) For criticism to be constructive, it has to offer suggestions rather than just criticise or report a synopsis of the story.
(c) “I think ONLY Aamir could have blended this element of artistic expression with commercial viability so well”.–That is a direct slap on the face of the multitude of talent we have in our country.And an insult to Amole specifically.
(d)I learn from every film I watch. Thats what 11 years of film-making has taught me.
Playback, could you please reveal ur identity? 11 years of film making?? Please be kind enough to let me know who you are.
In 11 years I hope you have seen some of the better movies India has ver produced- I mean some Malayalam movies. Especially, the ones made by Padmarajan, T.V Chandran, Bharathan etc. Your comments please.
@ Playback
Playback, is it not an irony that people who love Ishaan’s character in the movie are just opposite when it comes to real life? I mean wtf if someone did not like some fine points in the movie? But no, since its a democracy the decision HAS to be unanimous.
”
Hahaha, 11 years of movie making and you don’t appreciate TZP as whole heartedly as we do…u farce… show us your face, let us see what you have done in 11 years… prove your self or die a silent death.
See we loved Ishaan because he proved himself. You do not have a right to opinion if you are not a BRAND.
“
@Vivek Thakur
Completely agree Vivek. But then maybe it is natural for most people to snap out with primitive “learned” instinctive responses without consulting reason or logic. Most of us are conditioned micro-systems in a conditioned macro-system.
@Playback
Worse, we as a conditioned micro-system make a conditioned macro system. Our surrounding is a product of us and we are happy because we (read as majority) control it.
@ Vivek …True ! its a viscious circle.
I dont like it when cinema goes about and changes people’s lives. I don’t like it because, I don’t think cinema can ever alter a psyche that has taken years to reach a level of maturity.
All cinema can do is stop people en route to going abt their daily tasks and wonder about a small degree of resonance that a part of it held to their mundane, everyday going-abouts.
So, if “Taare Zameen Par” can just make u gently peep into the eyes of a kid and try to make sense of the gleam that radiates out of them, I think Aamir Khan shud consider his job done. If u think it made u a better parent, a better sibling or a better human being then u r just being disrespectful to all those experiences u have had over a period of time.
Moments that make up life are sometimes more important than life itself. Cinema shud just go about and enrich those moments…
And this is probably the best review of the movie that I have read anywhere. It does go a tad marginal at times, but still..
I guess P(l)ayback is amole gupte, who is not happy with TZP’s success, as Amir steal his script and made a fab movie out of it…
FYI – In just 5 days, TZP is a tax free movie..
I like the theme of the movie and as such the movie was a complete pack of story, direction, editing, fun, emotions, music…… And Aamir handled it quite well.. Pick any movie of 2007 and compare it with TZP, you’ll get the answer.. I guess it was Aamir’s magic..
@ Sreehari…Thanks !
@ Gaurav ! Pal, u think Amole isnt happy ? What can I say ? …
TZP Rocks.
Thanks Amol, Deepa, Darsheel, Tisca and Aamir for a wonderful movie…..whihc live stay in our hearts for a long time.
I loved the song “Maa”….it really touched my heart.
Thanks Shankar Ehsaan and Loy for the music.
Thanks everyone!!!
The movie is a must see..
I love TZP.
Hi P(l)ayback
Need to appreciate the way you have explained your dissatisfaction with the movie. But I beg to differ that I do not agree with the view that two storyteller was in conflict with each other. You have a POV for the second half of the movie, but that does not change the POV of Aamir in this one. You are right that the movie could have a simple and less dramatic ending and it was not necessary to show the winning. But winning is part and parcel of life. My POV is that winning is important but now a days winning in studies have become more important. A normal middle class fellow can not even dream of trying his hands in anything else apart from being an engineer or a doctor. If he has to do a post graduation it has to be MBA. Nothing else is suitable and worthy of getting respect. In that regard Aamir succeeded in portraying that a child has its own interests and his interest is in no way less than the interest of his parents. He also tried to portray that every child has something special in him, just that we have to understand and nurture his special talent and he will be winner in his own ways. Child falter because we want him to perform in stuffs that does not interests him. I salute Aamir for showcasing the inherent requirement of a child in such a beautiful and touching manner.
Hats off to Aamir and Amol
–Sourav
@Playback – firstly, I apologize for the uncivilized post, that was uncalled for.
I will try to articulate this better (keyword is try) – TZP could have been a masterpiece, sure, but what we got is still way better than a disaster it could have been. I am not taking a shot at Amole Gupte and implying he would have ruined the film. All I am saying is that this film could have got way too personal and too involved in the psyche of the child and his fantasies. The result could have been a great film for film-literate folks to discuss but would most likely fail to connect with the average Joe (or average Raju) out there.
