Dec 22, 2007 04:13 PM
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(Updated Dec 22, 2007 04:20 PM)
TZP ought to raise debates on the usefulness of formal teaching. What use is the system of'elite' schools if all they are imparting is some kind of'brand' satisfaction and not education. The more'elite' a school is, the more expensive it is. That criteria itself cuts away to suit only the rich. Or it could be'elite' in terms of marks. So you see near impossible'cut offs' like 95% which might even go as high as 99.2%(in future, methinks).
The parents, hungry to see their children do well in school, push their children mercilessly for that additional mark. At work, parents brag about the achievements of their children, or scream out their frustration when the child fails to get top scores.
In such a scenario, where even normal students find it hard to meet the expectations of their parents woe betide the fate of the child who has a learning disorder. More so if the disorder is undetected and the child has to bear the label of a'duffer'
Ishan Awasthi lives in a world of his own that adults dont understand. That is quite ok with Ishan actually. The trouble lies with the adults. They want him to toe their line all day long. morning noon and night. The mother wants him ready in time for the school bus, the father wants good scores, the teachers want him to learn things at their pace. Ishan cant explain what is going on his world, and when he does try, he is shouted down. The teacher asks him to read a passage from the book, he tries and tells the teacher, "The letters are dancing". The teacher thinks he is being a smartass and kicks him out of the class.
He keeps getting into scrapes because he finds he cannot cope with the rigid world that the adults have created for their convenience. This leads to numerous complaints that keep raining on his father, from the teacher, principal, neighbours. He caves in to the pressure and puts him in a boarding school. That only compounds Ishan's problems. Now he is bereft of the care and security of his family as well.
But of course, the darkest hour of the night brings with it a silver lining. He is finally understood. First by his best friend in school who is sympathetic to him, and next, by a teacher who knows the difference between imparting lessons and'teaching'. Ram Shankar Nikumbh(Amir Khan) is a maverik art teacher who teaches at the school for special children and has stepped in as a temperory Art teacher for a term. He goes into the child's background, looks into his books, meets his parents and makes a serious effort to understand him. He designs his teachings to suit the pace Ishan understands and brings him back from the brink of disaster.
The movie indicts the teachers and parents harshly. The teachers, in this day and age, have a child with an obvious learning disorder. They try to cure him by the usual round of'punishments', he is made to stand outside the class, is hit on his fist with a scale and is thrown out of a school. Even the father declares the kid is lazy and intractable.
In the end, all it takes is a little care, love, affection, a little time and special methods to bring the child around.
I did feel that the teachers and the father were shown as overly insensitive to the child. Only the mother and the brother are'attached' to the child and stand by him no matter what scrape he is in. Maybe it kind of makes Amir Khan as the saviour/teacher look better.
What I liked best about the movie was the importance given to ART as a way of life. All of us who write compulsively on MS or various blogs, or read beautiful works of literature, or draw / paint, or switch on music are trying to keep in touch with our creative sides. Without creativity, no progress is possible, whether in Science, Business or Society.
Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi is . words fail me, so I will just say . perfect. Though of course, all actors are equally good. And I will repeat a line I read in some other MSians revu, You dont feel like you are watching a movie. And yes, before I sign off, the song picturisation of Jaame Raho and Bheja Kam was awesome.
