Like Stars on Earth Two Disc DVD

I say that as a fan of all the Khans except Salman! As anyone whose read even one of my reviews here I make no bones of the fact that I'm a huge fan of Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan, and Mr. A. Khan is right up there with them. He might not be as tall as both, or have the dancing skills of one, but when it comes to movies his talent, and his intellect, are lethal. In fact, if you read anything about the man at all you will notice the phrase "Mr. Perfectionist" in place of his name in at least two places. But lots of people are talented and intelligent, what sets Mr. A. Khan a part from his most of his fellow Khans is that he'll take on things that a 'typical Bollywood Star' just doesn't do. Whether it's a Revolution against the British using Cricket in Lagaan, Anniversary Edition with a potential romance with an English woman, a man who ruthlessly hunts down the gangsters who killed his girlfriend and destroyed his short term memory in Ghajini, the man takes risks. He melts into the skins of his characters flawed or heroic with no thought to his 'brand' because his brand is passion and perfection. From Dil chahta hai to the upcoming Dhoom 3 there isn't anything he won't take on if he has a passion for it. Fortunately for all lovers of great films, he is first a foremost a lover of movies and decided acting in them just wasn't enough."Like Stars On Earth, Every Child Is Special" is a directorial debut and it combines the two great passions of Mr. A. Khan, movie making, and social issues. The modern world of today is fiercely competitive and nowhere is that more inculcated into a society than in the schoolroom, by the time a child is out of the second grade these days college is already being pounded into their minds. Don't get me wrong, I wish I could've finished college. But what happens when a child doesn't live up to the "standards" set by our modern ways of thinking? What happens when the child is misunderstood, and what is thought of as laziness or naughtiness, is actually a cry for help? What happens when expectations are so high and failure is the ultimate disgrace. What truly defines success? These are all questions that are put forth in this film and handled with a truly elegant and refined manner. It's not an original story, but The Bard himself never had an original story in his entire life.Ishaan Awasthi, is an eight year old boy from a middleclass family in Mumbai, and he is a "Problem Child" with a capital P-C. His highest scores on tests are two's and three's out of twenty. He's belligerent, defiant, inattentive, and wherever he goes chaos seems to follow. His teachers are fed up not wanting to have him in the third grade for the third time. His father, goes around roaring like a lion convinced that his youngest son is destined to be a failure in life. His mother wavers between acute frustration, despair, and worry for her beloved child. At her wits end, she cannot understand why all her love, teaching, and effort, seem to do nothing to improve Ishaan's grades, or his behavior. His older brother Yohan, is a top student and athlete, everything Ishaan is not. Yohan is the only person in Ishaan's life that isn't angry with him. To make matters worse, Ishaan doesn't know why he is the way he is and the few times he tries to express his problem he's greeted with anger and ridicule.Our cast of characters may not know what the problem is, but we the audience are hit in the face with it in the first frame. Disney did an incredible job with the animations here, the colors and the chaos of flipping and floating letters, numbers, and sentences in the images builds frustration in we the viewers as we're immersed into to the clamor of Ishaan's mind. It's overwhelming, and combining that with the pressures from the outside world, we're thrown into the deep end of Ishaan's suffering. But we're also thrown into his genius.I won't tell anymore about the story because you can figure out where it's going. But, I will say that the performances and direction in this movie are superlative. Darsheel Safary, is... wow I can't think of an adjective to describe just how good he is. For a *then* nine year old to match the intensity, and naturalness of his costars in his film debut is astounding! This young man (now around 15) has got the ability to use his eyes to let you deep into his soul, and I personally was struck by the depth of his sensitivity and understanding, and the fact that he could be downright unlikable in one scene where he deliberately troubles his mother. His naturalness never wanes even for a moment. Now that he's a young man, I hope that he has amazing success no matter where life takes him. I also hope that he's proud of this film until his last breath, it's a bigger accomplishment than most people will have in their whole lives.A super protagonist needs an equally good antagonist to truly shine and Vipin Sharma is the perfect foil here; as the success obsessed, driven, father. There are times in this movie when he arouses the very deepest hatred. My mom literally said "This man is evil" something that shocked me because she raised two kids with special needs, and if anyone knows the strain and helplessness that goes with that it's her. I replied, "Ammi, he's not capable of understanding what Ishaan is going through anymore than Ishaan can understand his letters right now." Now, don't get me wrong, that doesn't absolve his cruelty but who wants to sit through a three hour movie where you have a father of a young boy that you hate from beginning to end? The script, Mr. A. Khan's direction, and Mr. Sharma's performance is layered with moments where you feel compassion and you grieve for the fact that the man is so limited in his mindset, and how painful it is as he slowly comes to terms with the fact that his entire belief system is damaging his child. A truly great role that enhances Darsheel Safary's performance.Tisca Chopra, is an actress I'm totally unfamiliar with thus far. Her performance as Ishaan's mother I felt was pretty flawless, she inhabited the role of a middleclass housewife and a devoted but frazzled mother in a natural and unaffected way. The bond between mother and son, felt genuine and warm which is the perfect counterbalance to the relationship between father and son.Special shout out to Sachet Engineer as Yohan. The perfect son, who wishes he wasn't quite so perfect. It's such a minor role, but it's vital, because in the first half of the film he's the positive voice, the cheerleader for Ishaan. Without it, the first half would be far too heavy and heart-wrenching.Tanay Chheda, is another boy who befriends Ishaan and struggles physically. I have to say, that kid deserves lots of applause for wearing the leg brace even though he's healthy in real life. I had to wear the same brace at that age for real and they hurt. So I want his performance appreciated despite it's brevity.Mr. A. Khan's performance is of course, up to his reputation. So, let's talk about his Direction... He's a part of the school of directors in Hindi cinema that blends the wonderful traditions of the past, and the more polished narrative style of the modern day. And why not, he's produced movies by the great Ashutosh Gowariker, and worked under the direction of Farhan Akhtar? Add to that, a venerable Bollywood pedigree, and his complete dedication and it's a home run; or perhaps I should say he's hit a sixer! He put together a fantastic team and each frame is carefully thought out and a true labor of love. If there is one area Mr. A. Khan doesn't not quite excel it's in dance but that works here. And to give the man serious kudos he's honest and doesn't take credit for his dance number when he didn't direct it.Music: The dynamic trio of Shankar, Loy, and Ehsaan craft a truly perfect complimentary score to the movie. The songs are beautiful, the melodies that fit every part of the narrative. But make no mistake, the songs do not carry this movie as they do in other Bollywood films. "Bum Bum Bole" is my mom's favorite and I don't blame her, it's a joyful celebration of carefree innocence. But my personal favorite is "Maa" so perfect for the bond in childhood, but if one is blessed, then it becomes even more true in adulthood.I can't recommend this movie enough and my three disc set comes with some exceptional goodies...1. Disc 1 the movie with a Hindi Track but also dubbed in English. I first saw this movie on Netflix with the Hindi Track and used the subtitles which you can also choose. But I also watched the English dubbed version. It was extremely well done, but truthfully I prefer the Hindi.2.Disc 2 special features with full subtitles available. Deleted scenes, a making of documentary which you should watch, and a panel with Aamir Khan and prominent teachers, neurologists, and experts on dyslexia and other learning and behavioral problems that effect children such as ADD ADHAD Downs Syndrome, and even Cerebral Palsy. It's mainly meant to reach out to people who hesitate to act when their children have difficulties, and a not-too-subtle nudge to the educators of India to look beyond the typical "the child is naughty or lazy" attitude when they see a child struggling in their class. Still, it's worth a look. Aamir Khan is one of India's most visible and prominent humanitarians of this decade even making the cover of Time Magazine and it's list of 100 most influential people. There's also trailers, still shots, to look through.3. Disc 3 is the entire soundtrack in it's glory. To be extra sweet they also include mini-prints of the paintings in the film.Everything is exceptional in quality and the price extremely reasonable so do not skimp. I can't recommend this film enough and after the last two Bollywood movies I reviewed this has re-ignited my passion and my obsession.

