!!~Secret Superstar:BO & Reviews Thread~!!

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Johnny.Balraj

@Johnny.Balraj

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Posted: 7 years ago

#31

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Here's To The Fools Who Dream

Umesh Punwani

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Rating: 4/5 Stars (Four stars)

Star Cast: Zaira Wasim, Aamir Khan, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun, Tirth Sharma

Director: Advait Chandan

Secret Superstar Movie ReviewWhat's Good: Every frame, every second of this movie is a heart-stealer, Aamir Khan in his surged-Rangeela mode, Zaira Wasim & Meher Vij giving us one the best mother-daughter performances ever, Raj Arjun's spine-chilling presence.

What's Bad: I would perform a blasphemy if I start nitpicking from Secret Superstar.

Loo Break: Go to the film without consuming any liquids, don't even drink coke in the interval to avoid any loo temptation.

Watch or Not?: If you want to witness how to cry even after having the best comic moments in the film & if you've ever dreamt of anything ever.

User Rating:

Like any other city in India, the story of Secret Superstar is set in Baroda. Not focusing on the place because more than the place, the people living there are the core part of this living-the-dream story. A 10th Std girl Insia (Zaira Wasim) she is from those rare ones who get mature at the tender age (For some not so mention worthy reasons). Her Pyaari Ammi Najma (Meher Vij) who's ditto is like a mother of any one of us. A not so cool furious father who is against the dreams of her daughter Insia of wanting to become a singer.

Enters the scene, Shakti Kumarr (Aamir Khan) a once upon a time successful singer who is failing now. He's a Casanova, he's cool and he's a darling. The story is complex covered under the disguised simplicity. What is Shakti Kumarr exactly doing in Insia's life, what happens to Insia's ambitions of becoming a singer and much more. Secret Superstar is a secret package of every emotion packed & delivered with a smile.

Secret Superstar Movie Review

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Script Analysis

Advait Chandan who has written and directed Secret Superstar has been mystically got rubbed by all the wonderful traits of Mr. Perfectionist. He used to manage Aamir Khan at one point of time and he rightly has adapted the master's art in this one. Never for a second, this script feels you cheated.

If on the gunpoint I'm asked to nitpick some things, maybe I will find one or two but overall this is an accurate representation of one honest story. At no point Advait makes you feel he's serving a nine-course meal but by the end of the film, you realise you've been served with the tastiest dish you'll savour for a long time to come.

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Star Performance

Zaira Wasim! Loving her in Dangal was a mini treat, wait till she blows your mind in Secret Superstar. When you Google her name, you'll notice Zaira Wasim Age' the second most searched option and after this, you'll know why it's legit. Zaira is a gem gifted to Bollywood and a superstar in making.

Aamir Khan, the god of sm(all) things will make you laugh your guts out. He's more than being the comic relief of the film. He connects us with Insa's story portraying the role of a man whose dreams were killed incomplete.

Meher Vij, the mother she's an integral part of the story and Meher holds every nerve of her character to deliver an astounding performance. Her prettiness is ten folded with her honest performance. Raj Arjun his single chilling stare is enough to creep you out. He plays father you never wish to have and it's hard to conceive such a character with ease.

Tirth Sharma, another little treasure of the film. He plays Chintan, a friend of Zaira Wasim. He along with the actor who plays Zaira's little brother totally deserve a special mention.

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Direction, Music

Advait Chandan has played a magician with a story. He shows you a simple & small story which leaves a huge mark by the end. A song from my all-time favourite La La Land says "Here's to the one who dreams, foolish as they may seem, and Secret Superstar just carries forward the lyrics to how Insia tries to achieve her dreams.

Amit Trivedi smartly composes the music which majorly will work with the situation of the film. Main Kaun Hoon the signature song of the film will surely be with you even when you leave the cinema hall. Nachdi Phira is like one of those AR Rehman songs which works like a slow poison. Meri Pyaari Ammi, Gudgudi & I Miss You goes with the mood of the film.

Secret Superstar Movie Review: The Last Word

The first thing I personally did after watching Secret Superstar was to text my mom how much I love her. Watch the film to start believing in your dreams and to know how much your mother loves you.

Four stars with lots of love to the entire team!

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1127278

Suspended

Posted: 7 years ago

#32

Does Aamir have an interview with Rajeev/Anupama ???

I know he did a podcast with them for Saavn. But where can i hear that for free ??

