In the 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, directed by Aamir Khan, the story of Ishaan Awasthi—a young boy with dyslexia— offers an important insight that help us explore the subject of disability, stereotypes challenged and reinforced and inclusion.
Through the journey of Ishaan, we can easily delve into the disability model and analyze the movie accordingly and how it has shaped the perceptions and ideas in the society. The movie starts with how Ishaan is irresponsible and rebellious through his actions and perception of his parents since he is unable to read, write properly suggesting that he needs stricter discipline or a more structured environment to "fix" his behavior.
This heavily aligns with the critique of the medical and cultural model that how his condition, dyslexia is perceived to removing him from a nurturing environment and placing him in a competitive setting will instill discipline and eliminate his "deficiency." However, what I analyzed from this film from a broader lens was that rather than showcasing Ishaan as a victim, the film tend to humanizes him but the portrayal of his inner qualities such that painting skills and how as an individual he perceives the world in his mind.
Lastly, this movie instills the reinforcement of certain stereotypes that in general these children with specific needs and support must compensate for their challenges by excelling in other areas to gain acceptance or value just like Ishaan artistic skills were celebrated as extraordinary for him during the film to compensate for his needs.
Your blog encapsulates the film’s attempt at disability representation perfectly. In particular, I agree with your appreciation of Ishaan as a multidimensional character, and not just a victim. Not many movies, especially in 2000s, have tried to achieve this. The humanizing approach to disability in this film not only portrays Ishan as complex but also contributes to a more empathetic rather than sympathetic understanding of his experiences. While your blog is right in praising the film for Ishaan’s humanized portrayal, there are some issues with the film itself. It heavily relies on the ‘savior trope’ in how Amir Khan’s character is crucial for Ishaan’s success. I think it still gives the message that disabled individuals are inherently disabled and need…
I agree that the film does a great job of humanizing Ishaan, focusing on his unique perspective of the world rather than simply presenting him as a "victim" of his condition. The movie does challenge traditional views that often place children like Ishaan into rigid, standardized systems in an attempt to "fix" them, as seen with the initial push for discipline and structure.
However, the film’s reinforcement of the stereotype that children with disabilities must compensate for their challenges by excelling in other areas, like Ishaan’s art, is a valid point. While it’s important to celebrate the strengths of these children, it’s also essential to question the underlying message that their worth or acceptance is conditional on proving their abilities…
The way this blog looked at Ishaan's character through the medical and cultural lens was very insightful. The movie perpetuates certain stereotypes about disabled people that they need to be fixed to the extent that Ishaan was put into a very strict and rigid environment to "fix" himself. Also, the fact that his artistic abilities seemed to be his only redeeming factor, and that is what will get him ahead in life, is problematic because it reinforces the stereotype that disabled people need something they are good at otherwise, they can't get ahead in life. Looking at the portrayal of Ishaan and media literacy and how it impacts our thinking is something that stood out to me. It is these…
I think this movie is a great example for us to analyse the portrayal of disability in media. Before I dive into the different models that we can use as a lens here, I think it is important to note that the very portrayal of disabled individuals is overall underrepresented in the media that we encounter. If represented, it is through one of the following models: medical, social, cultural. In the medical model, emphasis is primarily on the impairments of the Individual rather than the societal barriers, the medical authority or diagnosis is valued over the disabled voice. In the case of Ishaan, as you have rightly pointed out in your blog, the parents would constantly reinforce his inability to…
Adding on to your comments about disability and Taare Zameen par, we can look the medical model of disability portrayed in this film which tends to look at disability as something to fix or correct. This is seen with Ishaan’s parents sending him to a hostel thus putting him in competitive and rigid environments in order to fix him as he is “broken”. Another good point you brought up was the idea that disabled children need to compensate for their “incompleteness” or “deficiency” to be considered a full human and be accepted. In the case of Ishaan while he struggles with his academics, his artistic abilities are his redeeming quality. This can be a problematic idea since it portrays disabilities…