This movie will move you and teach you. The main actors give powerful performances. I recommend this to just about everyone, but especially parents and teachers!! It has nothing but applause from me.

For those who found this movie too long or too boring, you probably did not grow up as this child did. I and millions of others have grown up being told they were stupid, lazy, and broken. For me, and many like me, this is a profoundly emotional movie as I relive what I went through growing up and living every time I watch it. If you have no empathy, don't bother watching. If you truly want to understand the experience of children with deficits, in this case dyslexia, and children who are 2e, I highly recommend this movie. I have the CDs and watch them a couple of times per year.

This is one of those "teacher helps struggling student/class/school" movies that we see all the time. Like Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, and Dead Poets Society. The difference here is that the movie focuses on the student rather than the teacher. Aamir Khan is both the star and director, but he wisely allows young Darsheel Safary to be the focus of the film. In fact, the 2nd King of Bollywood doesn't even show up in the film for the first hour!This is not the typical masala romance film. There is no romantic plot, though by the end of the film everyone who isn't already in love with Aamir Khan will be. It's a serious movie about a serious affliction, told in a light, fun way that engages the audience and brings attention to a problem that people have without beating us over the head with it, like so many Hollywood movies do.Aamir Khan's directorial debut is fantastic. He created a whimsical but serious film that appeals to children and adults alike. I watched this movie on Netflix and then ordered the DVD the next day. This is a good movie even for people who do not like Bollywood films.

I can't stop watching this movie. I saw it on Netflix and bought this movie instantly. It's a story about an endearing little boy with problems. You're immediately drawn into his world and you see his problems through his eyes.I love Aamir Khan movies and he doesn't even show up in the movie for the first hour. He's the teacher who loves his students and he fights to help save this child who has now withdrawn from life and is simply existing.This story will really touch your heart and you'll never look at children with special needs the same way again.The DVD set I got had 3 disks. The first one was the movie, the second one was special features, and the third one had music from the movie on it. All of the disks were high quality. Fast shipping from the seller. I highly recommend this movie, and this is a great DVD set.

I like this movie, and I wish I could give it 4.5 stars! As a dyslexic, it gets a lot if the symptoms right, and shows that it is more than just a reading/writing problem. The leads are terrific. While the ending is a bit too easy, this movie is more about appreciating talents then fixing a particular student. This movie is a bit mean spirited to some of the teachers, but as a teacher myself, I would rather the teachers be the "enemies" in this film than the students.​