Darsheel Safary captured the heart of an entire nation for his sensitive performance in Taare Zameen Par. The film was directed by Aamir Khan and was also backed by his production house. On Sunday, the official X (previously Twitter) account of Aamir Khan Productions shared the first audition clip they took of Darsheel when they were in the search of the lead role in the film, the child actor who would play Ishaan. Darsheel's raw emotional spark instantly made him stand out, recalls Aamir in this adorable new clip. 

Darsheel's audition clip

In the video, the camera is placed firmly at a closeup on Darsheel's face as he prepares for a day of school. He is in his school uniform, seemingly distracted at something else in the classroom when the teacher calls his name. He suddenly realises he is called and goes on to open his notebook as directed by the teacher.

‘Love at first shot’

In a voiceover, Aamir says, ‘Mujhe yaad hein Darsheel ka maine jab test dekha… jaha Darsheel ka pehla shot aya aur usne dialogue bhi nahi bola tha. Aur mujhe yaad hein uska chehra dekh ke uski aankhein dekh ke maine kaha, ‘Ye bachcha hain! Yeh Ishaan hain.’ (This is the kid! This is Ishaan)" The video then goes on to show a montage of scenes from the film featuring Darsheel as Ishaan.

Taare Zameen Par was released in 2007, and gained widespread critical acclaim. The film followed the journey of an eight-year-old boy named Ishaan. Aamir played the role of his art teacher who discovers that the child has dyslexia and helps him realise his true potential. The film was India's official entry at the 81st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. It won three National Awards and five Filmfare Awards.

Recently, fans were treated to a surprise reunion of the Taare Zameen Par stars. It was Aamir Khan and Darsheel Safary who reunited for an ad for an energy drink. Moreover, after 16 years, Aamir Khan will be making Sitaare Zameen Par, which will centre around Down Syndrome.