Taare Zameen Par: Finally, Bollywood shows a kid acting as a real kid

Yes folks! Taare Zameen Par is that rare Bollywood film where a kid acts like he is a kid and not like a mini version of a melodramatic adult. I can count on one finger how many Bollywood films show children as they really are (the only movies I remember are Masoom and Anjali, which was a remake of a south Indian film). Anyways, Darsheel as Ishaan is your normal 9 year old....messy, naughty, bratty but still retaining the innocence of childhood.

So the first half of the movie where Ishaan day dreams through class and expresses himself through paintings is a treat to watch. Also, the portrayal of the pressures that schools and parents put on children whether they are good or bad performers is very realistic. However, the movie goes a bit downhill in the second half where Ishaan is sent to a strict boarding school to be whipped into shape. There is no lack in Ishaan's acting...he is superb as the kid whose vitality has finally been subdued by the repeated insults and trauma that he suffers from all sides. The reason is Aamir Khan and his desire to give the movie a happy ending. It would have been enough if he had succeeded in identifying the problem and convincing the parents and teachers that the child did not lack brains, he had dyslexia, a learning disorder that could be successfully overcome.

However, the movie goes into overdrive, showing Ishaan making rapid progress and in the final instance winning the painting competition. This movie would have been Oscar material if it could have retained the level of reality it had in the first half.