Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par was selected by the Film Federation of India as India's entry to the 81st Annual Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category.
Aamir Khan's directorial debut deals with a dyslexic child, Ishaan (played by Darsheel Safary) and his turmoil at being dubbed a loser by his parents and teachers, and his struggle to survive in an atmosphere marked by an emphasis on perfection at home and school.
The film has earned tremendous critical acclaim for child actor Darsheel Safary, winning him the critics' award for Best actor at the Filmfare and Screen awards.
Praising the film, several people from the film industry feel that Aamir's sensitive handling of the drama, coupled with the brilliant performance by the cast, makes the film a perfect example of world class cinema.
"Taare Zameen Par is a superb film to come out from Indian cinema," Amitabh Bachchan said, praising the film. "It is most deserving to be sent to the Oscars as India's entry for the Best Foreign Film category."
"Taare Zameen Par is a perfect example of world class cinema," filmmaker Ravi Chopra (Baghban, Baabul) added. "It shows that Indian filmmakers are also capable of making cinema of international quality. In fact, it is a worthy contender for being nominated for the Oscars."
Taare Zameen Par beats other contenders in the fray like the critically acclaimed Marathi films Valu and Tingya, Nishikant Kamat's Mumbai Meri Jaan, Neeraj Pandey's A Wednesday, Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodhaa Akbar, Farhan Akhtar's Rock On!!, Subhash Ghai's Black and White and the Telugu film Ghanyam.
Terming Taare Zameen Par as the 'most deserving' nominee, trade analyst Komal Nahata said, "Taare Zameen Par is an excellent example of world class cinema. In fact, the film has raised the bar for meaningful cinema in India. No wonder, it was a unanimous choice by the Film Federation of India. If I were the jury, I would have chosen it as India's nominee too. In my opinion, it is the most deserving to be sent to the Oscars given its magical quality that has had the hordes of cinegoers howling and crying in the cinema halls.''
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"I feel Taare Zameen Par is a phenomenal film," filmmaker Anurag Kashyap (Black Friday, No Smoking) says. "Aamir has finally shut people up by showing that he is one of the best directors we have in this country. In fact, I would say he is one of the finest directors in terms of his attention to detail and his ability to tell a story like this."
Aamir Khan, who is shooting for Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots, said in an interview, "Taare Zameen Par is a film that is extremely close to my heart. It first sensitised me as a parent and as a person and then went on to have the same effect on the audiences in India and across the globe. I hope that it has an equally strong impact on the members of the academy as well."
This will be Aamir's second film nominated for the Oscars, after Lagaan in 2001.
The Oscars will be held on February 22.
