The reason why the 2007 Hindi film ‘Taare Zameen Par’ was such a massive hit and still continues to be one of the best movies to have come out of the Hindi Film Industry is because Ishaan Awasthi’s story resonated with people across the country. Ishaan not only suffered from a learning disability but he was also a victim of traditional and orthodox parenting in terms of his father.
Nandkishore Awasthi, played by the brilliant Vipin Sharma, embodied the quintessential strict middle-class parent. He probably had to learn the hard way that nothing comes easy in life and if one had to succeed in the long run, they had to perform brilliantly in school. For him, bad grades meant a failed life. He thought it was necessary to be verbally abusive towards his son and later distance him from the family by sending him to a boarding school. He thought that such strict parenting would yield better results on the mark sheet. But that didn’t happen, did it?
However, a user on X has expressed their sympathies towards the character of Nandkishore Awasthi and claimed that his anger and actions were justified considering he saw Ishan fail to meet the bare minimum expectations and was lost in his own world.
Although harsh, Ishaan’s father makes sense when he sees Ishaan not living upto his bare minimum expectations and just being lost in his own artistic world. Not to mention he’s an Awasthi, and comes under unreserved category (“kaise barabari kar payega duniya ke saath”). pic.twitter.com/r8yqJPb1au
— Toka (@TokaTakes) May 15, 2024
As it turns out, there were quite a few people who thought that Nandkishore Awasthi’s actions were justified. New parents expressed how they too are worried about their kids when they are out in the “real world”. They tried to explain how he, as a parent, knew that with Ishaan’s academic performance and lack of attentiveness, the world would eat him alive and that his artistic talents would fetch him very little in the long run.
“kaise barabari kar payega duniya ke saath” – When I wasn’t a parent, I never imagined this would bother me.
Now after 12 yrs of parenthood, this stress makes me restless. I keep worrying, I am not preparing her well for the future ?
— Kumarika (@kumariika) May 15, 2024
No one noticed that his father actually loves him
He’s just being protective of him because he knows the dangers of this cruel world
In last scene u can see how guilty he felt & didn’t even make eye contact when he saw his son actually trying and realised how harsh he was to him— Thoughts and idea (@tinkering_soul) May 15, 2024
Aamir Khan also chose a particularly non-charismatic- looking actor for this role so that no one could sympathise with this character at all
— Desitihas (@desitihas) May 15, 2024
Ji. Meri beti basketball champion hai. 10 ko age mei district school jeeti hai. Per phir bhi humnei kehna padta hai ki basketball second option hai. Life mei padhai important hai kyuki hum logo ko bahut competition face kerna hai
— abhilasha (@unitedwestandd8) May 15, 2024
But that isn’t the point of the movie, is it? On the surface, the movie may seem as though Ishaan was artistically gifted even though he wasn’t academically brilliant and that would be his redeeming quality later in life; that would bring him success and prosperity. But no. Every child may be special but they are not gifted. They may not be artistically inclined or academically solvent. They may not be good at sports or any other activity. They are just trying to do their best and sometimes, their best may not be enough.
Are such kids not deserving of a parent’s love and a family’s support? Of course they are! A parent’s responsibility is to keep their child safe, happy and to tend to their needs. They must applaud their wins and stand beside them like a rock when they are falling short. This is what was highlighted by some other people:
Oh shut the fuck up, people in the replies talking about “they didn’t realise how much he loved Ishaan” boo fucking hoo. This movie is so complex but bottom line is do NOT have kids if you as a grown ass adult can’t control your temper around babies who are dependent on you. https://t.co/iEfe7HvNTu
— rio? (@rizmattaz) May 15, 2024
Hopefully people who think like this won’t have kids but likely only people who think like this will end up having kids and then raise them in environments they can’t compete with and then go back to blaming the kid. https://t.co/8A9iUDTB7X
— Gigi (is back) (@mycrotchetyluv) May 15, 2024
Indians will never be free coz sucking up to authority figures is so deeply ingrained in them that they’ll willingly miss the entire point & defend a character that was explicitly shown to be in the wrong https://t.co/Vkn2d6oLKI
— a. (@janineteagves) May 18, 2024
The quotes and replies just prove that Indians have no fucking clue what a parent is supposed to be. 99% of us should never be parents. https://t.co/NndbEY4X0X
— Shivanshu (@SIBANSOU) May 16, 2024
Not agreed. You brought the kid into this world, you care for him, you help him and if all fails you guide him to adjust to alternatives in life. Think if they had a more gifted child than this.
— Contrarian Ethos (@contraethos) May 15, 2024
Problem is Indian affection with aristocratic office based life. A common phenomenon among societies yet to industrialise. Otherwise Ishaan Awasthi would’ve picked his drift and went on to launch a business of his own gambling his skill set.
— Che (@Cheaftertruth) May 15, 2024
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