'Taare Zameen Par' makes Advani cry

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani showed his emotional side when he could not control his tears after watching Bollywood star Aamir Khan's directorial debut 'Taare Zameen Par', a movie about a dyslexic child.

Aamir had arranged a special screening of the film for Advani, a Hindi film buff, and a few MPs at Prasar Bharati's Film Division auditorium here Friday.

Advani was all praise for the movie and its director. According to informed sources, he said he had not seen such a good movie for a long time.

Praising Aamir, Advani said the dyslexic child's struggle to overcome his shortcomings was a difficult subject that had been handled well.

'Both the director and the scriptwriter must be complimented. After years, I have seen such a film. Congratulations to the filmmakers,' Advani told reporters later.

In 2001, Advani had seen 'Lagaan', again an Aamir starrer, and liked it immensely. The movie was nominated for the Oscar but lost to 'No Man's Land'.

The sources said Aamir flew down from Mumbai for the screening when one of his relatives, close to Advani, informed him that the leader of the opposition was keen to watch his movie.

Advani has been a film critic and used to write about movies during his days as a journalist. He continues to be a movie buff.

Advani's compliments should come as a boon for Aamir for another reason. He had invited the wrath of the BJP government in Gujarat when he supported the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in 2006, leading to an informal ban on his films in that state for a while.