**Might include spoilers**
Again from Sitaare Zameen Par – an okay expertise. In contrast to Forrest Gump, I haven’t seen the unique or the Hollywood model that is based mostly on, so I went in contemporary.
The movie begins off gradual, and proper from the start, it feels prefer it’s attempting too laborious to be emotional and quirky. It revolves round Gulshan (Aamir Khan), who finds himself in an sudden scenario with a gaggle of youngsters – however even within the opening scenes, every thing feels overly staged. The writing and execution lack finesse.
Simply take a look at these three back-to-back scenes:
First, Genelia’s worker says he can’t hold the bus at dwelling as a result of his brother will simply take it out and hold driving it. (It’s a bus dude, not a racing bike or automotive.) Subsequent, Aamir is seen travelling with the children in a public bus, the place passengers begin yelling “Yeh paagalon ki alag bus honi chahiye” which escalates right into a full-blown struggle, and so they’re thrown off the bus. Instantly after, Aamir goes to Genelia for assist and walks out together with her bus and her as the driving force. There’s no move between these scenes. All of it feels loud, handy, and setup.
The humour doesn’t assist both. A lot of the jokes fall flat. I didn’t giggle as soon as within the first half. There’s a joke a few child’s girlfriend being a prostitute, and one other about “grabbing balls” – each really feel pressured and misplaced. Some within the viewers did giggle however didn’t work for me. The movie would’ve labored higher had it leaned extra into its emotional core as an alternative of forcing comedy.
Even the best way the children’ backgrounds are launched is unimaginative. Quite than letting us uncover them by way of Gulshan’s encounters, there’s only one lengthy info-dump scene the place Aamir asks Gurpal about every youngster, and he rattles off their backstories one after the other. A greater filmmaker would’ve allowed Gulshan to study them organically, by way of interactions and moments, not exposition. Even the struggling of the children’ mother and father isn’t explored, nor are the mother and father ever clearly proven. It’s dismissed with a single line, one thing like,“’Even when it’s the final day on Earth, they’ll nonetheless come to observe the sport and assist their youngsters.’
Regardless of the setup, the film isn’t actually in regards to the kids- it’s all about Gulshan’s arc. Sadly, even that doesn’t really feel earned. One second he’s egocentric and aloof, and the subsequent he’s tying youngsters’ shoelaces and behaving thoughtfully. There’s no actual emotional journey and the transformation feels scripted. There are barely any scenes the place the children really educate him something, but by the top, he tells his spouse, “Yeh mere coach hain, maine inse seekha hai” It doesn’t land. The theme of the coach studying from the children is instructed, not proven.
There are repeated narrative beats that make the movie really feel like checkbox writing. Gulshan’s unresolved points with fatherhood are introduced up time and again first in a struggle along with his spouse, then by Gurpal, and later by Gulshan himself: “Mujhe bachhe pasand nahi kyunki mere father acche nahi the, and I don’t need to turn out to be one.” The movie doesn’t belief the viewers to get the purpose so it retains hammering it in.
Towards the top, there’s a weird and pointless subplot the place Gulshan finds out his mom is having an affair together with her cook dinner, who additionally lives together with her. It’s clearly meant to reflect the movie’s message about “acceptance,” but it surely feels over-the-top and provides no actual worth.
The sports activities angle – the coaching, the event, the expansion is barely explored. Unusually although, that half nonetheless works and it doesn’t stand out both means. However there’s nothing rousing or inspiring in how the event is constructed up.
Then there’s the climax. First, we get a drawn-out emotional stretch the place the children can’t go to Mumbai for the finals on account of a scarcity of funds. It drags on, after which instantly, Gulshan comes up with a plan: his spouse, dressed as a cop, raids a retailer the place one of many youngsters works, accuses the proprietor of underpaying him, and the shopkeeper presents a bribe. Minimize to the subsequent scene — everybody’s flying to Mumbai and staying in a five-star lodge. It’s that direct. If it was this simple, why construct a lot melodrama round it? That whole stretch is simply handy writing.
Now, coming to the performances – Aamir Khan’s portrayal of Gulshan is likely one of the movie’s weaker factors. He overdoes the facial expressions even in quiet scenes. It’s that post-3 Idiots, PK, and LSC model of Aamir – all exaggerated emoting. He’s performing, not being the character and that always pulls you out of the movie. This position would possibly’ve labored for him across the Taare Zameen Par period, however now, it simply feels off. Genelia can be fairly weak in emotional scenes. She’s first rate in informal, lighter moments, however in the case of depth, anger, confrontation, or emotional breakdowns, her supply doesn’t land. Possibly she was forged to maintain issues breezy. Gurpal Singh, then again, is excellent and provides much-needed sincerity. Dolly Ahluwalia is okay, although her heavy make-up is distracting even within the easiest of scenes.
All the children have executed an excellent job of their roles. Sunil, the one who at all times wears a helmet, has one of the essential roles with lengthy dialogues, and he handles it rather well. Guddu, the child who loves animals and hates taking showers, has a standout scene simply earlier than the interval. He’s really South Indian in actual life and didn’t know Hindi, however he realized his brief dialogues specifically for the movie. The remainder of the children are additionally nice and assist maintain the movie collectively in lots of scenes.
And but, credit score the place it’s due – the ultimate 20 minutes do work. Aamir tones it down a bit, the movie finds some emotional rhythm, and there’s precise feeling by the top. That last stretch lifts the general expertise and leaves the viewers with a satisfying ending. It jogged my memory a little bit of Kalki a under common movie that manages to work within the last moments (however SZP is general higher).
Nonetheless, general, Sitaare Zameen Par is common and much too predictable. The emotional arcs don’t resonate, the construction is fundamental, and the movie’s core message – ‘sabka apna apna regular,’ or a neurotypical individual studying from intellectually disabled youngsters is mouthed, not proven. Aamir has mentioned in each interview that it’s the sitaare (the children) who teaches the coach, and whereas that line does make it into the movie, the storytelling doesn’t again it up. It’s well-intentioned and has its coronary heart in the precise place, but it surely usually feels manufactured. Nonetheless, that’s most likely sufficient for a lot of the viewers to view it as ‘nice, well-intentioned cinema.’
I hope I’m not being too harsh – simply sharing ideas as I keep in mind them. People who’re ought to undoubtedly test it out. However no, it’s not a traditional or a masterpiece for my part. It’s feel-good cinema, and due to Aamir Khan’s legacy, it’ll get greater than its fair proportion of credit score and boxoffice.