That is where I felt Aamir may have blended the 2 elements rather well. He took his time to establish the boys identity well but he did not forget he was playing with other peoples money
I watched this film in a mid-western college town and the folks with me were working adults who had graduated or folks still pursuing a PhD. This intelligent population felt during the intermission that the pace ought to pick up – exact comment was “picture saheen hain lekin bahut keecha woh bacche ka kahani”. The same crowd felt they got their money’s worth at the end coz Aamir and Darsheel made them cry. There was also a good deal of discussion on Dyslexia
You can make a “No Smoking” or a “Saawariya” and you polarize viewer opinion one way or the other. There’s also the Rajni kind of flicks that make folks from my neck of woods appear like a bunch of bozos and the rest of the country wondering what’s wrong with us! But films like these bring in consensus by its universal appeal and the way it connects with all of us. And to me that is where the success lies.
Comments?
PS: If you are a filmmaker then would it not add more weight to your comments if you were to reveal the films you have made. Actions speak louder than words
I second you bugsnest….good film needs to have a wider audience to find its merit…No smoking was awesome but audience did not approve it because they were not fed with predictability and could not connect one sceene with other. Here in India, for each and every film we know the end at the very starting. The whole story revolves around how director gives the culmination shot. How he approaches the end. That is what matter in Indian audience and not the end always.
In that case, TZP was slow and emotional at the starting to build up the story. But entry of a messiah, providing salvation to the child and making him win at the end was necessity of the time and indian sensibility to woo customers.
I doubt Taran Adarsh would have given 4* to TZP otherwise, taking the fact that he goes for commercial ability of any film.
@ Bugsnest
I understand your POV
I think TZN is just awesome. Child artist ishaan was amazing.
Also I played TZN quiz at www.mastishot.com.
Try it out and have fun.
while youve raised some compelling points i do feel this movie won me over in the first half. its raw, natural, honest acting and portrayal were its instant appeal. and the songs/lyrics were beautifully rendered and very situational. if the big burly punjabi men sitting behind me sniffing at the emotional scenes were anything to go by, i would say this film also won the hearts of many i shared the film with. a wonderful directorial debut.
amir khan: please continue in your quest to deliver good cinema..your passion is so tangible. hats off to you for daring to fuse parallel with commercal. if i did have any qualms, it would be the sheer length!
Second bugsnest… atleast the film doesn’t get too self indulgent. But then aren’t we talking two different schools of film making…
imagine Antonioni’s Blowup remade into a commercial murder mystery..
With all honesty, while this seems a well crafted critique, it appears like the author went into the movie with a chip on his/her shoulder..like you were convinced one person was responsible for the first half (amole) and another (Aamir) for the second..and I think that chip rendered it impossible for you to be objective about the review.
Too bad your journalistic talent is held hostage by your prejudices. Its almost impossible to comment objectively on such a subjective review.
And i agree with everything bugsnest said. While condemn another movie to the fate of My Brother Nikhil, Blue Umbrella, and other countless pictures that inspite of a sensitively tackled subject, died a quiet death because they were too abstruse for the average joe/raju, as bugsnest put it?
This movie raises several important questions, not just about learning disorders but about the Indian think-in-the-box rat race education system, doesn’t it deserve a wider mass audience? Its about time more people attempted to bridge the gap between commercial and parallel…a entertaining movie that wasn’t a complete insult to one’s intellegence…if it took a poster boy to do it then so be it..
@err
“it appears like the author went into the movie with a chip on his/her shoulder”
But Bro, its true for you too, as far as your appreciation for this review is considered.
“a entertaining movie that wasn
@err
Guess you have got your reply. Anyways, if you read carefully, u shall discover that the chip angle doesnt apply here. I substanciate what I say all along. If there is something you didnt follow I would be happy to explain. Also, if you desire to critique my critique, please be specific and operate from logic and reasoning.
Cheers !
Subhash K. Jha compared TZP to Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali today on TOI. This is a new low for film criticism in India !
>>”Subhash K. Jha compared TZP to Satyajit Ray
“Subhash K. Jha compared TZP to Satyajit Ray
What are u talking about Bugsnest ?
@ bugsnest, haha stop being so paranoid man, I doubt anyone who worships Subhash Jha would ever attempt a Ray movie.
And if by fluke his personal opinion should result in more people watching a genius, is that really so terrible? do we consider ourselves the intellectual guardians of his work, protecting it from the untrained eye?
ps: here’s what he really said:
Writer and creative-director
@Misha – Point well taken.
