‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ Movie Review: Aamir Khan’s Earnest but Safe ‘Campeones’ Remake Is Uplifted by Its ‘Special’ Cast (LatestLY Exclusive)

Sitaare Zameen Par Movie Review: Aamir Khan played intellectually disabled characters in Dhoom 3 and Laal Singh Chaddha, and both turned out to be among his weakest performances. So perhaps Sitaare Zameen Par is a form of repentance from the superstar - one where he brings in some truly wonderful actors who live with intellectual disabilities and lets them steal the show, even if the platform to do so is borrowed from another film. Shah Rukh Khan Visits ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ Set After Aamir Khan’s Persistent Invites, Surprises Debutant Cast With Heartfelt Interactions (Watch Video).

Directed by RS Prasanna and adapted by Divy Nidhi Sharma, Sitaare Zameen Par is the official Hindi remake of the 2018 Spanish film Campeones, which also had a Hollywood version in 2023 titled Champions. Aamir Khan had been invested in making the Hindi adaptation of this feel-good sports comedy for a while - first pitching it to Salman Khan, then choosing it as his own comeback vehicle after a three-year break from the big screen. Now, if you haven’t seen the original film, well, good for you - and for Aamir. There might just be enough wholesomeness here to enjoy for yourselves, and Aamir (also the producer) could benefit from that.

'Sitaare Zameen Par' Movie Review - The Plot

The story follows Gulshan (Aamir Khan), a basketball coach in Delhi who’s rude, brash, and clearly in the throes of a midlife crisis. He's also in the middle of a domestic squabble with his wife Suneetha (Genelia Deshmukh) - she wants kids, he doesn’t - and currently lives with his snarky but supportive mother (Dolly Ahluwalia). After a sideline altercation with his superior (Deepraj Rana), Gulshan is suspended from his job. To make matters worse, he’s also arrested for drunk driving. But instead of jail time, the judge hands him a three-month community service sentence - to coach a team of players with Down syndrome and autism, called Sitaare.

Watch the Trailer of 'Sitaare Zameen Par':

Now, some of you might wonder: do Indian courts really hand out community service like this, or is that just a borrowed Western trope? Well, remember the Pune Porsche hit-and-run case? A local court initially asked the underage culprit - who killed two people - to write a thousand-word essay on drunk driving as punishment. So yes, we’ve seen stranger things in real life.

Anyway, back to the plot: a reluctant Gulshan finds it difficult to adapt his methods to a team with such diverse needs. Initially referring to them as 'mentals,' Gulshan - who himself is often the butt of 'tingu' (short) jokes - just wants to get this 'ordeal' over with. But then the team gets selected to compete in a national tournament. As he spends time with them, his perspective begins to shift. Slowly, his approach softens, even as he struggles to meet their challenges - and even when the team’s best player, Hargovind (Naman Misra), walks out.

'Sitaare Zameen Par' Movie Review - Spiritual Sequel to 'Taare Zameen Par'

Sitaare Zameen Par is being pitched as a spiritual successor to 2007’s Taare Zameen Par, which marked Aamir’s directorial debut. But there’s no plot connection here. Taare Zameen Par was more emotionally resonant, opening up conversations in families about how each child is different and creating awareness about dyslexia. Sitaare Zameen Par is arguably a more challenging film in terms of casting, and it will certainly appeal to those unfamiliar with the Spanish original or the less acclaimed Hollywood remake, starring Woody Harrelson (which at least attempts to take some deviations). ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’: Hollywood Movie ‘Champions’ Removed From JioHotstar Ahead of Aamir Khan’s Remake Release in Theatres.

If Taare Zameen Par was about a dyslexic child being mentored by an empathetic teacher (played by Aamir), then Sitaare Zameen Par flips that dynamic. Here, it's the teacher who gets coached by a group of 'special' students into becoming not just a better coach, but a better human being. That role reversal is interesting, and much like how TZP highlighted dyslexia, SZP addresses Down syndrome and autism admirably by casting actors with those conditions rather than using a mainstream actor to act that out. And yet, despite its good intentions, SZP doesn’t quite achieve the same creative or emotional impact as TZP.

