Like Stars on the Earth (2007)

When I hear people make statements like, "... watching that movie made me cry", I can't help but wonder how it could have been possible. Most times I think they are lying, or maybe it's just an expression..Then I watched like stars on the earth and I knew what it was like to watch a movie and have tears role down from your eyes down to your cheek. Now I don't doubt that a film can make someone cry.

We just have to give it up for Bollywood movies. Those guys know how to make their viewers emotional after watching their films. Honestly, Like Stars on the Earth happens to be one of my favorite Indian movies till date. I can still hear the theme music perfectly in my head which also played a major role in making me get emotional while watching it.

The Plot

Ishaan is a young boy who performs really poor in class. He's considered as the worst of his mates when it comes to his academics. His case seemed to be so bad that you might even compare him with someone that has a case of Dyslexia. Basic educational knowledge that a kid his age was supposed to know was like nuclear physics for him to understand. His class teacher complained tirelessly about him. Same thing with his parents, most especially his father.

His dad was really furious towards Ishaan's behavior in his academics. It was ironic because Ishan's older brother was the complete opposite. While Ishaan was at the bottom of his class, his older brother on the other hand was at the top of his class. His father always used him to set example for Ishaan like, "Can't you be more like your brother?" This even affected his relationship with his father because his father was really disappointed in him of his poor academic behavior.

But thankfully, his mother was the one that was patient with him. Despite his poor academic behavior, and also how rascal he also behaved in school, it did not reduce the love that she had for Ishaan one bit. Was she was his best friend, although he and his older brother got along well but he was closer to his mom. The father even had to send Ishaan to a boarding school, hoping that would solve the problem. He thought his mom was pampering him which made him relax in his academics and was of the opinion that he needed some toughness.

All these changed when Ishaan came across a particular teacher, Nikumb. This man helped unleashed the genius in Ishaan. The boy that everyone had written off, even by his dad, miraculously excelled academically. He also helped Ishaan utilize his Artistic skill which no one really payed attention to.

My Review

This was a really amazing film. One vital lesson this movie thought me is that there are no bad students, only bad teachers. No kid should be looked down on. No matter how hopeless their academic performance may seem, they have great potentials even them and they is hope for improvement just like in the case that happened with Ishaan.

We are all different in various aspects, even when it comes to our mental capacity and how we grasp things. One teaching method may work perfectly for someone but may not do the same for someone else. It doesn't mean that person is a dullard. Teaching has nothing to do with how intelligent the teacher is, it's all about the patience the Teacher has towards the student and using the right methods suitable for the student.

Albert Einstein was homeschooled by his mom. His mother was able to do what his school teachers could not, not because she had the highest school qualifications but because she was patient him and used the right technique his was able to understand. The kid his teacher gave up on to ever succeed academically became a genius that is well-known in the world today.

I rate the movie 10/10. It was really an inspiring movie. I think a set of people that really need to watch this movie is teachers, especially those who are teaching young children because teaching a kid can be tougher than teaching a grown up.

Images: IMDb