Sitaare Zameen Par Review: Aamir Khan’s Film Delivers A Powerful Message With Good Performances
Directed by R.S. Prasanna Sitaare Zameen Par is currently running in theatres near you.
3.5 / 5
Aamir Khan makes his big return to movies with Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by R.S. Prasanna. This film had a tough journey to the big screen and faced many bumps before finally releasing. After all that, it’s here, and I’ve watched it. Starring Genelia Deshmukh, Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, and more – here’s what I thought about the sports comedy-drama film. Read on to know!
Plot Of Sitaare Zameen Par
The movie tells the story of Gulshan Arora, played by Aamir Khan, who is an assistant basketball coach with a massive ego problem. So, he gets himself suspended after an outburst where he hits the head coach and gets suspended. Then, because apparently one mistake wasn’t enough, he crashes into a police van while drunk. Talk about a bad day! Phew. His punishment? Community service. He has to teach basketball for three months to a team of specially abled adults. Well, Gulshan is not exactly happy or excited about it. He complains constantly and takes on the job with a lot of grumbling. But, as these stories often go, things start to change.
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He meets a lot of interesting characters: Sunil, Raju, Sharmaji, Karim, Bantu, Lotus, Hargovind, Satbir, and finally, Golu. They are all dealing with conditions like autism, invisible autism, Down’s Syndrome, and Fragile X Syndrome. After meeting them and taking his time to understand their normal, Gulshan’s otherwise grumpy life changes slowly. He becomes their student where the subject is life. Because of them, he tries to work on his shaky marriage with his wife Suneeta by keeping his ego on the side (he tries). It’s a journey of self-discovery, both on and off the court.
Performances
Let’s talk about the acting, because honestly, the cast is what makes the movie shine like a star. Aamir Khan is good as Gulshan. His comic timing is spot-on and makes you laugh even when his character is being a bit of a grump and too egoistic. He delivers an honest performance. His scenes with the basketball team are truly the heart of the film. They’re genuinely heartwarming and full of fun. You can feel the connection he slowly builds with each member of the team, and it’s delightful to watch. Genelia Deshmukh plays Gulshan’s wife, Suneeta. She gives her all, even with the material she’s given. She’s sincere and honest in her portrayal and makes you feel for her character’s struggles.
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But the real show-stoppers and stars of the movie are the actors who play in the basketball team – Sitaare. Ashish Pendse, Aroush Datta, Aayush Bhansali, Rishi Shahani, GopiKrishnan V Verma, Rishabh Jain, Vedant Sharma, Simran Mangeshkar, Samvit Desai and Naman Misra. That’s a bit long, but they all deserve a shout-out! Each one of them brings their own charm. Their performances are truly remarkable and make the film feel incredibly real and special. Honestly, they are the true soul of the movie. Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari, playing Gulshan’s mother, also delivers a fun and heart-touching performance. Her screen presence is amazing, and those one-liners were too good to ignore!
Verdict: Heartwarming But Dragged In 2nd Half
It was a long journey, but it was full of chuckles and a bit of tears and also made me think a lot about life, human beings and relationships. The film has a similar vibe to the much-loved and cherished Taare Zameen Par and delivers a meaningful message. It shows lives of people with intellectual disabilities with utmost love and care. It pushes everyone to think about others and not just themselves. The movie also encourages including everyone, no matter their differences.
The dialogues are well-written, but at some points, it felt like you were in a motivational TED Talk. The performances are definitely worth watching, and the direction is fairly good. Kudos to the casting team because, after a long time, it felt like everyone played themselves on screen, which was refreshing to see. However, Aamir and Genelia’s chemistry wasn’t exactly on point, as the spark was missing.
Talking about the long ride, the second half feels sluggish, which can make you check your phone and time. The ending somewhat felt like it was forcing you to cry your hearts out. The songs weren’t impactful, and it lacked the nice background music it needed. Gaana to banta hai, yaar! Despite these flaws, Sitaare Zameen Par has a lot of heart. The story beautifully shows that our “normal” is different for others. Treat everyone with kindness, as it costs nothing. It is a family film that deserves a watch. So, if you can handle a long but heart-touching story, go for it without any doubt.
Sitaare Zameen Par is currently running in theatres near you.
First Published: June 20, 2025 11:57 AM
