Sitaare Zameen Par

On the whole, SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR is quintessential Aamir Khan - cinema that enlightens, entertains, and leaves you with a smile. The final 40 minutes are the film’s emotional crescendo, lifting the narrative to dizzying heights. These sitaaare shine bright and are bound to win your heart. At the box office, the film may open on a modest note, as anticipated, but is poised to witness dramatic growth over the weekend - paving the way for a strong and steady lifetime run. What’s also commendable is Aamir Khan’s unwavering belief in the theatrical experience - he’s backed this film with full conviction, and audiences just might return the favour generously. Recommended!

However, instead of really digging deep and creating an emotionally compelling drama, Sitaare goes for easy sentimentality where the button-pushing is consistent, but the emotional pay-off is far less impactful than expected despite having its big, gooey heart in the right place.

Aamir is good at comedy, and here too he’s back to that genre. He’s at ease with his co stars here, and the comfort translates. The first half is bearable only because of Aamir, and then he takes things a notch higher in the second one. Genelia complements him wonderfully as the supportive wife, and the cause of friction between them is thankfully not stretched beyond a point. Dolly Ahluwalia and Brijendra Kala are adorable in their roles and justify their short screen time with solid performances.

This film wouldn’t have worked as well as it does if Aamir hadn’t been fully committed to putting himself out there as a hero-who-is-a-jerk, letting us walk past the annoyingly noble Lal Singh Chadha character which never hit any of its marks. One of Aamir’s strengths is to play a regular, flawed guy who learns the error of his ways –yes, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ is also part of this pantheon– and Gulshan is a welcome addition. How the insufferable Gulshan finds a better side of himself, replacing the smirk with a smile, is a big part of ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’: you can call that out for what it is, but you can also see how a star can power a story like this, in the way it platforms and makes visible those who live with disability.