Secret Superstar

Towards the end of Secret Superstar, a character utters few lines about the basic need of having and chasing dreams. She is doubtlessly inspired by another character who uttered those same lines previously during a heated verbal tiff. The authenticity of drama and the power that these characters have in you, much like how they have it on their co-characters, even while shouting at each other, are remarkable.

Advait Chandan's debut feature, Secret Superstar, which tackles two heavy subjects of domestic violence and chasing dreams at once is a definitive reflection of the patriarchal pit that we, or our women rather, live in. Self-learned amateur bass guitar player, occasional school-goer, and full-time dreamer Insia looks up to Bollywood music singers and follows them on awards circuit, albeit on TV, with a dream to become one herself some day. There are many obstacles that are limiting her chances, but the most virulent and relentless one is in her own middle-class household, a hypocritical sadist father who beats his wife at the drop of a spoon and controls his family like a merciless fascist government. Seeing Insia play with her guitar when she should be studying mathematics instead is already a good reason for him to lash out, so what happens when she creates a YouTube channel and moves an inch forward to her dream? The heated setting explodes, and the explosion is an arresting spectacle.

Director Chandan uses women living in oppression in a patriarchal household to craft a narrative that is a bit unrealistic and contrived from time to time. A theme last seen in Rima Das's festival-favorite indie drama Village Rockstars, the film hopes to shed light into the dreams of young girls suppressed by their own people. A girl who prefers her father's permanent absence and who is forced to travel miles without letting her folks know for fear of rebuke is the perfect example of the combination of audacity and determination required to tackle the obstacles, and Secret Superstar conveys that point across with some palpable drama and shades of quirkiness.

Aamir Khan is absolutely phenomenal as an idiosyncratic music producer known for his sexual escapades and bad temper. His presence on screen is like drinking Kool-Aid in scorching heat, and every time he appears, thirst automatically finds its way. It is characters like him that Chandan uses to support his ship that is determined it will not sink. From the gaudy metallic print t-shirts that he wears to his oddball demeanor, Khan plays a character that is only second to Zaira Wasim's. She steals the limelight with her cheeks that go scarlet when she dreams and surprises herself, quarrels with her mother and close friend Chintan, and takes a stand for herself against the oppression, unlike her mother competitively rocked by the talented and sweet-nosed Meher Vij. The duo look like they are mother-daughter in real life, what with their seamless connection and similar complexion. If Wasim is the captain of this ship then Vij is the second captain with Khan sitting in the corner as an adviser with wisdom and energy to drown in. Special mention to Raj Arjun, who is the mole in this ship, for pulling off the father character so impeccably that you want to beat him up.

One of the many reasons why Secret Superstar works and never bores you is the tiny references that it makes to life in general. Taking potshots at the music industry, surface touching the current Weinstein-inspired scenario, the oppressed family living in a society called "Modern Colony", and the sexism that is so prevalent around us are to name a few. These references are tidbits that make the broth tastier and prevents you from focusing on the mannered narrative. The soundtrack is thankfully not cheesy and gels wells with the screenplay. Music is an integral part of what Insia dreams to achieve, and that's one thing that the film gets correct in terms of picturisation and flow.

It tugs at your heart as you root for this charming little lady with a guitar in one hand and grit in another. Secret Superstar is a warm and engaging film about being fearless and moving toward your dream no matter what, and with a sweet little love story hidden in the core, it scores. It scores big. TN.

SECRET SUPERSTAR

Duration : 150 Minutes Genre : Drama

Zaira Wasim : the fresh face which we all first saw in Dangal has now turned into a star, she shines completely, and justifies the term "Superstar" in the title. One can see, how genuinely she plays Insia. Meher Vij : She portrays Insia's mother, who complements Zaira's character like no other. Applause worthy! Aamir Khan : He plays Shakti Kumar. We have all seen Aamir in his different avatars, and the audiences should not be missing this one! He is hilarious! Raj Arjun who plays Insia's father is ferocious. Tirth Sharma who portrays Chintan is lovable.

Story : Secret Superstar is a story relating to a daughter/girl who dreams to be a singer; A mother who loves her daughter like no other but also feels helpless at the same time; A father who is stubborn and violent towards his family; A friend who would go to any limits to help out the girl he adores, and a struggling arrogant music director who turns out to be the helping hand in the girl's life. Secret Superstar will make you angry, love, laugh, weep, smile in its 150 minute duration. It's a story of the bond of a mother and her child. Advait Chandan has done a remarkable job on this one.

