Sitaare Zameen Par Review: Heartwarming sports drama should be watched with entire family for wholesome entertainment with meaningful message
Sitaare Zameen Par Movie Rating: 4 Stars
Watched Sitaare Zameen Par movie in Cinema. Let’s focus on the complete details, story, positive/negatives and at last my personal view on this movie.
Cast: Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, Dolly Ahluwalia, Brajendra Kala, Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar and Aayush Bhansali
Director: RS Prasanna
Release Date: 20th June 2025 in cinemas
Story: Movie revolves around Gulshan Arora (Aamir Khan) is the assistant basketball coach at the Delhi Sports Association. During a match he punches his immediate superior head coach Paswan (Deepraj Rana) after having a fallout with him on the basketball court for making fun of his height. The same day, while returning home, he gets drunk and bangs his car with a police vehicle.
Considering that it is his first offence and taking into account that he is a coach of repute, the judge Anupama Mandal (Tarana Raja) asks him to do community service instead of sending him to jail. Gulshan is assigned the onerous task of training a group of especially abled children in the game of basketball.
Gulshan has had a traumatic childhood because of which he has trust issues. He is also averse to having kids, which is the reason why he doesn’t stay with wife Sunita (Genelia D’Souza Deshmukh). He is petrified of the task given to him by the court but makes a beginning. Through his daily interactions with young men on the autism spectrum, with Down syndrome, and a range of other neurodivergent conditions, Gulshan undergoes a slow but powerful transformation, from emotionally stunted too emotionally aware, from self-absorbed to empathetic. What challenges did Gulshan face while coaching the team of intellectually disabled people? Will he sort-out his issue with wife?? Watch this movie to find out what happened.
Positives
1. Performances
2. Cinematography
3. Direction
4. Climax
5. Screenplay
6. Story
Negatives
1. Length
2. Music
3. Remake
Durgesh Tiwary’s View: When I watched the trailer of this film planned to watch this movie in cinemas on its release day as loved the trailer and after 3 long years Aamir Khan is coming on big screen. Gulshan Arora is a brash basketball coach suspended for punching the head coach and facing a jail term for drunk driving. Instead, he is sentenced to community service and training a team of players with intellectual disabilities to compete in a national basketball tournament. As he coaches them, he embarks on a journey of personal growth and learning valuable life lessons.
Sitaare Zameen Par is a spiritual successor to Khan’s 2007 film Taare Zameen Par and is an official remake of the 2018 Spanish film Champions. The story is heart-touching and very unusual because it deals with children with intellectual disabilities. Screenplay is fast-paced and beautifully written, which makes the entire drama entertaining and enjoyable. The antics and comments of the especially abled children are so endearing that before one knows it, one has fallen in love with all the ten players. The typical problems of some of the players are captured so poignantly that one’s heart goes out to them. The writer has laced the drama with a lot of humor, fun and frolic so that there are many moments of laughter and enjoyment in the course of the drama. The climax sequence is very touching and will move the weak hearted to tears. Aamir Khan lives the role of Gulshan Arora. He has done such an extraordinary job that his performance turns out to be memorable and worthy of awards. Genelia D’Souza Deshmukh is excellent as Sunita. Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari is splendid as Gulshan’s mother. Gurpal Singh delivers a realistic performance as Kartar Paaji. Brijendra Kala makes a lovely mark as Gulshan’s cook, Daulat ji. The ten especially abled children are a revelation. They have all acted so well that they deserve the highest praise. RS Prasanna’s direction is extraordinary. The film has a fine mix of entertainment and an undercurrent of emotions with a wonderful life lesson. He deserves to be lauded for extracting great work from out of the especially abled children.
While the earlier film highlighted developmental disabilities through the lens of dyslexia and remedial education, this one shifts the focus to individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), like Down Syndrome and invisible autism, on a basketball court. It strikes a commendable balance between delivering a message and educating viewers about ID, all with a lighthearted touch. While the underdog sports narrative and troubled-coach arc feel familiar, the film’s heart and humor keep it engaging. It takes both courage and conviction to centre a mainstream film around neurodivergent characters and movie does just that with remarkable heart and humanity. The dialogues are impactful without being preachy, striking a thoughtful balance.
The gripe with movie is its runtime at two hours and 39 minutes, the film drags, particularly in the second half. Tighter editing and trimming a few scenes would have made it far more engaging. Despite the presence of emotional content, the sequel fails to leave a lasting impression on the audience. The way Gulshan interacts with a young team dealing with learning difficulties doesn’t connect with the audience. The bond between the coach and his team develops only in the climax, which may be too late to impress the audience. The approach taken by the makers, with the sports scenes, is different than the one we are used to. One might get a feeling that the characters are able to easily win the match or that the matches are not given their importance. 2-3 funny scenes don’t land well. Lastly, the music is not upto the mark. A couple of songs in the film also try to recreate the quirkiness of tracks like Bam Bam Bhole, but fail miserably. The first half of the film proceeds at a very slow pace. It took more than an hour for the film to pick up the pace. The slow pace along with the predictable proceedings tests the patience to an extent during the initial hour.
Overall, this is a film that teaches while it entertains, without ever being preachy. It holds up a mirror to society and nudges us to be kinder, gentler, and more accepting. And for that alone, it deserves to be seen, celebrated, and remembered. If Taare Zameen Par had the soul, this one brings the spirit. It’s a heartwarming family watch that blends comedy, compassion, and charm, and is definitely worth a trip to the theatre. My view on this movie Highly Recommended.
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