Sitaare Zameen Par review: Aamir Khan delivers a wholesome entertainer

After watching Aamir Khan go through a barrage of promotions for Sitaare Zameen Par, I wondered if he’s going all out for a movie that lacks merit. But I was wrong! Despite a lengthy runtime of over 2.5 hours, the superstar delivered a wholesome entertainer. After the Laal Singh Chaddha debacle, one might think Aamir has lost the zing, and it could have been the case this time too, but his co-actors, the intellectually disabled, save it from falling flat. 

What is Sitaare Zameen Par about?

Sitaare Zameen Par is a typical slice-of-life movie that shows Aamir Khan as an arrogant basketball coach made to do community service after a case of drunk driving. He is to train a team of players with intellectual disabilities. 

Aamir’s character Gulshan, who lacks sensitivity from the start, who keeps using the word ‘paagal’ (mental), is countered with ‘tingu’, given his height (a bare minimum requirement for basketball). He lives with his mother after leaving his wife, Suneeta (Genelia Deshmukh), who wants a child. How his interaction with the players transforms him as a person is what forms the premise of Sitaare Zameen Par. 

Inspired by the Spanish movie Campeones (2018), the RS Prasanna directorial is a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par (2007), but unlike the predecessor, which makes me shed tears even today, this one doesn’t call for sympathy but rather shows how indivduals considered “good for nothing” have a better understanding about life, emotions, perceptions, and do not need anyone’s pity. Writer Divy Nidhi Sharma has knitted the narrative that screams normalcy with a dose of laughter. 

The performances 

To be honest, I couldn’t stand Aamir’s go-to acting module where he raises his eyebrows. I rather enjoyed watching Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar, and Aayush Bhansali, who came with distinct personality traits and breathed life into this movie. Their camaraderie and comic timing were impeccable. Also props to Dolly Ahluwalia, Gurpal Singh, and Brijendra Kala, who brought sense and sensitivity to this film. 

Final Verdict 

Aamir Khan, whose USP has been about tapping into emotions with his movies, succeeds once again. My favourite bit is when Gulshan, who doesn’t want kids (given his age), with the fear of them turning out to be with Down syndrome or autism, is overheard by one of the players who tells him, ‘Humare jaise bachche kisi ko nahi chahiye, par humare jaise bachchon ko baap aapke jaisa milna chahiye’ (No one wants kids like us, but kids like us deserve a father like you). I adore the idea of Sitaare celebrating the intellectually disabled by not making them feel like victims of society, but rather champions who live life on their terms. Just for that, this one deserves a watch. 

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