Secret Superstar is the story set in rural Gujarat, India of a young Muslim girl named Insia (played by Zaira Waseem) who dreams of becoming a singer but is struggling with having to deal with her surrounding limitations in her family and society. She then decides to decides to start a YouTube channel of her singing by disguising herself in a burqa and assuming the persona of the "Secret Superstar".
This is just a small summary of what the movie is actually about as the film deals with various themes of family, domestic abuse, the hardships of dreaming in a tough atmosphere, along with poking fun at current pop culture music stars.
There is a lot to love about Secret Superstar. The performances are all excellent across the board. Zaira Waseem, who was great in last year's Dangal as Young Geeta, is phenomenal in this movie. She delivers a proper amount of emotion in Insia without being overtly sentimental and is able to win the audience over through her talent in singing, her determination to achieve her goal, and her love for her mother. She is an instant star and I can't wait to see more from her in the following years.
The actress who plays Insia's mom (Meher Vij) was also great because she is doing her best to make Insia happy + support her while trying to painfully satisfy the demands of her husband. She had a warm presence throughout the film + and the audience gets to resonate with her (ever more than Insia) as the story continues and new plot elements about her are revealed.
A major unexpected standout was the actor who played Insia's father (Raj Arjun). He was great in displaying a really abusive, demoralizing personality towards Insia and her mother. He had a very terrifying demeanor and practically had me (and other people in the audience) in constant shock at his treatment towards his family. There is one scene involving the father, Insia, and the mother towards the middle of the film that honestly had me in tears due to its realism and raw emotional tone, which for me hit a little too close to home.
Let's talk about Aamir Khan. Now, he was one the main reasons I was interested in seeing this movie since he is the producer and is one of the few Indian actors I respect due to his almost consistent success throughout his career and his knack for high quality entertainment (ex. 3 Idiots, PK, Dangal, etc). When I saw the trailers, I was a little nervous at his character and how he seemed like a cheeze-ball individual that could diminish any dramatic weight of the film. However, after seeing the movie I was surprised by how great Khan was as this character. Initially, he does display a hyperactive, over-the-top personality as a famous pop singer who's going through a lot of public scrutiny.
But as the film progresses, the audience does get to see a different side to him as he decides to help Insia in following her dream and, in the process, redeems himself towards the end. This is a completely different role for Khan in his career, and for me he did not disappoint.
Lastly, I really loved the music. The songs (almost all of them by Meghna Mishra) were really nice as they show Insia's development and properly set the tones for each scene involving the characters.
If I'm really looking for flaws, I would say that the film is at times a little predictable, especially towards the ending. I guess this is because I've seen enough Indian films over the course of my life to be able to piece together what was going to happen 25-30 minutes before the film even ended. Also, although I did really enjoy Aamir Khan's performance + the development of his character, there is a musical number with him during the middle of the end credits referring to an early joke in the film that I thought was a little tacked-on and unnecessary.
In the end, Secret Superstar was a surprisingly uplifting, emotional, and realistic film about what it means to follow one's dreams and the importance of family + standing up for your own status. This is definitely a film that you'd want to watch with your family or loved ones. I highly recommend it! :)
My rating: 4.3/5 stars
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