GELIDON, MARGAUX FRANCHESCA V.
March 23, 2021
C1-1BSN-14
ART002
PT4: “Taare Zameen Par (Every child is special)”
1. Did you learn anything from this movie? If you did, what was it?
 Yes. This movie serves as an eye-opener, not only for me but also to others such as;
guardians, peers, teachers, and students to be more aware of those who are having academic
difficulties and/or disorders. It teaches us to become more understanding and patient when
dealing with them so that we will be able to help and encourage the children with dyslexia
or others with special needs and give succor to discover their strengths and weaknesses and
guide them to improve those what it needs to be improved.
2. What is the message of this movie? Do you agree or disagree with it?
 The message of the movie is to give hope to those dyslexic children that their diagnosis is
not a desperate situation. That they only need love, support, patience, and understanding
as they face and overcome their academic hurdles and as well as a reason for them to
become motivated enough to uncover their inner talents despite of their interfering learning
disabilities. And also for the parents and teachers to become keen observers when it comes
to their children and students, that whenever these young ones have challenges in grasping
an idea or having any difficulties academically and personally, instead of throwing curses
at them that causes them to wither, we should do our job to educate them in a way that they
can easily cope up and will not feel burdened and pressured when studying.
3. Was there something you didn’t understand about the film? What was that?
 None. I think that the movie was perfectly executed and on point for us/me to understand
what it wants us to acknowledge as a student, parent, guardian, and/or teacher. The concept,
the message, and the frame of mind of every personality is explicit. I think that all of the
positive and negative attitudes portrayed by some various characters in all of the scenes
was understandable since it really happens in real life. When we encounter an undiagnosed
troubled student, may it be an adult or a child, some people tend to bully or curse them
and/or loses their patience easily and some individuals would try to give their best to figure
out and address the problem so that they will be able to help those with special needs.
4. What did you like best about the movie? Why?
 What I liked the most about Taare Zameen Par is that this movie shows or addressed how
important it is to understand that not every one of us have the ability to excel or ace
academically. That there are some students who have learning handicaps and that instead
of pushing them away and refusing to aid that incapacity, we should serve as a motivator
and inspiration for them to show their talents, skills, passion, and make progress with their
struggles on their own pace and capabilities, without any hesitations and clamors from the
people he/she thinks that can guide him/her. That we should train up a child in a way that
he would enjoy and not feeling any burden.
5. What did you like least about the film? Why?
 The least that I liked about the movie is when his school refuses to help him further since
they think that he has an intellectual disability. And also when his next school almost gave
up on him. I hate it for the reason that supposedly, the role of the school and teachers is to
help the students cultivate a healthy thought process, groom one’s knowledge on education,
and listen and look for signs of trouble. But instead of helping a child to figure out what’s
wrong and give solution to it, they became one of the reason why Ishaan lost his interest to
learn.
6. Who was your favorite character in the movie? Why?
 My most favorite character is Ishaan’s art teacher, Ram Nikumbh, because he did not give
up on Ishaan even when almost everybody, including Ishaan himself did. He saved him
from his despair and help him bring back the passion, Ishaan lost, in painting by giving
him hope that every child, may they be normal or differently abled, can make a difference
and leave a profound imprint. That just like those other prominent personalities including
Mr. Nikumbh who encountered difficulties in reading and writing, they are still capable to
astound the world and others with their great talents and out of the box ideas.
7. Who was your least favorite character in the film? Why?
 My least favorite characters in the film are the teachers of Ishaan on other subjects, Mr.
George, Mr. Tiwari, and Mr. Sen, because they make it hard for him to take in all the
lessons that they’ve taught by punishing him, yelling at him, and calling him names such
as “lazy”, “duffer”, “stupid”, and “idiot” whenever he makes a mistake or cannot answer
their questions. Also, their mindsets are absurd. They are comparing the regular students
from what they call “mentally retarded” and “abnormal”. Mr. George, Mr. Tiwari, and Mr.
