Secret Superstar (2017) Review!!

Synopsis – The film revolves around the life of a teenager who aspires to be a singer.

My Take – I think we all can agree that Aamir Khan is without a doubt one of the biggest stars to come out of India. Despite stiff competition from other male actors, Aamir Khan used the success of his back to back 2001 films, the Oscar nominated Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India & Dil Chahta Hai, to turn his career towards a more innovative trajectory from where he continues to amaze us with every film here on, fast forwarding to his last release, the 2016 sports drama Dangal, which has not only received glowing reviews but also has gone on to gross INR 2,000 crore (US$310 million) to be become the highest-grossing Indian film released & also currently stands as the fifth highest grossing non-English film. Hence, it was no surprise when he announced that he would be producing and also staring in debutante director Advait Chandan socially relevant film, expectations sky rocketed. Even though, the trailers made the film seem like a mix of Aamir Khan‘s 2007 directorial ‘Taare Zameen Par’ where Darsheel Safary got replaced by Dangal‘s Zaira Wasim and a slightly modified version of the relatively unknown 2015 American comedy Rock the Kasbah starring Bill Murray, thankfully, despite sharing a few ideas, this Diwali release is much more than that. Here, Advait Chandan has written & directed a rare mainstream Bollywood film which unapologetically uses commercial tones to place the spotlight firmly on social issues such as domestic violence, Female foeticide etc. that Indian cinema rarely decides to address. Despite the film’s problem to keep adhering to a slow pace, the film holds itself mainly due to a watertight screenplay that acknowledges factors that every common man can connect with, for example a typical middle class Indian father who would restrict his family from experimenting fearing judgement from the society they live in.

The story follows Insia (Zaira Wasim), a self-learned 15 year old amateur bass guitar player from a small town in India who dreams of joining the ranks of Bollywood’s playback singers. However, belonging to a conservative Muslim family led by her father Farookh Malik (Raj Arjun), a hypocritical sadist who beats his wife Najma (Meher Vij), at the drop of a spoon even despite the presence of her younger brother Guddu (Kabir Sajjid), is a big obstacle. Often creating a ruckus for playing music instead of focusing on her studies, Insia is however always supported by her mother, even though she refuses to stand up to her husband’s abuses. However, upon the discovery of YouTube on her newly purchased laptop, Najma encourages Insia to record & upload her singing in order to display her talent all the while wearing a burka in order to avoid detection by her father & his peers. The video as expected becomes a rage, turning Insia’s pseudonym Secret Superstar into an overnight sensation hereby gathering attention from across the globe including celebrities especially one Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan), an arrogant music director who has been constantly under the media’s scrutiny. Seeing this an opportunity to fulfill her dreams & freeing her mother from her father’s tyranny, Insia seeks the help of her school mate Chintan (Tirth Sharma), to put her plans into motion. More than the story, which leans on several tropes and clichés, it’s the graph of the characters and the performances that elevate the emotion, even though, it seems a bit far-fetched that a father wouldn’t recognize his own daughter even if she’s in a burqa, still, Insia’s decision—and the video’s viral success—sets up the film’s primary conflict, which echoes the strained relationship at the heart of a film from 2010, Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan, where Ronit Roy played a nightmare of a dad who won’t let his dreamy, creative son be happy. This film is the story of triumph over inner and outer toxicities which keep us away from following our dreams and passion and henceforth not living life at all. From the first scene to the last scene you are immediately invested in the story of Insia. In between the main story line, the subplots are what keeps the film compelling. Advait Chandan’s debut feature, tackles two heavy subjects of domestic violence and chasing dreams at once is a definitive reflection of the patriarchal pit that the women of our Indian society live in. The film showcases domestic violence, female infanticide, hypocrite patriarch society, in discrimination between a girl and a boy child, imposing marriage on teenage girls etc. On the other hand, it also projects the spirit to live life on one’s own terms and conditions, with the feeling of power of liberation from inside, set oneself free from all negativeness and toxicities around and pursue passion in a focused manner etc. His realistic depiction of a highly orthodox Muslim family living in a small town, teenagers who wish to follow their dreams no matter what the circumstances are, and the infinite love and support a mother provides is outstanding. Debutant director Advait Chandan has hit the right chords by beautifully portraying the mother-daughter relationship and setting the story in a middle class locality where not only you, your dreams and emotions are also trapped by the ‘man’ of the house. The most emotional aspect of the film is the beautiful bond between Insia and her mother. The bond between the two is one of the most beautiful relationship between a mother-daughter ever put onto screen, their bond will bring tears to your eyes.

This bond had a high chance of coming of as melodramatic and sentimental, but Advait Chandan doesn’t let that happen and that marks a very strong quality in the director! To his credit, he also doesn’t shy away from depicting domestic violence. There are scenes that are difficult to watch and the reality of domestic abuse and its effects on children are portrayed with more sensitivity and realism than usual for a Bollywood film. That said, this is not a self-consciously ‘issue-based’ film of the kind a lesser writer may have created. While it is transparent in its desire to make a point, it does not rub its didactic intentions in our faces. It is also unusual in that it often makes us forget that its main characters are Muslim, which is unlike most commercial Hindi films featuring minority community members that end up being steeped in surface markers of the community in question. While the film does not shy away from cultural specifics, the universality of the theme is never lost on the storyteller. With a tweak here and a touch there, this film could well have been about a Hindu, Christian, Sikh or Parsi family. Then of course, there is the whole, ‘chase your dream’ spiel. These are all important issues, but that importance is subdued because of the way they were put together. Thankfully, there is no major speech. The “quotable quote” knowledge comes, in bits and pieces, as one or two liner philosophies – nothing intolerable. One of the nicest things about this film is that most of Shakti Kumaarr’s story is left untold. On the surface, there is nothing subtle about his character, yet in the seemingly flimsy motivations that prompt him to back Insia to the hilt, there is a nuance that might possibly be lost on those who know him because of his largely obnoxious behavior and self-obsession. Aamir Khan may be the only star in the film’s credits, but director Chandan never once loses sight of the fact that his central characters are Insia and Najma. The track between Insia and Chintan, her classmate who harbors a very obvious crush on her is also delightful. Most of composer Amit Trivedi’s tracks for the film are not immediately captivating as standalone numbers, but viewed within Insia and Najma’s life they are perfect. As far as flaws with the film are concerned, they are a few, which do end up hindering the overall product. The pacing for example is very inconsistent sometimes, particularly in the first half of the film. While you are invested in the characters from the very first scene, the scenes afterwards are a bit drag. Many a time, slow films allow you to absorb the characters and situations. Here however, the pace is used to add another song, or establish an already well-established point about the characters’ relationship dynamics. Another major flaw would be the Bollywood predictability of the proceedings. Insia becoming overnight you-tube singing sensation and how she gets the support of an otherwise arrogant and flamboyant Shakti is a bit hard to digest. However, Aamir Khan is absolutely phenomenal as an idiosyncratic music producer known for his sexual escapades and bad temper. From the gaudy metallic print t-shirts that he wears to his oddball demeanor, he is clearly having a blast despite playing the character that is only second to Zaira Wasim. Zaira is good in projecting her vulnerabilities, her excitement, irritation, impatience and passion, hereby bringing in a lot of maturity. She carries the entire film with her shoulders and you connect with her from the first scene of the film. In the role of her mother, Meher Vij does a flawless job. Her performance as a timid and supportive mother will bring tears to your eyes. Raj Arjun is good as the father; one tempts to hate him for his typical dominating behavior. On the whole, ‘Secret Superstar’ is a relatable, melodramatic and inspiring film with excellent performances.