Taare Zameen Par dubbed in English

"Taare Zameen Par" is Aamir Khan’s directorial debut. It has been dubbed in English for the Jury members of Oscar awards. The film is India’s official entry to the foreign film category at the Oscar awards.

The film had bridged the divide of commercial and parallel cinema by focusing on an issue of social relevance and appealing to all groups of audiences. ‘Taare Zameen Par’ is also being featured in the Indian Panorama section at the 39th IFFI. The film’s inclusion as well as that of a few other mainstream Hindi films has invited criticism.

K N T Sastry, chairman of the jury, which selected the feature films in the Panorama package, was of the view that box office hits should be kept out of Indian panorama section. He said five films including ‘Taare Zameen Par’, ‘Jodhaa Akbar‘, ‘A Wednesday‘ among others in the Panorama.

He said the films have been selected after recommendation from the Film Federation of India (FFI). He was of the opinion that the mainstream cinema section, which was scrapped a few years ago, should be revived and mainstream and parallel movies should not be clubbed in the Panorama.

Begging to differ, Director of Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) S M Khan said that Panorama comprises a package of films made in all genres and languages in various parts of the country. “I don’t think there is need for a separate section to club mainstream movies,” he added.

International Dyslexia Association gives a standing ovation to Taare Zameen Par

It was the first time that Taare Zameen Par was really credited. In his blog, Aamir speaks about his special screening of TZP in Seattle for the IDA (International Dyslexia Association). This was one mega event which was attended by more than 200 members who were aware of Dyslexia.

Through this event, Aamir wanted to gauge the responses of the cinegoers from the foreign shores. The 'screening was in a conference room and not in a cinema hall. Much to the surprise of Aamir, the film got itself an absolutely thunderous standing ovation. Not just that, after the screening there were many tear-filled eyes in the audiences.

The ironical moment of the evening was the eagerness of the audience to know when the film would release in the US. And when informed that the film has already seen a US release, they all insisted that the film be re-released in theatres, this time for the mainstream American audiences.

One of the important points that came out of the Q&A session was the request from the audience to dub the film in English when re-released in US, as they wanted their children to see the film. Aamir has taken keen interest into this matter with an assurance that 'at the very least, the DVD release in US can incorporate an English dubbed version.

Darsheel to be seen spreading the Child Magic in Priyadarhan's Next

Multilingual director Priyadarshan says his Hindi adaptation of acclaimed Iranian film 'Children Of Heaven', which has Darsheel Safary in the lead role, has been set in the backdrop of militancy in Assam.

"I am not blindly adapting the Iranian film 'Children Of Heaven'. I am moving completely away from the original material to set the story in Assam with the insurgency as the backdrop.I saw the Iranian film and its Singaporean version 'Home Run'. I'm not following Majidi's screenplay from the Iranian film at all. I'm only retaining the core of the original. I'm Indianising the screenplay completely, changing and adding more characters," says Priyadarshan.

Giving Darsheel company in the film would be a new child-actress named Zia. She will play his sister. Priyadarshan chose Zia from the many hopefuls who auditioned for the role. Atul Kulkarni and Rituparna Sengupta play the two kids' parents. Originally the director wanted Rahul Bose for the father's part, but the dates didn't work out. So Priyadarshan had to be satisfied with Atul Kulkarni .

Darsheel in Priyadarshan's Next Venture

Child prodigy Darsheel Safary won everyone's hearts with his sensitive portrayal of dyslexic Ishaan Awasthi in Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par. Since then, Darsheel has been seen endorsing many brands and has even made appearances at a number of social dos and award functions. However, he still was playing the waiting game before signing his next film.

Now it seems the wait is finally over. Darsheel would be seen playing the lead role in the remake of Oscar nominated film Children of Heaven. The remake would be directed by ace director Priyadarshan.

Majid Majidi's Children of Heaven tells to story of young Ali and his sister Zahra and their adventures over a lost pair of shoes. Shooting for the remake, which is being produced by Percept Picture Company, commences on September 12. The film is expected to be ready by March 2009.

Darsheel Safary: The New Brand Ambassador of Horlicks

After his heart-warming performance as Ishaan Awasthy in Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par, child-wonder Darsheel Safary is in demand. The actor is yet to sign his next project but has been getting many film and endorsement offers.

The latest is that Darsheel has been appointed as the brand ambassador of Horlicks. Bollywood Hungama got in touch with Darsheel's business manager to get some more details. "Yes, Darsheel has signed a deal with Horlicks. He is their ambassador. He has been drinking Horlicks since he was 3 years old and really loves the drink. So the moment he got this offer, he was very excited to be a part of it. He has already shot for a promo film directed by Vivek Kamath which is already on air", she informs.

So has Darsheel signed any other endorsement or film deal? , "No, nothing as of now except Horlicks. There are some things which are in the process and yet to be worked out. He hasn't even signed any film as of now." clarifies Darsheel's business manager.

Well, after his spectacular debut…we just can't wait to see more of this child prodigy.

Darseel finds it difficult to get friends

Darsheel Safary is courting stardom at age 11 and relishing it too but at the same time the little bundle of talent, who wowed all and sundry in Taare Zameen Par (TZP), rues that he has lost most of his friends.

'They've changed totally. I only have some friends left... maybe six in all. The rest have all left me. They're all the time trying to pull me down. They're a little jealous of me. When I'm passing by in my car, they go, 'Hey Darsheel Darsheel. Photo photo'. But I'm happy with my six friends,' Darsheel Says .

He seems nonchalant. 'I don't know why my friends have changed. Maybe because I've acted in a movie.'

It is impossible to pin down Darsheel for even a semblance of a conversation. This wasn't the case with him just after the release of TZP when the success of the film had just begun to sink in.

'I'm enjoying all this attention, of course. But when I did TZP it was just something I tried out. I didn't know how it would turn out, but suddenly it became a big hit.'

Ask him if he intends to do another film, and Darsheel rattles off his pre-rehearsed diplomatic lines.

However, Darsheel's business manager Priyanka Bhattacharya said that if something good came his way, he might take it up.