Mayur
Sanap
wishes
there
was
more
to
this
feel-good
exercise
that
never
reaches
the
dramatic
heights
it
is
aiming
for.
There’s
an
innate
niceness
to
Sitaare
Zameen
Par.
As
the
tale
of
the
underdog,
it
is
one
of
those
films
that
aim
to
leave
you
feeling
happy
and
hopeful,
much-needed
sentiments
in
today’s
world.
The
Aamir
Khan
vehicle
is
an
easybreezy
crowd-pleaser
that
bats
for
compassion
and
inclusivity,
while
avoiding
any
trappings
of
a
flashy
star
spectacle.
And
that’s
an
impressive
feat
in
itself.
As
a
faithful
remake
of
the
2018
Spanish
hit
Campeones,
Sitaare
Zameen
Par
follows
the
familiar
framework
of
rise-and-grind
where
all
the
typical
tropes
and
feels
are
present
to
bring
that
classic
underdog
sports
story
vibe.
The
added
layer
comes
with
the
exploration
of
themes
like
love
and
compassion,
and
what
it
is
like
living
in
the
modern
world
with
a
disability.
However,
instead
of
really
digging
deep
and
creating
an
emotionally
compelling
drama,
Sitaare
goes
for
easy
sentimentality
where
the
button-pushing
is
consistent,
but
the
emotional
pay-off
is
far
less
impactful
than
expected
despite
having
its
big,
gooey
heart
in
the
right
place.
Aamir
Khan
plays
Gulshan,
an
assistant
basketball
coach,
who
is
frequently
joked
about
his
ego
being
bigger
than
his
height.
It’s
a
problem
his
wife
Suneeta
(Genelia
Deshmukh)
and
mother
(Dolly
Ahluwalia)
are
used
to
dealing
with.
After
his
misbehaviour
with
head
coach
(Deepraj
Rana),
Gulshan
is
suspended
from
the
team.
A
further
misstep
happens
when
he
is
caught
driving
in
a
drunken
state
that
gets
him
into
legal
trouble.
Instead
of
jail,
the
court
orders
him
to
work
as
a
coach
for
Sitaare,
a
basketball
team
for
players
with
learning
disabilities.
Gulshan
gets
three
months
to
prepare
the
team
for
a
tournament.
This
is
the
kind
of
formulaic
film
that
plays
out
exactly
the
way
you
would
expect
from
the
trailer.
The
plot
is
super
simple,
but
feels
disappointingly
middling
without
any
surprises
in
its
execution.
Director
R
S
Prasanna
and
Writer
Divy
Nidhi
Sharma
go
after
the
straight-forward
definition
of
heart-warming
fun
as
they
stick
to
their
set
formula
without
any
meaningful
upgrade
on
the
original
plot.
There
are
certain
scenes
that
push
too
hard
on
sentimentality,
like
a
plot
thread
involving
Gulshan
and
Suneeta’s
disagreement
on
having
a
child.
We
learn
that
Gulshan
is
going
through
abandonment
issues
that
stem
from
his
traumatic
experiences
in
childhood.
This
is
where
Dolly
Ahuwalia’s
character
could
have
been
instrumental
to
the
story,
but
her
loud
Punjabi
mother
is
relegated
to
easy
laughs.
Even
the
scenes
between
Aamir
and
Genelia
play
out
with
such
synthetic
and
awkward
chemistry
that
it
becomes
hard
to
buy
them
as
a
couple
that
has
been
together
for
years.
The
wonderful
cast
of
children
get
the
most
short-changed
by
the
pedestrian
writing.
The
on-screen
dynamic
they
share
with
Aamir
is
a
game
winner
from
the
get-go,
but
the
wholesomeness
of
their
characters
is
reduced
to
a
single-line
description,
further
accentuated
by
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s
music
that
feels
perfunctory
at
best.
Without
their
properly
defined
personalities,
the
emotional
stakes
remain
bare
minimum
for
the
entire
158
minutes
of
the
runtime.
But
at
least,
the
film
is
not
preachy
about
bringing
awareness
to
their
hardships
as
it
maintains
a
simple
and
optimistic
attitude.
Aamir
brings
appreciable
doses
of
humour
to
the
film,
while
flexing
his
dramatic
chops
as
well.
The
rest
of
the
well-meaning
cast
is
never
over-shadowed
by
his
presence.
One
wishes
there
was
more
to
this
feel-good
exercise
that
never
reaches
the
dramatic
heights
it
is
aiming
for.
Sitaare
Zameen
Par
Review
Rediff
Rating:
