Secret Superstar

On my walk home from the cinema, I thought about why I loved Secret Superstar so much despite it being a sometimes-absurd, cliché-heavy fantasy film imparting the dubious message that only if a female is a potential entertainment superstar does she have the chance to escape her sordid existence in the Indian Muslim world. It's obvious - there is so much to love about this film that made me cast aside any reservations I had about declaring it a masterpiece. The subjects of domestic abuse and the subjugation of women in Indian Muslim culture are dealt with adroitly, and they provide the perfect foundation and vortex for an extraordinary story to unfold. I loved the mingling of conventional Indian Muslim culture and Internet culture, and the mingling of provincial values and culture with the Mumbai lifestyle and attitude within the entertainment industry. Overall, I did not feel manipulated by this film nor did I feel bombarded by a Let-Us- Entertain-You vibe; behind the Bollywood blockbuster production guise I witnessed tremendous genuineness. The tears that I shed did not happen because the filmmakers are clever pushers of emotion buttons. I was genuinely touched. The joy that I experienced was more from being moved than from being entertained. It's simply a beautiful, glorious film.

Saw this first day in a theater with my family. Aamir once again proves he is one of the few finest actors in Bollywood today. Very convincingly n nicely he fits into every character he plays, no matter the screen time. He is magnificent, but he does not carry the weight of this film on his own. A slue of other fine actors give absolutely divine performances, especially Zaira Wasim. The story centers around a 15 year old girl. The film highlights her talents while also showing the painful problems that comes with being a female in a patriarchal society. Beautifully acted, sweet but not syrupy and perfect for a break from all the holiday madness, Secret Superstar is a true gem.

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

Secret Superstar is one of the finest films in recent times that makes you laugh, cry and at the end you go home with a feel-good emotion and give your mother the tightest hug ever.

The film is about an emotional journey of a teenage girl Insiya Malik from a middle class family of Vadodara who attempts to hurdle her way past some monumental challenges to pursue her dream of becoming a famous singer.

As an Aamir Khan film, you always expect it to be different from others and socially relevant at the same time - 'Secret Superstar' being no exception. Promoted as a film about women empowerment, it does not only revolve around that topic but also speaks volumes about various other social issues such as domestic violence, female foeticide etc that no mainstream cinema has ever dared to put lights upon.

Drawing a completely refreshing plot line, debutante Director Advait Chandan has shown some really good directorial skills for his first film. Maintaining a watertight screenplay, the film never lets you shift your focus and keeps you on the edge rooting for Insiya. A few sequences might seem to be little dragged out and could have been edited for perfection.

When it comes to acting, all the lead actors - Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun have given their career best performances. Zaira as Insiya is charming and her acting in the singing sequences look extremely believable with her lip-syncs and guitar movements being spot on. Meher Vij as Najma plays mother to Insiya and delivers a memorable performance. Raj Arjun is the stand out performer in the film. He was totally convincing as the demon of a father and makes the audience hate him bad. Tirth Acharya as Chintan too has done a great job as Insiya's supportive friend. Aamir Khan, as music director Shakti Kumar, in his 20 minutes role of a never-seen-before character truly plays 'dal me tadka' and gives the audience some rare bursts of laughter.

Music of the film is very simple, soulful and extremely situational. They tend to grow on you each time you hear and makes a definite impact during the sequences on big screen. The only different song in the album is 'Sexy Baliye' which comes during the end credits and the quirkiness of it makes the audience standing on the aisle till the very end of it.

Overall, the film leaves a long lasting impact on your heart letting the story teller succeed in his attempt. The usage of social media shown as a medium of expressing hidden talents is very relevant in today's time. The mother-daughter bonding as shown in the film is one of the major highlights. The depiction of teenage love makes you blush and takes you back to your school memories.

Lastly, there are many such secret superstars like Insiya in our societies who get suppressed due to various social issues and don't get enough exposure. Here's one for them to keep believing in their dreams. Secret Superstar is a definite must watch for people of every age group.

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.