With just a day left for the release of Sitaare Zameen Par, the spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par, anticipation is at an all-time high. The trailer and songs have beautifully maintained the intrigue, and audiences are now eagerly waiting to experience this heartwarming family entertainer on the big screen. Amidst, the rising excitement, Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker reviewed the film.
While reviewing Sitaare Zameen Par, Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker said, “Years ago, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR left behind a legacy that still echoes powerfully in Indian cinema. It was a heartfelt move then – to open a conversation about learning disabilities, like Dyslexia, through mainstream cinema. It moved me, and many of us, not just because of the subject, but because it showed what cinema could do when it dares to look deeper. With SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR, Aamir Khan goes a step further. This time, he turns the spotlight toward something even more layered—Down’s Syndrome, and the broader, often misunderstood world of neurodivergence. But what makes this film stand apart is its tone.
There’s no sentimentality. No preaching. Instead, along with director R.S. Prasanna and writer
Divy Sharma, Aamir crafts a world that’s equal parts humour, heartbreak, warmth, and truth.
It doesn’t ask you to feel, it invites you to.
What strikes me personally is how I’ve seen Aamir evolve over the years—not just as a star,
but as a storyteller. From the idealistic teacher in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR to the flawed, egoistic coach in SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR, you can see the arc of an actor constantly seeking, challenging, and unlearning. His choices have grown more audacious. His portrayals, more vulnerable. And yet, his storytelling feels more honest than ever. There’s something deeply moving about seeing an artist grow with the world—and try, however imperfectly, to make it better.
The story follows Gulshan, a self-absorbed basketball coach who ends up in court-mandated
community service after a drunk-driving incident. His sentence? Coaching a team of neurodivergent adults. What begins as an inconvenience slowly reshapes him. His discomfort, his resistance, his eventual surrender—it all plays out with an emotional realism that feels uncomfortably familiar. Because in many ways, we all resist what we don’t understand. And we all carry a version of Gulshan inside us.
Aamir gives Gulshan just the right mix of arrogance and slow, sincere awakening. Genelia D’Souza is absolutely lovely as his estranged wife – her warmth brings light to his journey. Their relationship, fragile, unresolved, and quietly healing, offers the film a gentle emotional
anchor.
But the real stars are the ten neurodivergent actors. Their performances are not only authentic but searingly human. They are the soul of the film. The dignity with which they are portrayed left me humbled, and grateful.
A big standing ovation for them. And for this, R. S. Prasanna has to be specially commended, for extracting such nuanced performances from the entire cast.
Some may call this a spiritual sequel to TAARE ZAMEEN PAR but to me, SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR stands entirely on its own. It tackles an extremely complex issue, with laughter, frustration, healing, and above all, a deep sense of empathy.
By the end of the film, I was thoroughly entertained; I laughed, I cheered—not just for the
storytelling, but for the dignity the film gives to mental disabilities, for the resilience of the
families (reel and real), and for the power of compassion it evokes, for others and for
ourselves.
There are many lines in the film that will stay with me, but one in particular lingers: “Sabka
apnaa apnaa Normal” – simple, profound and maybe exactly what our world needs to hear.
So don’t be prejudiced. Don’t be judgmental. Just go watch SITAARE ZAMEEN PAR. It might change the way you see others and maybe, just maybe, the way you see yourself.”
Aamir Khan Productions proudly presents 10 rising stars: Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishna Varma, Samvit Desai, Vedant Sharma, Ayush Bhansali, Ashish Pendse, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Naman Mishra, and Simran Mangeshkar. Directed by R. S. Prasanna, who previously helmed the barrier-breaking blockbuster Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, now returns with the biggest collaboration with Aamir Khan Productions’ Sitaare Zameen Par.
Made under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions, Sitaare Zameen Par stars Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh in lead roles along with the 10 rising stars. The lyrics are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and music is composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The screenplay is written By Divy Nidhi Sharma. The film is produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit, with B. Shrinivas Rao and Ravi Bhagchandka as producers. Directed by R. S. Prasanna, the film will be released in theatres only on 20th June, 2025.
