Words fall short

I had to write something about this epic movie... better late than never.

This Christmas, there has been three supposed blockbuster releases... two in Hindi - Taare Zameen Par (TZP) and Welcome, and one Bengali - Koilashe Kelenkari (KK). All three are watchable for their own reasons. TZP is Amir Khan's first directorial venture and we expect a lot from him and going by the reviews, this film promised to be a superb one. Welcome's main draw are the stars who star in the film. KK is a gripping Felu da film brought to motion by own very own, the great Satyajit Ray's son, Sandip Ray.

TZP is the first film I chose to see... I prefer to see Amir Khan's movie by the first week itself.

What can I say about the film... its one of the finest one can see in this decade, the direction being the high-point. Amir proves his ability once again and has left us wanting for more. In the theater, I could feel everybody around me sobbing, my friend (a male!) was literally shaking with emotion and I could see him wiping his eyes frequently. Believe me, no one needed to be ashamed to be crying in the open, such is the impact of the film.

Such a emotional movie, but never did we feel that the pace of is anything near slow. Normally I hate going to watch movies that are mushy and emotional in nature, but this one has a message and a lot of learning for parents. Yester-night only, Amir had turned up on the news channel, Times Now, and was supposed to face questions from callers, live. And the phone never stopped ringing... everyone has been calling to congratulate him on the wonderful film, leave alone the wonderful directorial debut and great acting skills from Amir and the wonder kid. Everyone acknowledges the fact that the film has taught them a lesson or two about parenting. The adulations left him quite emotional and choked at the end of the show.

There are so many high-points in the film that it is impossible to find one single scene worth a mention. However, Amir in the interview, described the scene where the kid's father came to him trying to assure that he takes "good care" of his son, but he, the teacher, describes what taking care is all about. The songs are apt to the plot of the film, simple, lyrical and melodious... they carry the story forward. Tremendous work by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

You might have seen and read a lot about this film, so without writing anything more, let me say this loud and clear... whether you are a film watcher or not, whether you like Hindi movies or not, this is a must watch.