Music : The tracks of Secret Superstar maybe just ordinary, however "Main Kaun Hoon" wins hearts.

Overall, Secret Superstar is a must watch by all ages. Aamir Khan Productions bags in a sure shot winner this Diwali.

Secret Superstar looks like it is a sequel to Aamir Khan's 2007 psychological film "Taare Zameen Par" where Darsheel Safary is replaced by a not-so-unknown "Fresh-Face" Zaira Wasim. Zaira Wasim totally steals the show. Also, the contribution to the film's elegance made by Meher Vij is worth-applauds.

Secret Superstar is a story of a young girl named Insiya (Zaira Wasim) who wants the whole world to listen to her fresh voice. She is strongly supported by her on-screen mother (Meher Vij). But, Insiya's wings are pulled off by her father (Raj Arjun).

But, the twist in the by-time extra-emotional film, is added by a funky-chunky musician and singer Shakti Kumaarr who is better known for his unusual behavior but strongly supports the ideas of Insiya.

The movie is a best for to be known "psychologically emotional." Secret superstar is another best Aamir Khan Film to watch out with your family this weekend after his blockbusters such as Dangal, PK and Taare Zameen Par.

I liked "A star is born", but then I watched this movie from 2017 and wondered what "A star is born" was missing...well a lot of things - of course if the movie was created to justify the title.

This movie is not made for Oscars or awards , it is made for reasons. Reasons that prevent from millions of people to reach their potential. It's an ode to a mother, an ode to a girl child and hopefully a lesson for a lot of people to be more accepting. My Oscar for 2018 goes to this movie, just because it was not just entertainment but also and inspiration.

Great natural acting, very minimalistic and simplistic direction, strong message and a inspiration to dream! The movie is a bit longish but it was needed to develop the characters to their full potential. Having said that cutting off 15 minutes would have made it a bit better for international markets as well.

Completely recommended for all the people who are looking for a movie to be engrossed in! ( Note that i love Avengers as well, but this one is not a movie where you can read a book while watching the movies, take a seat and take a ride with this one!)

Bollywood has been going through some tough times during 2017 starting from Salman Khan's disaster dilemma to Varun Dhawan's cheesy acting. Luckily some films during the year created some satisfaction such as Baahubali 2 and Mom.

So the story revolves around a 14 year old named Insia who resides in a suburban city that goes by the name of Vadodara which is in Gujarat. Insia's dream was to pursue a career in singing and her mother is highly supportive of Insia's decision to become a singer but her abusive and cold- hearted father invades her comfort zone which results in her dreams being crushed. So Insia decides to secretly pursue signing by posting a video and uses a burqa to hide her identity so her father don't find out. The video goes viral and it catches the attention of a failing and dim-witted Casanova music director Shakti Kumar. With the help of her mother and Kumar, how Insia manages to pursue her dream and what happens afterwards is basically what this film is about.

Honestly, the teaser and trailer made me more excited for Aamir Khan but watching this movie made me realize that Aamir Khan wasn't the only important factor in the film. I loved this movie for how it was and how it looked. Advait Chandan deserves a bow because this debut filmmaker managed to master the craft of producing a screenplay that kept all the emotional factors in its place which also kept the audience engaged throughout the 143 minutes of the film.

The acting in the movie was phenomenal.

Zaira Wasim steals the show completely. Her acting had a clear justification to never fear anyone before pursuing a dream and her Dangal mentality managed to cover that.

Meher Vij was nice and heartwarming as the mother for Zaira. Luckily in my opinion, she was not bad in Bajrangi Bhaijaan where she did the role of the little girl's mother but in this movie she manages to execute the mother role according to our expectations.

Despite Aamir Khan's role only appearing half of the film, he still managed to act like the same khan who we all adore a lot. His flirty and sleazy humor managed to ma laugh a lot of times.

Raj Arjun's first attempt as an abusive father figure kept the film smooth.

The music was nice but I felt some tracks had weak compositions and Amit Trivedi has done it in some films like Qaidi Band and Shaandaar. Lyrics were fantastically produced by Kaiser Munir.

Anil Mehta's cinematography keeps the script of the integral and consistent.

Overall, I loved this movie.

1) Beautifully written and directed. 2) Well performed 3) Nice Camera work

Enjoy your Diwali with this film at a theater near you.

Golmaal Again will surpass the box office for this film. Secret superstar should fall into the 50-75 crore range. But just rely on the film more than the box office.

3.75/4- Bollywood's most proper flick