Rahul Mangla, right, began to accept his dyslexia
after seeing the Bollywood film.
A recent Bollywood movie about a dreamy 8-year-old boy whose life is changed by a supportive teacher, "Taare Zameen Par" (Hindi for Stars on Earth), hopes to encourage a movement to raise public awareness about dyslexia in India, The Washington Post writes.
"A runaway hit, the film is about a bucktoothed, wide-eyed boy who is scolded and punished by teachers and parents for poor test scores, and repeatedly called an 'idiot' and 'duffer,'" according to The Post. "He retreats into a shell of silence and tears -- until a new, messiah-like arts teacher discovers the boy has dyslexia and encourages him to paint.
"The film has lifted the veil on an issue that has remained shrouded in private pain for many families in India. Parents, schools, activists and policymakers have held conferences and public meetings to talk openly about dyslexia since the film was released in December. Though a handful of groups have addressed the issue of dyslexia in India's big cities for more than a decade, public awareness and acceptance have been woefully low."
I wrote about the film in February when the World Bank praised the film for its positive representation.