If anything Ray is more accessible than most directors … at least for an untrained eye like mine :d
dumb question – is Subhash Jha really that big a force now? I had not heard of this dude until the infamous Sonu Nigam incident.
sry man noticed this artice just now .. and its a really good one . havent seen tzp yet but can make out a few things just from the promos.
agree abt ur statement abt ‘choreographed’ songs .. also i agree that the ending shudve been philosopically correct rather than ‘box-office’ correct (whr he wins a comptition).
will give another commment after watching it.
@filmibhai
Thank you
I remember an article by Mr. Subhash K Jha where he had stated categorically that Bhansali’s Black was the gr8est thing to have happened to Indian Cinema after Ray’s Pather Panchali and Ghatak’s “Meghe Dhaka Tara”….
Helloo??? Knock.. Knock… Anybody inside tht guys head??
I am sorry but I always believe that stupidity in film criticism arising out of a poor cinematic upbringing and sensiblity is a far more potent danger than prejudice or bias. A Khalid Mohammed maybe be infinitely biased. But, he would never ever in all his senses make such a ludicrous remark…. Black is to contemporary Indian Cinema what PP was to Indian Cinema ? That has to be the stupidiest remark to come out of a journalist. And because its such a high-flying, huge comparison it latches onto other people and we see them following suit..
//Ishaan could be Ray
It would have to be like the gr8est film I have seen about capturing the 5 basic human senses. You can literally feel the characters touching, smelling, tasting, hearing and seeing. You can feel that. And sequences like Durga dancing in the rain just after the train sequence which can be interpreted as the stepping of a girl into adolescence, being conscious of the feminine grace she naturally endowed with and letting it out. Can you find a sequence of such subtle sub-texts as the one there in TZP anywhere?
I have said this before. Making a flamboyant statement, comparing two artistic creations is a simple propostion if
a) you r dumb enough not to understand either of them
b) if u r not asked for your reasons for making it and,
c) if u dont think ur accountable for something you say.
As far as Subhash K jha goes all the above three clauses seem justified..
@ Sreehari ! Clap. Clap. Clap. Loved your comments. I have developed a very poor opinion of Subhash K. Jha indedd ! Thanks for reminding of Durga’s dance in the rain in PP. There is a bitter ironical subtext there too,…the rain she celebrates eventually takes her life. Its a pleasure to have gentlemen like you read my post. Thank you.
oops ! *indeed*
Why are we having a TZP conversation NOW Sreehari?
Aren’t you taking part in Ronin??
and you go state everything I want to say about it
WTF is left for me to dig out now? :(
Well… I loved the movie the moment I saw it. But reading your post has brought back flashes of doubts that I completely forgot about.
I didnt like the showman clown make a grand entrance too. Too opposite to the always-teary eyed Nikumbh as we see later on.
I didnt like the too-many songs as well as the animation of 3 X 9. I felt it was a copy of Spaceman Spiff in his space shuttle of Calvin & Hobbes fame. Too much.
Yeah, the competition was a tad over the top. After all, how often does it happen in real life!
Although I liked the rest of the movie. Now all I need to do is to go watch it again to see what you’re talking about…
@ Rinchen …Thank you
Playback,
Ah, valid point.Oh,and the pleasure’s all mine.. We r just people held together by a common love for the medium.
kavita,
et tu brute!!!
Oh, shouldnt I have said all that? Shud I have been more measured with my words? I can’t take all of that back now, can I?
But, it feels nice to know that we both were circumnavigating the same part of the galaxy. Did we turn on the keys to our space-shuttle at around the same time as well?:)
@Sreehari
Ave Cassius!
Don’t do me that disfavour ever of measuring your thoughts or words….
“Challenger” took off and burst into flames,
will have to launch another shuttle ‘fore 5th.
Ronin?
Kavita,
One contest, thousands of participants, zillion perspectives, thousands of analysts , a single analysand and just 650 words to play with. I guess we shud not be taking Ronin too seriously:)
You clearly appear to know the intricacies of film making, but in spite of saying that you thought the first half of the movie was commendable, you have about 2 lines describing it.
Rest of the review is a bitter analysis of your own disappointment. Not that there
@ cinemaisdead?
… I understand your disappointment. But please understand mine. The second half was a let down and I am not mincing words about it. Its when the soul was betrayed,…the mind took over. I approach a film like a joy-ride. Its when your roller-coaster gets stuck midway up the ascender I start complaining !
Just watched this movie last night. I may be one of the few people of the opinion that RDB was a disappointing movie due to which I was wary of watching TZP. But I am definitely glad I watched it in the end, a great movie and pretty good for a directorial debut.
Three things I didn’t like (already mentioned in your review) :
1. The ending.. For me the whole art competition and everything that ensued thereafter was cheesy and totally not required. The scene immediately before the competition where Ishaan dresses up and goes to the lake at twilight and the camera pans out… that was a truly beautiful scene and I wish the movie had ended there.