'Sitaare Zameen Par' Movie Review - A Too Faithful Remake

Where TZP felt like a fresh original, SZP leans into Bollywood’s current obsession with remakes, which, as recent box office trends show, isn’t always rewarding. This is a very faithful adaptation of Campeones, borrowing almost every major beat - including a joke I didn’t much care for in the original, about a character’s girlfriend being a sex worker.

Unlike Laal Singh Chaddha, which at least attempted to do something new with Forrest Gump, Sitaare Zameen Par plays it safe, perhaps wary after LSC failed to connect with the audience. Nearly every character quirk, plot turn, and emotional beat is lifted from Campeones, right up to the final match. The only significant deviation - also attempted in the Hollywood version - is the epilogue, which I found to be the film’s most emotionally engaging scene.

So while Aamir has publicly defended remakes, I do believe that unless you’re improving upon the original, they often feel like a lack of creative risk. Yes, SZP is longer than both Campeones and Champions, but the extra runtime doesn’t necessarily elevate the material. Additional scenes focusing on Gulshan and Suneetha’s marriage are... okay, but they never made the drama more interesting (also a problem with the original film). There’s also a scene before the climactic match where Gulshan discovers a maternal secret - which is extended in the remake here. It’s funnier, yes, but only serves to delay the climax point. Speaking of the final match sequence, the use of a background songduring the match sucks the tension right out of it.

Some tweaks have been made to Gulshan’s character to make him more likeable compared to his Spanish counterpart. For instance, there’s a scene where he stops to tie a player’s shoelaces - presented in soft lighting and slight slo-mo effect, hammering in his personal transformation. Or the moment he begins to understand the garbled speech of one of the players near the end - a change the film spells out for us, just in case we missed it. Even the epilogue attempts to show him in a softer light, although this scene removes the explanation for why he did what he did.

Still, credit where it’s due: RS Prasanna - whose Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham was a delight, even if its Hindi version Shubh Mangal Saavdhan wasn’t as sharp - manages to keep the remake engaging, especially for those unfamiliar with Campeones. Another plus: Ram Sampath’s lovely background score.

'Sitaare Zameen Par' Movie Review - The Performances

And even if you have seen the other versions, you’ll still be charmed by the performances of the actors playing the Sitaare team. Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Rishabh Jain, Rishi Shahani, Aayush Bhansali, Samvit Desai, Naman Misra, Ashish Pendse, and Vedant Sharmaa are all delightful in their roles. But if I had to pick a standout, it’s Simran Mangeshkar - who makes a late entry as the feisty Golu Khan and steals the show with ease.

As for Aamir, I found his performance mixed. While the character’s emotional immaturity is part of the arc, Aamir sometimes plays him like a man-child, which feels odd. His reactions are often too animated - almost like he’s back on Satyamev Jayate and he is reacting to someone saying something interesting. This isn’t Aamir at his most natural, although he does shine in the epilogue speech. ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ Release Strategy Explained: Aamir Khan Opts for ‘Reduced’ Shows on Its Opening Day – Here’s Why This Tactic Makes Sense.

Genelia Deshmukh should really do more Hindi films. As the lead. Period. She brings warmth and sincerity to Suneetha, even if her reactions are occasionally a tad too expressive. Dolly Ahluwalia is pitch-perfect as the sardonic but caring mother, ready with some witty verbal takedowns. Gurpal Singh delivers understated wisdom as the team’s supervisor, and Brijendra Kala, though only around for a scene or two, lands the laughs when needed.

'Sitaare Zameen Par' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Sitaare Zameen Par isn’t a bad film by any means - it’s sincere, well-meaning, and carried by the heartwarming efforts of its 'special' cast. But it's also a reminder that good intentions alone don’t always translate to great cinema, like Aamir himself did with Taare Zameen Par, while relying on a borrowed template rather than reinventing it for a new audience. For those unfamiliar with Campeones, this may still feel fresh and uplifting. But for the rest of us, it’s hard to shake off the feeling that this is a remake that never quite finds its own soul.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 20, 2025 09:48 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).