Darsheel Safary

Darsheel Safary is an award winning Indian film actor working in Bollywood films. He is best known for his highly critically acclaimed portrayal of a dyslexic child in the 2007 film Taare Zameen Par.

In 2007, Safary made his acting debut in Taare Zameen Par, playing the film's protagonist Ishaan Nandkishore Awasthi. Safary was discovered by script writer and creative director, Amol Gupte during late 2006 when he was looking for a male lead for his film, Taare Zameen Par.

After going through hundreds of auditions, Gupte found Safary at Shiamak Davar’s dancing school, "Summer Funk". In choosing Safary, Gupte had a number of boys audition for a scene in which they would informally describe how they would "bunk" school after being given a few scenarios. He recalls, “It was a tough call. But Darsheel has the mischief in his eyes to be Ishaan. Everyone just naturally gravitated towards him."

Safary's performance as a struggling dyslexic child in the film was unanimously praised and he won several awards for his performance. Many prominent film critics have praised Safary for his performance including, Taran Adarsh from indiaFM who wrote, "Taare Zameen Par belongs to Master Darsheel Safary. A performance that makes the best of performances pale in comparison. A performance that deserves brownie points. A performance that'll always come first on your mind the moment someone mentions Taare Zameen Par. A performance that's impeccable, flawless and astounding. A performance that moves you and makes you reflect on your growing years. A performance that merits a special award!"

The DVD of Taare Zameen Par was launched on July 25, 2008 at Green Lawns High School, Safary's school. Aamir Khan, Tisca Chopra, Vipin Sharma, Sachet Engineer (the actors who portrayed Ishaan's family), and the rest of the cast and crew of the film were present.

In his speech, Khan stated: "Darsheel is a very happy child, full of life and vibrant. I am sure it's because of the way his parents and teachers have treated him. I must say Darsheel's principal Mrs. Bajaj has been extremely supportive and encouraging. The true test of any school is how happy the kids are and by the looks of it, the children here seem really happy."