Aamir Khan completes a hat-trick of flop films with Sitaare Zameen Par
Review of film: Sitaare Zameen Par
Rating: 2/ 5
Positives
— Decent performances by all actors.
— A few light, entertaining, and emotional moments.
— May appeal to ladies and elite multiplex audiences.
Negatives
— Film is a remake of the Spanish movie Champions. Despite a few good scenes, it fails to entertain or connect emotionally. Nowhere close to Aamir’s 2007 classic Taare Zameen Par.
— The music is a disaster.
— The film is overly lengthy at 158 minutes.
Acting
Aamir Khan delivers a dull and forgettable performance. His expressions remain the same throughout, and he looks visibly tired. The poor VFX fails to make him look like a 42-year-old basketball coach.
Aamir should seriously reconsider doing remakes—today’s audience isn’t buying them.
The film is centered around basketball, a sport with limited popularity in India. The matches—except the final—are poorly produced, with no thrill, excitement, or even proper crowd presence. It often feels like watching a gully (street) tournament.
Genelia Deshmukh looks good but gets no meaningful role. The rest of the cast, including the players with Down syndrome, perform reasonably well.
Direction
Directed by R.S. Prasanna (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan), the film lacks strong emotional depth or entertaining value. Both the sports drama and emotional arcs fall flat. A spot boy who knows how to shout “Lights, camera, action!” could’ve done just as well.
Writing
Divya Nidhi Sharma has adapted the story from the original Spanish film, but it brings nothing new. The screenplay is functional at best, with dialogues working only in parts.
Conversations between Aamir Khan and the players are often hard to follow.
Music
Music by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy is a big letdown. The four songs, totaling over 14 minutes, are all below average with no chartbuster.
Editing
The film drags at 158 minutes. A 30-minute trim could have helped .
Production Design
Below average. Matches are shown in poor lighting, and the training sequences lack energy or excitement.
One special boy in the team doesn’t even look like he has Down syndrome, leaving the audience confused about his inclusion.
Box Office
Aamir Khan promoted the film heavily for a month—discussing industry challenges, YouTube, OTT, etc.—but not the film itself.
The film faced censor issues and was released after cuts.
Advance bookings were weak:
— 9,500 shows
— 1.15 lakh tickets sold
Collection: ₹6.88 crore (approx.)'which includes heavy block bookings. Box has become now fake collection box.
Considering Aamir Khan reportedly charged ₹100 crore, the film’s total budget could exceed ₹150 crore, making it a losing proposition.
Single-screen audiences will likely reject it. After Thugs of Hindostan and Laal Singh Chaddha, this marks Aamir’s third consecutive failure.
Verdict: A missed opportunity. A film with good intentions, but poor execution.
— Narendra Gupta
Flop? I am quite happy.