When the stars descend

I have been a no-fan-no-critic for Aamir Khan. While I thought Lagaan was strictly average (it just tapped the cricket fever in India), I liked Aamir Khan in the 'Hum-hai-raahi-pyaar-ke'isque roles.

His directorial first, 'Taare Zameen Par' would certainly be one more reason for me to like Aamir Khan. It is a feather in his cap!

The movie does not tag the 'front benchers' as the 'snobs'; the teachers are not the villians. And that is the best part of the movie. It is subtle - yet it brings forth something very beautiful - childhood.

'Taare zameen par' glorifies childhood. The innocence, the purity. There are moments in the film where you cannot help but value life. The film also shows different 'forms of childhood' - the student (the protagonist), a boy who works in a dhaba, the children living on the roadside.

And there are moments which you can relate to. And there are visuals which stay back - Ishan holding Youhan's hand when the latter comes to visit him at the boarding school, Ishan sitting on the commode with his eyes up in the air, Ram's painting at the Art Mela. And the way Ishaan goes "Bindaas!"

And yes, it is certainly a 'Bindaas' movie!!