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MalahFirangi

@MalahFirangi

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+ 2

Posted: 7 years ago

#33

kunal kohliVerified account @kunalkohli

@aamir_khan #SecretSuperstar is one of the finest produced by you & made in indian cinema. BRILLIANT. I Cried so much. Loved it.

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MalahFirangi

@MalahFirangi

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Posted: 7 years ago

#34

SECRET SUPERSTAR Movie Review: Poignantly spirited, eloquently relevant & beautifully magical

Director : Advait Chandan
Music : Amit Trivedi
Lyrics : Kausar Munir
Starring : Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun, Harsh Jha, Aryan Ashik, Manuj Sharma and Tirth Sharma

October 18, 2017 10:12:41 AM IST
Secret Superstar Review By Vishal Verma, Glamsham Editorial

Without veering from the family-friendly dramas from Bollywood playbook, Aamir Khan Productions and Zee Studios beautiful Diwali attraction SECRET SUPERSTAR helmed by debutant Advait Chandan sparkles with that rare quality to address a poignantly spirited and eloquently relevant subject with layers of sly, dark humour enveloped in the theme of dreams, love, life, empowerment and freedom.

SECRET SUPERSTAR MOVIE POSTER

A fictional account on the 'real' power of internet that has empowered the globe, be it the pop sensation Justin Bieber or the famous son of milkman - Shubham Jaglan who won the Junior World Golf Championships by learning the basics on youtube or the current youtube sensations, SECRET SUPERSTAR tells an uplifting story of a teen from Baroda who finds stardom in the world of internet by singing songs wearing a Burkha.

At the age of six Insia Malik (Zaira Wasim) gets a guitar as a gift from her mother, she grows into a talented teen who aspires to be a singer but the school girl from Baroda is forced to hide her 'secret' talents from her dominating father played by Raj Arjun and the world in general. How Insia fights with the hurdles inside her house which is haunted by the evil of the troubled marriage of her mother Najma (Meher Vij) and wife beating father to pursue her dream of becoming a singer and eventually finds empowerment and the true motto of her life in intriguing turn of events after an encounter with a loud, over the top, arrogant and out of touch musician Shakti Kumaarr - Aamir Khan in that crotch-hugging jeans making quite a statement.

Writer director Advait Chandan who joined Aamir Khan as his assistant in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR seems to the share the same believe in cinema that entertains, enthralls and inspires. Giving a deja vu of the yore with opening credits in Hindi, Engish and Urdu, and the captivating images of a train cutting through a countryside, antakshari in a railway compartment, the fictional saga gets bang on identification with the 'real' people sitting outside the frame as the audience as the rosy cheek Insia pops her head out of the window to feel the air and have her moment. Ala TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, the influence is inevitable and is used with perfection.

Moving in a poetic pace, the movie gets its sly and unexpected dark humour that pokes fun at the world of glitz, glamour, entertainment and media of today whenever Shakti Kumaarr enters and yes sometimes you wonder whether his vivid over the top flamboyance over power the struggle of the young Insia, but a twist during the end though manipulative that celebrates the feel good family dramas with that fairy tale feeling sweeps the audience who have a heart. The story takes the center stage not the superstar.

Naysayers will object to its predictability and manipulation targeted to please the large number of audience in the end but it's impossible for anyone to deny rooting for Insia throughout. First time helmer Advait Chandan succeeds in giving a feel good emotional and inspirational family pack to the audience in this festival season and smartly adds himself into the category of the 'director to look out for'.

The movie is laced with beautiful moments and the dialogues, especially the one liners are fantastically drawn from life like this one when Najma tells her daughter Insia after she wins a beat 'jo cahiye mujhse maang, zindagi se nahi'.

However in all its positivity, the portrayal of teachers in Bollywood remains caricaturist and unpleasantly loud, such typecasting should end.

Zaira Wasim as Insia is a delightful never ending charm on screen that captures the audience eye and heart with an extraordinary performance that is outstanding in its effortlessness and amazing brilliant in its spontaneity. She carries the film on her shoulders with amazing poise, right nuances and responsibility. Exceptional.

Aamir Khan is a scene stealer - a vivid mix of music directors, actors from the 80's 90's and celebrity judges on TV, even the name seems to be inspired from a popular bollywood villain, Aamir Khan as Shakti Kumaarr is the cheesy flamboyant at his best. His character comes with tones of sly and dark humour on entertainment media and the actor nails it with perfection. Using the character as his prop, Aamir Khan delivers a performance that articulates his versatility 'loud' and clear.

Meher as the mother is completely natural and speaks mostly from her eyes, she is just brilliant. Raj Arjun as the dominating conservative husband/father is just terrific. His terror is felt in the household and amongst the audience that helps in Insia gaining all the support, love and sympathy. Outstanding.

