Every child is special – you couldn’t agree more with it after you watch this Darsheel Safary (Ishan Awasthi in the movie) starrer. Aamir Khan has done it yet again. In an era where super stars shy away from playing second fiddle to other actors, Aamir Khan weaves the story in such a way that the spotlight is never on him. Darsheel, from the beginning to the end, is the protagonist in this Aamir Khan produced and directed movie. In what could well be India’s entry to the Oscars under the foreign film category, Darsheel gives a stunning performance. He never tells us how happy or sad he is. It’s all there in his eyes, in the way he pouts his mouth, in the way he walks, in the way he bawls hugging the walls. All the other roles are fitted beautifully, with the strict and no-nonsensical father; the empathetic and caring mother, the caring and prodigal big brother, the ruthless and cruel teachers, the compassionate and crippled friend at school and the teacher who becomes the light of his life when all avenues close down on Ishan played so well that the audience can relate to what is happening at that moment. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy do a very good job, even though some songs seem a very unwelcome deviation in the course of the story. You will surely hear girls going “he’s so cute” and “he’s so cool”, but all that attention and affection is directed toward Ishan, whose scenes contain a lot of humor, ignorance and innocence, albeit in a sad way. The other kids in the class and elsewhere act like kids, and nothing more. How Aamir got through to them amazes you. Getting Darsheel to act the way he did would have been a Herculean task, and would have involved a lot of sittings with the director and crew. Aamir stays put with the story line, even though some of us would expect a love story after a female colleague is introduced. Thankfully, the only love story is a love triangle between Aamir, Darsheel and art. The movie is simple to understand with no heavy dialogues. Aamir Khan’s sarcasm at points in the movie, though funny, puts forth his views in the perspective required. Aamir dedicates parts of the movie to Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes) by including a Captain Ishan imagery ala Spaceman Spiff. A word of caution to the weak-hearted: Please carry a lot of tissues along. Taare Zameen Par will surely walk away with a clutch of awards, while we raise our glasses to it: To Aamir, Darsheel and humanity!!