Sen think that kids has to compete and succeed, and those who are impaired will have no
future since they could not keep up with the world.
8. Did anything that happened in this movie remind you of something that has occurred in
your own life or that you have seen occur to others? and what is that?
 Yes. I have seen this occurred to someone’s life and that someone happens to be my little
sister. At that time, she was just 6 or 7 years of age. She cannot speak and if she does, only
rubbish sounds come out of her mouth and also, she behaves as if she was seeing
supernatural things and talking to them. For that reason, she was not able to go to school.
Most of the people we’ve encountered thinks she is mentally retarded or autistic because
of her behavior, but with the help of her teacher, Mrs. Lorna, she is now able to talk, study,
and keep up with other students. At the age of 13, she is now at the top of her class and
breaking all the judgements thrown at her back then.
9. What were you thinking as you finished watching the film?
 As I finished the movie, I thought that I should be more cautious around others. To see
more clearly and search for nonverbal cues or hints of trouble as I interact with someone
and also, to always be kind, patient, and empathetic, because we do not know what that
person is going through. His/her personal and social battles, his incapacities, his situation,
and so on, because if you push the button of an individual suffering from unknown situation
or diagnosis, you can be one of the reasons for him to feel unloved and unwanted that
eventually lead him into failure and depression.
10. Would you recommend this movie to a friend? Explain your reasons.
 I would definitely recommend this movie for the reasons that, first it raises awareness
among every individual about people with disabilities. It serves as an advocate of those
who have mental incapacities and disorders, that they can make a difference and have a
brighter future if we only invest our love, dedication, and support. Secondly is that it
teaches family, teachers, and students to educate and treat those who are academically
struggling with patience, stress-free, and on their own pace so that they won’t feel that
learning is a burden. And lastly, this movie helps us appreciate the efforts of our family
and teachers. That they are also trying their best for us to have a brighter future, it may not
be how we wanted it to be, but this movie shows that they do care only in the way they
know how.
11. What part of the story told by the movie was the most powerful? Why?
 When Ishaan’s teacher, Ram Nikumbh, went to Ishaan’s house and explained to his parents
his learning condition. It was the most powerful scene for me because at last, someone
recognized what the child is going through and how hard it must be for him to learn because
of various factors caused by them. Ram showed Ishaan’s parents their shortcomings and
mistakes for pressuring and forcing the child to learn and do something beyond his
capacities which gradually made the parents realize their wrongdoings and how hard it is
to be in Ishaan’s shoes.
12. If you had a chance to ask a character in this movie a question, what would it be?
 If I had a chance to ask a character, that would be Ishaan’s father. I want to ask him about
what he felt when teacher Ram approached them at his house and told them about the
undiagnosed condition of his child. I also want to ask him what he felt when he left his
young child on a boarding school. And what is going through his mind when he learned
how his son lost his interest in learning and passion in painting because of them.
13. If you had a chance to ask the screenwriter a question, what would it be?
 I want to ask what he felt while writing the scenes. Was he also crying when he was writing
those scenes? What was he thinking when he wrote those scenes? Did he also feel what
every characters felt every scene?
14. If you were writing the screenplay for this movie, would you have changed the ending?
Explain your answer.
 No. I think that the ending was perfectly fine because it gets to showcase the talent of the
leading character, how he overcame his monsters and struggles, and how he slowly showed
his progress in his academic subjects. It also shows how teacher ram’s effort to help Ishaan
with his studies and special needs, paid off and how his family and teacher acknowledge
their mistakes on how they handle Ishaan’s condition.
15. What feelings did you share with any of the characters in the movie?
 I shared with Ishaan’s depression and sadness when he was misunderstood by his parents
especially his father, his subject teachers, and also his fellow students. I felt how
determined teacher Ram is when he was trying to call the attention of Ishaan’s parents,
teachers, and the headmaster about his situation. I felt how Ishaan’s father got disappointed
with himself and regretted how he failed to address his son’s problem and cared for him in
the wrong way. I felt how hard it is for his mother and brother to be away from Ishaan for
the first time and how hard for them to approach him when he suddenly became distant.
