AAMIR KHAN'S Taare Zameen Par has focused attention on dyslexia in a manner that has earned the superstar much gratitude from the mental health community. The synergy between the two very different worlds of entertainment and mental health continues long after the film's release, the most recent being a discussion on the inner world of the dyslexic Ishaan Awasthi, played by Darsheel Safary in the film.

Psychoanalyst Minnie Dastur, who presented a paper on the film, called ‘To the edge of the abyss and back', says, "I analysed Ishaan's case just as I would have if he were brought to my clinic." One of her key findings was that there was a direct link between the child's emotional experiences and the development of his reading and academic skills. She found that in Ishaan's case, dyslexia was not the only cause of his learning difficulties.

Participating in the discussion were Suzanne Rodericks, a special educator, and Aamir Khan himself.

"Of course, the 200-strong audience had more filmi questions than those related to psychoanalysis to ask Aamir Khan," smiles Banu Ismail of by the Psychoanalytic Therapy and Research Centre (PTRC), the NGO that organised the discussion. "And he was happy to clear doubts like why it had to be a boysonly school and why a handicapped boy was chosen to be Ishaan's friend."

"The filmmaker's intention was to spread awareness about dyslexia but the child's problems are not the result only of that condition. Sometimes, emotional trauma can have the same symptoms, such as confused thinking and mixing up of letters," says Dastur. In her view, "The boy is torn between the extremely demanding nature of the father and the mother's clinging behaviour."

Taare Zameen Par shows the dyslexic boy, Ishaan, developing a degree of selfhatred after constant criticism by everyone around him. He finds respite in fantasy and runs away from his school. Dastur's paper points out that for children, playing truant is often a substitute for suicide.

In another scene, there is an even more clear suggestion of an intention to commit suicide. "It is an important film with a message," says Dastur. "It is only through love and affection that you can provide a child the will to achieve. It is pretty realistic in that sense."

But doesn't the movie also oversimplify a problem as complex as dyslexia?

"Perhaps. But that is also because the filmmaker has to say it all in a few hours and has an eye on the box office," argues Dastur, giving the director some cinematic allowance. She adds, "Don't forget that the film will reach a wide au dience in the rural areas where awareness about such issues is limited."

A theoretical but pertinent question: What if Ishaan was brought to her for consultation; what would have been her course of action? Her answer: "He is very depressed and mentally ill. I would have advised therapy for a year and met the parents once every week or fortnight. It would be important to help the father begin to tolerate anything other than success and recognise the boy's special qualities and needs. But for the art teacher's intervention - which is nothing but therapy - there could have been dangerous consequences like schizophrenia or suicide. Or would he have turned to drugs?" speculates Dastur.

Thankfully, Ishaan didn't. Isn't it nice that Indian movies believe in happy endings?

URL: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=30_03_2008_013_002&typ=1&pub=264