Back from Sitaare zameen par – An Okay Experience. Unlike forrest Gump, I haven’t seen the original or the Hollywood version this is based on, so I went in fresh.
The film starts off slow, and right from the beginning, it feels like it’s trying too hard to be emotional and quirky. IT Revolves Around Gulshan (Aamir Khan), Who Finds Himself in an Unexpected Situation with a group of kids – but even in the opening Scenes, Everything Feels Overly Staged. The writing and execution lacques finesse.
Just look at these three back-to-back scenes:
First, Genelia’s Employee Says He Can’t Keep The Bus At Home Because His Brother will just take it out and keep driving it. ) Full-Blown Fight, and they’re thrown off the bus. Immedited after, Aamir Goes to Genelia for Help and Walks Out With Her Bus and Her as the Driver. There’s no flow between these scenes. It all feels loud, convenient, and setup.
The humor does not help either. Most of the jokes fall flat. I didn’t log in the first half. There’s a joke about a kid’s girlfriend a prostitute, and another about “Grabbing balls” – Bot Feel Forced and Misplaced. Some in the audience did log The film would’ve worked better Had it leane more into its emotional core instead of Forcing Comedy.
Even the way the kids’ backgrounds are introduced is unimaginative. Rather than letting us discover them through gulshan’s encounters, there’s just one long info-dump Scene where Aamir Asks Gurpal About Each Child, And He Rattles Off his BACKSTORIES OKKSTORIES OKAIR BACKSTORIES OKAIR BACKSTORIES OHE BACKSTORIES OHE BACKSTORIES OHE BACKSTORIE A better filmmaker would’ve allowed gulshan to learn about them organically, through interactions and motions, not expenses. Even the suffering of the kids’ parents is never explred, It’s brushed off with a single line, something like, “even if it’s the last day on Earth, they’ll still come to watch the game and support their kids.”
Despite the setup, the movie isn’t really about the kids- it’s all about Gulshan’s Arc. Sadly, even that doesn’T feel earned. One moment he’s selfish and aloof, and the next he’s tying kids’ shoelaces and behaving thoughtfully. There’s no real emotional journey and the transformation feels scripted. There are barely any Scenes where the kids actually Teach Him Anything, Yet by the End, He Tells His Wife, “Yeh Mere Coach Hain, Maine Insee Seekha Hai” IT THESNKHE HAI “It Land. The the theme of the coach learning from the kids is Told, Not Shown.
There are reepeated narrative beats that make the film feel like checkbox written. Gulshan’s Unresolved Issues With FatherHood Are Brough Again and Again First in A Fight With His Wife, then by Gurpal, and Later by GulShan Himself: Father account nahi the, and I do’s’t want to become one. ” The film does not Trust the audience to get the point so it keeps hammering it in.
Toward the end, there’s a bizarre and unnecessary subplot where gulshan finds out his mother is having an affair with her cook, who also live her. It’s clever means to mirror the film’s message about “acceptance,” but it feels over-the-to-to-to-top and adds no real value.
The Sports Angle – The Training, The Tournament, The Growth is Barely Explred. Strangely Thought, That Part Still Works and It doesn’t stand out eite eater way. But there’s noting rousing or inspiring in how the tournament is Built up.
Then there’s the climax. First, we get a drawwn-out emotional stretch where the kids can’t go to mumbai for the finals due to a Lack of Funds. It drags on, and then suddenly, gulshan come up with a plan: his wife, dressed as a cop, raids a store where one of the kids works, accuses the Ownerpaying Him, and the shopkeeper offers Bribe. Cut to the Next Scene-Everyone’s flying to Mumbai and Staying in a Five-Star Hotel. It’s that direct. If it was this easy, why build so much melodrama around it? That Entre Stretch is just Convenient Writing.
Now, comeing to the performances – Aamir Khan’s Portrayal of Gulshan is one of the film’s weaker points. He overdoes the facial expressions even in Quiet Scenes. It’s that post-3 idiots, PK, and LSC version of Aamir-All Exaggerated Emoting. He’s acting, not being the character and that constant pulls you out of the film. This role might’ve worked for his Around the taare zameen par era, but now, it just feels off. Genelia is also Quite weak in Emotional Scenes. She’s Decent in Casual, Lighter Moments, but when it comes to intensity, anger, confrontation, or emotional breakdowns, her delivery doesn’t land. Maybe she was cast to keep things breezy. Gurpal singh, on the other hand, is very good and adds much-needed sensority. Dolly Ahluwalia is Fine, Thought Her Heavy Makeup is distracting even in the Simplest of Scenes.
All the kids have done a very good job in their roles. Sunil, the one who always wears a helmet, has one of the most important roles with long dialogues, and he handles it really well. Guddu, The Kid Who Loves Animals and Hates Taking Showers, Has a Standout Scene Just Before The Interval. He is actually south Indian in real life and didn’T Know Hindi, but he Learned His Short Dialogues Specially for the Film. The rest of the kids are also great and help hold the film togeether in many scenes.
And Yet, Credit where it’s due – the final 20 minutes do work. Aamir tones it down a bit, the film finds some emotional rhythm, and there’s actual feeling by the end. That final stretch lifts the overall experience and leaves the audience with a satisfying. It reminded me a bit of kalki a beLow average film that manages to work in the final moments (but szp is overall better).
Still, Overall, Sitaare Zameen Par Is Average and Far Too Predictable. The Emotional Arcs Don’T Resonate, The Structure is Basic, and The Film’s Core Message – ‘Sabka Apna Apna Normal,’ Or a neurotypical person being learning from intellectually disabled kids is mounted, not shown. Aamir has said in every interview that it’s the sitaare (the kids) who teachs the coach, and when that line does make it into the film, the storytelling doesn’T back it up. It’s Well-Intectioned and has its heart in the right place, but it often feels manufactured. Still, that’s probally enough for most of the audience to View it as ‘great, well-initialed cinema.’
I hope i’m not being too harsh – just sharing thoughts as I remumeber them. Folks who are interested should definitely check it out. But no, it’s not a classic or a masterpiece in my opinion. It’s Feel-Good Cinema, and Thanks to Aamir Khan’s legacy, it’ll get more than itsfire share of credit and boxoffice.
This entry was posted on June 22, 2025 at 6:28 pm and is filed under reviews, the good with tags master, master’s review, Sitaare Zameen Par. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.