Sitaare Zameen Par Movie Review: A Worthwhile Watch??

Aamir Khan’s movie “Sitaare Zameen Par" has been released in theaters, and first of all, I want to address something that felt a bit strange to me. We've gotten so used to seeing Aamir Khan in such diverse roles over the past 11 years, look at his track record: from the alien in "PK," to the father in "Dangal," to "Thugs of Hindustan" and "Laal Singh Chaddha." Whether those movies were hits or misses, he always brings a wide variety of characters. So, when "Sitare Zameen Par" started, it felt a little weird that this time he was playing a normal character. I connected the movie to "Taare Zameen Par," which is understandable because technically "Sitare Zameen Par" can be seen as a sequel. Taare Zameen Par is a very popular movie that many people love, but it has no direct continuation. The overall theme and message overlap a bit, that’s the only commonality.

In Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan’s character was a teacher showing how special children should be treated. Here, he’s the assistant coach of Delhi’s basketball team. His coaching skills are great, but as a person, he’s quite selfish. The movie itself says he only thinks about himself and his problems. When it comes to others, he’s like, “I’m out, I don’t care.” After getting drunk and clashing with the police at night, the judge gives him an ultimatum: either go to jail or become the coach of a basketball team of special children. What happens next, I won’t spoil, but it’s easy to guess, and the trailer revealed a lot already. The real issue is whether the experience the movie promises, what you come to see in the theater, lives up to expectations. Let’s start with the story.

This is an official remake of a Spanish movie called "Champions," but even though the runtime is two hours and forty minutes, it never feels like you’re watching something foreign. It’s very well adapted to the Indian context. The story itself is simple and straightforward. Since it’s a sports movie about basketball, it hits all the usual plot beats: the team is initially broken, then they bond, become strong, start winning matches, go through semifinals and finals. But some aspects of the sports formula they’ve used don’t work as well or feel quite right. For example, right before the final, one player has some personal problem that you have to solve to win the match. That subplot doesn’t pay off that well, so I felt it could have been avoided. At one point, the movie keeps jumping from one emotional moment to another, which makes it feel a bit long.

As I said, the story is straightforward, but the idea is to show how intellectually disabled people are viewed and how even those who consider themselves "normal" are deeply disturbed in their own lives, what fears they have, and what they try to escape from. There are two or three such storylines running simultaneously, each with emotional scenes, and putting all of them one after the other makes the movie feel a bit stretched. Apart from that, I really liked everything else, especially the comedy. It doesn’t exaggerate situations or rely on wordplay. The humor isn’t about pop culture references or making fun of others. Instead, the movie thoughtfully considers the setup, characters, and situations, and delivers humor that doesn’t belittle anyone or try to make the audience laugh at someone else’s expense. Some sections like the hotel scenes were so funny I was literally laughing out loud.

Back to the story and writing, above all, the movie’s important goal is to raise awareness and deliver its social message, and it definitely succeeds in that. Sometimes it feels like it’s giving a lecture, but it’s still good. As for acting, the main characters are the basketball team, around whom the whole movie revolves. I can’t fully comprehend how they pulled off performances from people who might have difficulty understanding certain things, but they managed to bring out the needed emotions, delivery, and movements probably a very challenging task, but commendable. The same goes for Aamir Khan. First, he made the decision to do this movie, and second, his performance was good, especially in the end scenes, which I won’t spoil, but they were quite impactful. One minor thing: there’s a character who is a stereotypical Delhi resident.

You can tell he plays that role, but sometimes it feels like glimpses of the real Aamir Khan shine through, as we’ve seen in interviews or casual talks. The character switches between these subtly, but it’s nothing major, just a small thing I noticed. It was great to see Genelia on the big screen after a long time. Usually, background songs play softly, but this movie’s entire soundtrack is awesome. I emphasize this because the music fits perfectly and keeps the movie running with good impact. It doesn’t peak too much or dip too low, maintaining a nice balance and slightly building up toward the end. So if you are expecting moments like "Taare Zameen Par" that are gut-wrenching and powerful, you won’t find quite the same here.

But overall, it’s a good movie with comedy and humor working 70-80%, a strong social message that’s well delivered. So yes, overall, this movie is a win, it’s good. If you were even a little interested after watching the "Sitare Zameen Par" trailer, you can definitely check it out. Now, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. I haven’t been following it very actively, but I am aware there’s been a lot of controversy around the movie and Aamir Khan. What you think about the actor is your opinion, and I’m not here to lecture you on that. The biggest point of discussion and some disappointment is that this is a remake of a Spanish movie. That’s somewhat justifiable, since the whole industry is doing remakes now, and the word “remake” has developed a negative connotation.

If you’re someone who hates remakes and refuses to watch them, just don’t watch this and instead watch the original "Champions." This story is such that if you haven’t interacted much with intellectually disabled people and don’t know much about them, this movie will definitely teach you something. If you fall into the category of people who haven’t seen the original movie or can’t find it, I personally think you can give Sitaare Zameen Par a try. It doesn’t belong to the cheap cash-grab remake category. "Champions" is still the first option, but if you don’t want to watch that, this is a good substitute: a heartwarming, feel-good movie that you can enjoy with your whole family.