Cast: Zaira Wasim, Aamir Khan, Meher Vij
Director: Advait Chandan
Rating: 3/5
A secret superstar is a story about Insiya (Zaira Wasim) who isn’t a bright student. She is struggling with her studies, her rage, domestic abuse, and an environment that may not let her take the leap of faith, ever.
Insiya thinks the world of her mother, Najma (Meher Vij). Together, they dare to dream of the times when they’ll stand on their own. But Insiya’s middle-class household in Vadodara is reeling under the terror unleashed by her violent father. Being financially dependent on him, years of conditioning have weakened the family. But they aren’t broken yet.
Insiya is quite mature for her age. She tries her best to convince Najma to go in for divorce. Given her condition, it seems like the right decision.
Insiya is aware of her singing talent, but she doesn’t have a plan of action. Director Advait Chandan tries to reason this out in one of the scenes, which has Zaira Wasim saying that the destination should be decided before the route.
Such stereotypical characters not only tell the audience what to expect but also hammer down the central idea of a girl being the underdog. Naturally, we begin considering Insiya’s father as the villain. Probably it’s the director way of balancing the story.
A well-meaning yet ambitious girl, a cruel father, a meek mother, and a loving younger brother. This movie has all the ingredients, with the exception of the comic character. And then, along comes Shakti Kumar and charms his way into the audience’s heart with his antics. You have seen some of it in the trailers, and the extension isn’t a lot different.
Despite being hinted of as a good guy in isolation, Aamir Khan never leaves the basic traits of the boisterous musician he enacts. That serves the film, considering how it starts looking tonally different in the second half.
Advait Chandan then introduces a cute school love story between Insiya and her friend Chintan. He is more of an ally who also tries to validate the director’s ideas of separation in marriages. It works to a limited extent, but such frills take the spotlight away from the central character.
Actually, it’s Aamir Khan’s arrival in the film that adds charm to Secret Superstar. His traits of superficiality and self-obsession evoke smiles. He controls the flow of Secret Superstar before it becomes a public service message on domestic violence.
The theme of an abused girl taking to music and the internet is intriguing. We are on Insiya’s side the moment we see her fingers caressing the guitar strings. Her dreamy eyes have stories to tell and we become aware of her often wavering self control. She punches the wall in anger and throws her laptop on the road. All this shows how the writer has taken care of her character, but he fails to do the same to other characters who are mostly monotonous.
Nothing wrong in being unidirectional but a drastic change of temperament comes as a jolt in such situations. For example, Najma’s sudden change in stance appears forced.
Also, the film has a typical Bollywood texture. Loud background score, slow motion running and a climax that’s not hard to predict. Secret Superstar is mostly about the evolution of a ‘hero’.
Secret Superstar will still make you laugh and cry with ease. Show some appetite for drama and you have an entertainer at your service.
 who isn’t a bright student. She is struggling with her studies, her rage, domestic abuse){kind=link}
