Ten
year
old
Tatum
O'Neal
won
the
Best
Supporting
Actress
Oscar
for
her
screen
debut
in
Paper
Moon
(1973)
becoming
the
youngest
winner
ever
in
a
competitive
category.
Nine-year-old
Darsheel
Safary
has
given
an
unbelievably
stunning
performance
in
Aamir
Khan
directed
Taare
Zameen
Par
(that
is
busy
receiving
millions
of
congratulatory
bouquets
worldwide).
It's
year-end
and
the
award
nominations
will
start
hogging
the
limelight
very
soon.
The
big
question
that
we
wish
to
pose
before
the
jury
and
the
adjudicators
is
that….Will
Darsheel
get
the
nod
in
the
Best
Actor
category
or
will
he
be
relegated
to
the
more
expected
best
child
artiste
domain?
In
addition,
we
shall
give
you
reasons
why
he
deserves
all
the
awards
in
the
best
actor
category
(ahead
of
even
SRK's
goose-pimple-evoking
performance
in
Chak
De
India).
Earlier
in
the
name
of
film
awards
there
were
only
Filmfare
Awards
and
they
occupied
a
special
place
in
the
industry.
Those
who
were
awarded
felt
blessed
while
the
ones
who
missed
out
hoped
that
one
day
they'd
deliver
their
well-practised
speech
on
the
podium
of
excellence
basking
in
the
flash
lights
of
praise.
Javed
Akhtar
has
often
said
in
his
interviews
how
as
a
young
boy
he
happened
to
clean
legendary
tragic
actress
Meena
Kumari's
Filmfare
statuette
in
a
studio
and
how
it
fuelled
the
ambition
within
him
to
win
one
of
his
own
some
day.
And
he
managed
to
win
many
of
those
sparkling
ladies.
Well,
you
can't
get
more
filmi
than
that.
But
today
like
it
or
not,
apart
from
Filmfare
there
are
many
more
award
functions
that
happen
in
close
proximity,
looking
a
replica
of
each
other
as
almost
the
same
list
of
people/
films
end
up
winning
everywhere.
In
fact,
the
film
awards
have
become
very
filmi.
For,
they
are
meant
to
be
widely
televised,
opulent,
entertaining
events
more
than
an
acknowledgement
of
worthy
talent.
There's
nothing
wrong
in
making
the
big
bucks
but
most
certainly
there
should
be
more
transparency
in
the
nomination
and
selection
process.
Oscars
are
selected
after
an
arduous
procedure
and
respects
merit
tremendously
(though
the
allegations
of
racial
discrimination
have
sometimes
been
proven
right
here
as
well).
What
is
most
notable
is
that,
there
are
no
such
categories
as
Best
Actor
in
a
Comic
Role
or
Best
Actor
in
a
Negative
Role
in
Oscars.
(We
tend
to
have
these
categories
in
all
our
awards
and
often
aSaif
Ali
Khan
has
to
settle
for
a
best
actor
in
a
comic
role
for
there's
a
bigger
star
'suitable'
for
the
best
actor
statuette).
An
actor
is
an
actor.
Yes,
you
can
differentiate
between
an
actor
who
is
the
mainstay
in
a
film
and
the
one
who
is
playing
a
supporting
part
(Like
Aamir
Khan
in
all
probability
will
be
nominated
in
the
Best
Actor
category
for
Taare
Zameen
Par
whereas
he
is
playing
a
masterly
supporting
role
than
the
main
lead).
But
you
can't
label
Sanjay
Dutt's
Munnabhai
act
as
befitting
Best
Comic
Actor
statuette
for
he
is
the
main
lead
and
so
what
if
he
is
humorous
in
the
film.
You
just
can't
discount
the
wide
range
of
emotions
he
effortlessly
displays.
Taking
the
similar
parameter
into
account,
Darsheel
Safary's
heart
warming
performance
as
a
dyslexic
kid
in
TZP
deserves
the
best
actor
tag.
For
when
you
see
his
performance,
you
don't
think
he
is
a
prankster-kid
break-dancing
his
way
into
your
heart.
Here's
a
gifted
actor
who
dexterously
navigates
the
first
half
of
the
movie
on
his
frail
shoulders
tugging
at
heartstrings
and
making
you
laugh
at
his
laidback
puddle-hopping
antics.
When
he
tells
his
exasperated
teacher
in
a
matter
of
fact
manner,
"alphabets
naach
rahe
hain"
it
makes
everyone
laugh
but
the
solitary
bewilderment
on
his
face
is
hard
to
miss.
The
world
outside
the
window
of
confinement
appears
magical
and
it
seems
he
is
truly
gripped
by
the
bird
feeding
her
young
ones
or
the
continual
cycles
crossing
a
stationary
water
puddle.
Main
kabhi
batlata
nahin,
par
andhere
se
darta
hoon
main
Maa,
Yun
to
main
dikhlata
nahin,
teri
parwah
karta
hoon
main
Maa…Tujhe
sab
hai
pata..
hai
na
Maa…As
this
superlative
number
wafts
its
way
like
a
weary
cloud
after
a
heavy
downpour
of
tears,
the
body
language
of
this
nine
year
old
star
shakes
you
up
with
its
bottled
up
intensity
and
a
sense
of
warped
isolation.
After
being
beaten-n-abused
for
being
a
duffer-idiot
at
the
Boarding
school,
the
stunned
silence
finds
an
expression
as
distraught
Ishaan
opens
the
banging
door
and
runs
manically
on
the
basketball
court.
Even
his
mother
is
unable
to
stop
him
then
for
he
is
a
boy
possessed
by
an
overwhelming
sense
of
being
misunderstood.
While
the
dad
is
teaching
lessons
of
competitiveness
to
the
brighter
son
on
the
tennis
court,
Ishaan
hangs
on
the
farway
railing
dejectedly
accepting
his
fate
on
being
specially
left
out.
Nikumbh
Sir's
warm
attention
lights
him
up
as
he
excitedly
blurts
out
"Thomas
Alva
Edison"
when
the
class
is
asked
about
the
inventor
of
electric
bulb.
Darsheel
Safary
has
superbly
portrayed
the
gradual
journey
from
the
sense
of
being
a
'Nobody' to
an
'Achiever'
under
the
umbrella
of
care-n-attention.
His
finger-brush-strokes
reflect
an
artiste
within,
the
tears
of
discovering
himself
and
the
magical
run
towards
the
teacher
to
express
gratitude
carry
gem-moments
that
stay
with
you
long
after
the
film
ends.
We
strongly
feel
that
such
a
performance
as
this
ought
to
be
acknowledged
for
its
sheer
brilliance
and
merit.
The
reviews
have
given
a
thundering
applause
to
Darsheel's
acting.
Many
more
forums
and
media
groups
have
lauded
his
path
breaking
skills
as
an
actor.
But
will
he
get
his
deserving
due?
Will
we
see
more
proactive
approach
at
the
award
functions
this
year?
Will
we
see
the
wind
of
change
flowing
in
the
right
direction?
Story first published: Thursday, December 27, 2007, 17:04 [IST]