Welcome to 2020 and to a new journey through the camera lens. Some films portray a strong social message that creates a big impact on audiences. My blog in this month’s newsletter is about addressing these stereotypes and valuing alternative careers and recognising educational special needs. The two films I believe that addressed this well were Tamasha and Taare Zameen Par.

Tamasha written and directed by Imtiaz Ali and starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone Tara meets Ved – a dreamer living a fantasy and falls in love with his playful, story telling and theatrical soul. She later sees him living a mundane 9am – 5pm robotic life and realises this is not the man she fell in love with. We see various shades of Ranbir’s character, him controlling his inner will of wanting to resist his routine and structured life. Like Taare Zameen Par, directed by Aamir Khan and starring both him and Darsheel Safary (although the protagonist is much younger there) we see unsupportive parents who are struggling to recognise their child’s needs – here we have a son not interested in academics conforming to a life he cannot fit in to and feeling pressured to fit a mould that is expected of him. Taare Zameen Par resonated with me as I have a child with dyslexia and all the clichés are there. The parents comparing their two children one of which is favoured by them and the teachers for seeming more academically bright. Ishaan is left with no one around him recognising his additional needs and providing the necessary support to ensure he too excels. He is sent away to boarding school where he meets his new teacher who suffered from the same needs as a child who shows with the right understanding and support Ishaan too can achieve anything. Seeing the world through the eyes of Ishaan was portrayed beautifully.

Film is an important medium to get social messages to the masses and create a very necessary impact.

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