Movie Name: Sitaare Zameen Par – Sabka Apna Apna Normal
Released on: 20 June 2025
Released on: Theatres
Lead Actors: Aamir Khan, Genelia Deshmukh, Gurpal Singh, and the team of Neurodivergent adults
Running Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Directed by: R.S. Prasanna
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I was initially hesitant to watch this movie, fearing it would be overly emotional like Taare Zameen Par. But I was pleasantly surprised — it’s light, humorous, and not overly preachy, despite addressing the subject of neurodivergence. I watched it with my mother and daughter, and we all enjoyed it.
A remake of the 2018 Spanish film Champions, the story follows Gulshan (Aamir Khan), an assistant basketball coach who, after a drunken hit-and-run incident, is sentenced to coach a team of neurodivergent players. Though reluctant at first, he learns to appreciate their unique strengths, with help from the facility manager, Kartar Paaji (Gurpal Singh). The film challenges the notion of “normal” and redefines what it means to win.
While marketed as a spiritual successor to Taare Zameen Par, it doesn’t quite live up to that standard. Still, it delivers an important message about inclusion, featuring real-life actors with intellectual disabilities. The main stars, the Sitaare, the audience connects with them almost immediately. The fact that all the Sitaare are people with intellectual disabilities in real life makes this film even more special; it’s like walking the talk. The movie promotes the idea of including such people as any other ‘normal’ individual in society, and what better way than actually casting them in the movie. The performances — especially Genelia, Gurpal Singh, and Dolly Ahluwalia — add charm and humor.
Another point that I loved about the movie was that it turned the predictable end to the Final Match of the basketball tournament and brought home a very important message – it is we, the normals, who perceive winning in 1st place as the ultimate goal of playing. But they have a different point of view. Coming 2nd is not losing. It is also ‘winning at 2nd place’.
Though it skips over deeper issues neurodivergent people face daily, the film is a warm, clean family watch that encourages us to rethink our definitions of normal.
Watch it for the love of a clean, family movie with a beautiful message and lots of laughter.
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Our Verdict: 3/5
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