Santosh Sivan's Tahaan is about journey of an eight years old boy. This is a simple story of boy named Tahaan who just go to Kashmir to get his favorite donkey Birbal back. The story is simple and sweet but sometimes it becomes hard to narrate a simple story and that's what has troubled Santosh Sivan too as he fails to sustain the same graph in the film.
Tahaan [Purav Bhandara] lives with his grandfather [Victor Banerjee], his mother [Sarika] and older sister [Sana Shaikh] in the serene meadows of Kashmir. They all live in the hope that someday Tahaan's father, who's been missing for over three years, will return.
The death of his grandfather prompts the local moneylender [Rahul Khanna] to take away the assets of the family, including their pet donkey Birbal. For Tahaan, bringing his favourite donkey Birbal back home becomes the sole purpose in life. Tahaan is devastated to learn that an old man, Subhan [Anupam Kher], has bought Birbal and taken him across the mountains. He traces Subhan and tells him about Birbal.
Subhan doesn't be friend Tahaan at first sight, but slowly warms up to this energetic and determined soul whose love for Birbal is paramount. On his way back home, Tahaan encounters a teenage lad ldrees, who convinces him that his efforts would never be sufficient to get Birbal back. Instead, he promises to get Birbal back for a favour. All Tahaan will have to do is carry a package across the mountains on his next journey. Seeing Tahaan's eagerness, ldrees hands him a grenade.
Tahaan sets off on his second journey with Subhan, the grenade and package tucked away under Birbal's saddle. What is the price that Tahaan will have to pay for Birbal?
However, Sivan could have been clearer in his thought process as to what he wanted the viewer to go home with. There is a thin veil over the storyline, which, if lifted, would have given the viewer a clearer picture.
On the acting front, Purav Bhandare has played a tremendous role. He is just as better as Darsheel Safary in Taare Zameen Par. Apart from Bhandare there is another character in this film is Ankush Dubey who plays Idris. He is too a bright spark in the film. Anupam Kher, Sarika and Rahul Bose are just supporting cast.
On the whole, the movie has some beautiful moments. The boy's love for his pet Donkey is just admirable. Moreover the films like this will really help to bring forward the talent of children.