2. Aamir’s introduction.. the song-dance routine was totally uncalled for at that point and yes his not being aware of Ishaan sitting sullen and sad was annoying.
3. Aamir’s teary eyed scenes watching the children at tulips. I think his sensitivity showed through well enough when he was dealing with ishaan and his parents. There was no need to augment it with these scenes.
Apart from this I’m glad that for the majority of the film the focus was on Ishaan.
Overall I think this is a must-see movie!
@ Christina …completely agree with you !
P[L]AYBACK:
Thanx!
You deserve it as much P, really loved what you wrote, was a little apprehensive with such competition……….!!
Did you make it??
I see a Sreehari too.
K
Why is there an urge to send a message in cinema? > A Documentry is most often watched by educated elite who are already pumped up about issues and are swimming in awareness. Films especially Bollywood have one special asset – put in a little song and dance add a lil Aamir Khan and you havea whole crowd cutting accross incomes, classes and education levels. Not all of them will get the same message but they might get a little brain poker that might lead them to act or do thing diffrently in their own uniqe circumstances. On a purly film level I am impressed with your review but I have to say – sure cinema is enterntainment but if we can use it to give a message to a bigger bunch of people then we are not using this asset enough!!
@ Rheea,…Thank you for your appreciation. Dont you think TV is a better medium to reach out with messages ?
Amazing analysis!
@ Christina
Not a great movie.
Just a good film.
@ J …Thank you !
@ Playback
I noticed this review after all these months, simply because we have an inter school Film appreciation competition and the film chosen happens to be TZP.
I was, i accept, biased towards the film mainly because of the innocent performance by Darsheel and of course because Amir being my favorite actor.
Your review certainly made me see it in a new light. I don’t change my view that this is a wonderful film and kudos to Amole Gupte for the issue BUT I accept Amir has gone over the top in certain places:-
1) No school teachers can be so harsh on the students. True, certain ones are strict and require parrot-talk answers to all questions BUT no teacher in any 21st century private school would give scale-bashing’s for indiscipline. Acc. to our law, he who violates that, even out of frustation hits/scolds harshly/calls a student stupid is likely to be jailed. Then what’s with the over the top hindi and Art teachers?
2) I wouldn’t call Amir’s loud entry as over the top….but yes, such an entry truly does away with the innocence of the other characters (read Darsheel’s). But, how he could be so blind to not notice a sulky and sad Ishaan Awasthi during his silly dance-song routine is amazingly stupid. So is his clown costume…..its a class of 9-year olds not 5 yr old babies. A dance routine is ridiculous enough but add a coloured costume, its party, not school.
3) The movie showcases the teachers as grouped in 2 ways: i)Hindi teacher “i’ll hit u and embarress u if u don’t answer correctly” type and ii) Clown-dancing to win u’r heart type.
I don’t agree, teacher’s needn’t be in those two extremes. A sof, strict but not riddiculously funny teacher who understands the grave importance of care to the dyslexic would have been just perfect.
Thank You.
(I am a student of class X in a jaipur school)
avanika…
ur point no. 1 is totally misplaced…
i can assure u of that there are a lot of teachers out there who wouldnt hesitate in caning….
speaking from experience mate…
Happy to help Avanika !
Miss Durgh Cafe at Nahargarh and Chowkhi Dhaani ! 
P(l)ayback, enjoyed your review and I agree that the 2nd half treatment differs from the first half. The movie does have many cliched scenes . Still, no complaints coz I enjoyed the movie.
P.S. I like the simile of watching a movie to a rollercoaster ride. I guess to me what mattered is when the ride got over, I still remembered enjoying most parts of it.
Also, I have stopped looking for perfect rides. Which ones have been your ‘perfect’ rides?
dear mr. p(l)ayback,
there is an unmistakable tone of contempt which is ordinarily difficult to associate with women, im therefore guessing youre a guy. over the top objectivity and rationality which i believe has caused you to miss the woods for the trees is another reason. compared to average and perhaps even above average critics, you have remarkable articulation of the inadequacies that youve pointed out. however, i disagree on all points. re: aamirs over the top entry and the painting competition being a paradox – rather than take much space here, id suggest close parallels – forrest gump, patch adams*, MASH*, to sir with love, closer home – Namavvar* (esp. w.r.t. loud entries). its a pity, because, at the end of your review, the inescapable inference is, that youre so full of your self….that you sound like the average critic~ FYI….im sure you know who said this – “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.”
aamir was certainly no new comer; even so. nonetheless, your views made for interesting reading, even if, im sure youd permit the liberty, of my disagreeing completely, on all points.
regards,
ananth.