A photo-finish sporting tournament climax in an Aamir Khan film is not new. We have seen that — with huge impact and immediate recall — when Sanju kicked his bike into top gear to edge past his closest competitor in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar; when Bhuvan hit that last-ball six under pressure for that iconic “Hum jeet gaye” moment in Lagaan; when Geeta hurled her opponent to the ground with a tactical move in the nail-biting last moments of Dangal. Sitaare Zameen Par does have a similar trope but subverts it to decode what being a real winner means. In that sense, it is closer in spirit to Chhichhore — a film that spoke about how effort was more important than the end result — which was, of course, directed by Dangal maker Nitesh Tiwari.
Aamir’s latest outing also takes a leaf or two out of Rajkumar Hirani’s book of filmmaking. There is the mirth-meets-message template which has been a mainstay of Hirani’s cinema, right from his debut film Munna Bhai MBBS, a takedown of myopic thought and action and a catchphrase to define a film. Much like ‘Aal is well’ in 3 Idiots and ‘Wrong number’ in PK (both Hirani films starring Aamir in the lead), Sitaare Zameen Par has ‘sabka apna apna normal’.
But while Sitaare Zameen Par, on the surface, may seem to embrace Aamir’s tried-and-tested blueprint of feel-good cinema which attempts to make its bitter-pill-to-swallow messaging palatable, the man himself — both as actor and producer — moves away from formula with this film.
First, in a time and space of cash-grab where stars — both his contemporaries and the generation after — are attempting to exploit sequels, franchises, universes and even multiple endings of a single movie, Aamir chooses to make Sitaare Zameen Par. This is a film which, far from being a larger-than-life vanity project, talks about real people in real situations and bats for inclusivity. Quite a bit of it may be on the nose, but the film’s biggest win lies in the fact that in telling a story about neurodivergent people, it casts those who are neurodivergent. In doing so, Sitaare Zameen Par adjusts and amends itself to suit those at its centre, and not do it the other way round (which, unfortunately, has otherwise become the norm).
Directed by R.S. Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par is the official adaptation of the 2018 Spanish film Campeones. I admit I haven’t watched that film but have come across enough Instagram Reels to figure that Sitaare Zameen Par borrows quite generously from the original. ‘Written’ (rather, adapted) by Divy Nidhi Sharma, it is also positioned as a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par, the only film directed by Aamir till date. But that, as is evident right from the beginning of Sitaare Zameen Par, is only done to underline the spirit of inclusivity that defines both films, and has little or no intention to cash in on a successful franchise. There is no throwback to scenes from Taare Zameen Par or a cameo by any of its actors. Sitaare Zameen Par is a film that stands on its own.
It is also, perhaps, one of Aamir’s most personal films. Besides meta references — Bhaag DK Bose from Delhi Belly plays out at one point, uncle Nasir Hussain’s iconic Teesri Manzil is brought up in passing — Aamir’s sister Nikhat pitches in with a cameo and their 91-year-old mother Zeenat makes an appearance (her debut, we are told) in the end-credits song. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy conjure a number called Good for nothing for this film whose lyrics go: “Papa kehte thhe aisa kaam karega, bada hoke mujhko tu badnaam karega”, in a direct nod to the still-popular song from Aamir’s debut film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
Sitaare Zameen Par is also refreshing in terms of how a Bollywood superstar — an almost deified being for most of our audiences — isn’t afraid to poke fun at himself. Aamir’s height (or rather, the lack of it) is mined for laughs, and there is also a reference to his age. The man has always led the way, and with Sitaare Zameen Par, he gives us the vintage Aamir that we have always loved watching. Honest, emotional, fun and meaningful.
There isn’t anything in Sitaare Zameen Par, however, that we hadn’t seen in its trailer. Aamir plays Gulshan Arora, the assistant coach of the Delhi basketball team, who after a physical altercation with his boss and a run-in with cops, is sent to do community service for three months. That means heading to the city’s Sarvodaya Centre to train a bunch of neurodivergent players for an upcoming tournament. While most of us tend to group those with physical or mental disabilities under a generic umbrella, this film presents them as people with individual quirks and personalities who operate within their ‘own normal’.
Hesitant at first, Gulshan’s angry not-so-young man who is egoistic, odious and offensive in equal measure — in addition to his daddy issues, he fails to see eye to eye with either his mother or wife — gradually learns to embrace this eclectic set. In the process, he not only undergoes a change in his worldview but also learns to heal himself in more ways than one.
Made with the objective of developing social sensitivity towards those affected by autism and Down Syndrome (as the disclaimer states), Sitaare Zameen Par leads with humour (there is a fun Salman Khan joke in there), but also packs in emotions. A few exhilarating moments — a character being tricked into having a bath, the scene in the public bus, the backstories of each of the characters and Gulshan’s interactions with his mom — will make the theatre break into spontaneous applause. The messaging, though, tends to get heavy-handed at some points.
The performances are all-round impressive. The band of neurodivergent actors are a delight to watch in every scene, while Dolly Ahluwalia, Brijendra Kala and Gurpal Singh bring their A-game to the table. Genelia Deshmukh, once again, reminds us what a pleasing presence she is on screen, though as Gulshan’s wife, her character is a tad unidimensional (and often too good to be true).
G. Srinivas Reddy does a good job behind the lens but Charushree Roy’s scissors could have been more prudent with Sitaare Zameen Par’s 158-minute runtime. The music, though well suited to the film’s situations in the moment, doesn’t have the lasting power of the Taare Zameen Par score.
In the end, it is Aamir Khan who stands tall, making Sitaare Zameen Par — despite all its shortcomings — a robust and emotional celebration of inclusivity. At age 60 and close to four decades in the business later, he remains a man who puts his money where his mouth is. And most, importantly, a superstar who never loses the actor in him.