Amole Gupte and Deepa Bhatia developed the film over seven years, starting from a short story about why some children do not fit a conventional school system. Bhatia drew on the childhood of Akira Kurosawa, who did poorly in school until an attentive art teacher helped him excel, and the pair then researched dyslexia with the help of local associations. They worked with dyslexic children to shape the characters and situations, and dyslexia became the film's central theme. The original title, High Jump, was dropped, and the team chose Taare Zameen Par, which means something like stars on the ground, to celebrate the abilities of children. Aamir Khan took over direction and also acted in the lead role. The production used hundreds of real schoolchildren, and the film became a major hit.

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.