Kho Na Jaaye Taare Zameen Par

Very little preaching, simple and realistic situations, lots of great acting and a touching subject. Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par dwells on dyslexia, bringing our short attention span towards the common fate of dyslexics in our competitive world today. The main message of this movie was to make everyone understand that every child has his or her own niche. Come to think of it, its absurd to imagine that 100% of children read, write, think and calculate the same way as they graduate from one grade to another. Brain cells have an exponential growth curve from birth to early childhood, and trying to model every single child the same way in the formative years may result in hampering the expression of their natural talents below full potential.

Its unfortunate that the exact etiology and diagnostics of this disorder is still elusive. What is even more unfortunate is that in reality, teachers and parents might not be able to understand and detect this problem in their children in order to give them the deserved attention. In India more than in the US and other countries, children are forced to follow a pattern and be part of a certain rat race to fulfill parents' definition of being successful. Happiness is considered no barometer to justify what you do for a living. Then, like here in the US, many children with moderate learning disability are labeled with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Bipolar Disorder and and put on multiple medications at tender ages. I don't know what the right answer is! What I think we need are non-pressurizing parents, devoted and sharp teachers, and caring and responsible doctors, all working together on these kids.