16. Did any of the characters in this movie make you angry? Tell us why.
 Yes. The characters that made me angry in the movie were Ishaan’s teachers in other
subjects because the way they treat Ishaan is not the proper way on how to discipline a
child. A teacher does not have a right to hurt and call his/her student idiot, stupid, duffer,
and other insulting labels because that might lead a child to feel downhearted and
depressed.
17. Did you come to respect any of the characters in this movie? Who was it and why did
you come to respect that character?
 Yes. Teacher Ram Nikumbh. Because he is willing to do everything he can to help his
students to explore beyond their capacity and bring out their inner skills and talents without
giving pressure and punishment to them. Also, his mindset is really praiseworthy because
he thinks that children, may it be normal or with special needs, are to be treated equally
and that there’s always a brighter future waiting for them.
18. What comment is the author trying to make about the culture of the characters in this
story?
 That we should erase in our minds the thought of children who have special needs are far
different from other normal student. That they should be treated with equal rights because
they too, deserve and are capable of having a brighter future. They just need an extra
support, attention, and dedication from parents, teachers, and peers since they have a very
vulnerable condition. Also, that parents should erase in their minds the thought that their
children need to compete and be successful. They should run on their own pace.
19. Are there any relationships between various characters, like brother-brother, parentchild, teacher-student, student-student, etc., that are important to the story? If so, describe
the relationships that you believe contribute to the story and how those relationships
advance the action of the story.
 Yes. I’ve seen a brother-brother, teacher-student, child-parent, student-student relationship
and these relationships that I saw contributed on how the character stumbled down, pick
himself up, grew and improve as an individual. A brother-brother relationship depicts how
the two siblings rely on each other in times of trouble or when keeping a secret. Teacherstudent relationship portrays how Ram stand as a parent for Ishaan when his parents and
other teachers failed to do their roles. A child-parent relationship illustrates that his
guardians actually care for their child, they just show it in a way they know how. And
lastly, student-student relationship shows that even when Ishaan was bullied in his former
school due to his undiagnosed condition, he can always find a friend who can relate to his
sentiments and whom he can lean on.
20. What are the most dramatic issues relevant to our time that have been presented in this
story? Describe the presentation of one such issue and show how it relates to the times in
which we now live.
 When Ishaan’s parents are forcing him to understand and grasp easily the lessons that are
taught to him and whenever he fails to reach their expectations, he will be called
“rebellious”, “lazy”, and “idiot”. That issue on the story represents a dramatic issue to our
times where most of the parents pressure their child to do something that is out of their
capabilities and when their child fails to do so, they will be belittled and unappreciated.
21. Stories can be persuasive. Show how the movie attempts to persuade viewers to accept
the particular values or principles that the writers intended to promote.
 When Mr. Ram Nikumbh are talking to the headmaster of the school trying to convince
him to not give up on Ishaan because of his condition and he said that children with special
needs has every right to study in a regular school just like those other normal students
because just what their law states “education for all”. And also, he states that their condition
is not a desperate situation and that it will not be a hindrance for them to have a brighter
future as long as they invest time and dedication to help them.
22. What is the significance of the movie on your part as a student?
 This movie makes inspires me to choose anything that I want to do as long as it makes me
happy and it is something I truly enjoy. That I don’t have to be a doctor, an engineer, a
lawyer, or anything that they’ve perceived and stereotyped as a successful professional. It
also motivates me to go beyond my capabilities and delve more for me to discover my
strengths and weaknesses and also my inner capacity as a young individual and/or student.
23. What does this movie implies in your ART 002 subject?
 That art subject can help children to express their feelings and emotions, and can also be
used to showcase their creativity and talents by thinking out of the box ideas and going
beyond their imaginations, especially those who are suffering from dyslexia. The movie
used arts as an easiest method to teach a child in a way he can easily understand because
he can do something that he can enjoy and use as an outlet for his bottled sentiments.