Chintan (Tirth Sharma) as Insia's 'best friend' is fabulous and Guddu (Kabir) as Insia's brother is cute.

Production values are first rate. Anil Mehta's cinematography gracefully travels the trauma, innocence and flamboyance in the film with an eye that speaks. Special mention to the casting by Anmol Ahuja and Abhishek Banerjee which is bang on. Pallavi Bagga and Suman Roy Mahapatra's production design is in sync. Priyanjali Lahiri's costume design is in the right 'colour' and flavor.

Amit Trivedi's music is soothing, 'Main Kaun Hoon', 'Pyaari Ammi', 'Nachdi Phira' move well with the momentum and lifts your spirits while watching.

SECRET SUPERSTAR is a sweet little song of dream, hope, love and humanity, powered by winning acts by Zaira Wasim and Aamir Khan. If you love your family and believe in dream then don't miss to follow this SECRET SUPERSTAR near your theatre, you will hug your dreams and dear ones when it's over.

Secret Superstar Review Rating :

4/5 stars

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MalahFirangi

@MalahFirangi

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Posted: 7 years ago

#35

secret supper star rating****

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222149

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Posted: 7 years ago

#36

anyone here watching it tomorrow??

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MalahFirangi

@MalahFirangi

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Posted: 7 years ago

#37

i will for sure will you ask to stick this thread😉

Edited by ZorZorSe - 7 years ago

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Rangaaa

@Rangaaa

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+ 4

Posted: 7 years ago

#38

Review Secret Superstar: Zaira Wasim is an absolute wonder!

October 18, 2017 12:01 IST

To dream is to breathe, hope and survive.

It's a gift every single person in the world is entitled to.

To make it come true, though, can be a nightmare; not everyone succeeds and not everyone tries.

But when you're a rosy-cheeked 15-year-old at the threshold of discovery, life holds infinite promise and stars the size of planets dwell permanently in the eyes.

One sees their dazzle in Insiya (Zaira Wasim), a 10th grade school kid from Vadodara, a burkha-clad breakout star on YouTube and a rebel with a cause who ardently believes she's meant for bigger and better.

So luminous is her self-confidence, it nearly outshines the darkness pervading it.

As the consequence of a hostile mood at home prompted by its brutish, burned out bread winner, Insiya's pop star aspirations serve more than a romantic fancy; it's her defence and driving force to break out from a stifling, suppressed existence and, while she's at it, facilitates her mistreated mother's -- a magnificent Meher Vij -- emancipation as well.

Disgruntled daddies are an oft-repeated motif in Aamir Khan's productions.

But the father in Secret Superstar -- Raj Arjun is so authentic; I don't want to see his face ever again -- is not careless or exacting like the ones in Taare Zameen Par and Dangal; he's plain toxic.

He first appears in the disgusted expression of a daughter and the black eye her mother pointlessly tries to cover.

By the time Insiya's conservative, cruel father actually shows up, his misogyny is common knowledge and reiterates in frequent episodes of misdemeanour and his family's endurance of it. Save for his son and Shah Rukh Khan, the beast warms up to no one.

While that's one crucial aspect of Secret Superstar, the other is the inspiration television's abounding talent shows spark off within impressionable minds hailing from modest landscapes.

That fascinated look on Insiya's and her mum's face as they enjoy celebrity appraisals of amateur skills over dinner is both priceless and telling.

Dreams and domestic abuse collide in director Advait Chandan's emotional, endearing Disneyesque fairy tale, where its not-so-secret superstar Aamir Khan's fairy godmother act and the blessings of social media provide wings to talent and triumph of spirit.

Despite the grimness of Insiya's hurdles, highlighted by the endless patriarchy and domestic violence commonplace to countless Indian households, Secret Superstar has an unmistakable 'soda bubble' quality to it. The kind Aamir uses as analogy to make his point about irrepressible talent.

There's hilarious abandon in his portrayal of the promiscuous, outlandish Bollywood music director seasoned in Anu Malik's mad enthusiasm and Anil Kapoor's bullish conceit that never feels like caricature, even in the face of a flamboyance that's as blatant as his nipples popping out of an ultra-tight lycra tee.

It's fun to watch the actor parody his anti-awards position and simple stardom to play Shakti Kumaarr a leering, lecherous, flashy yet unusually harmless embodiment of don't judge a book by its cover.

There are times when Chandan's piece-of-cake ardour to the proceedings tends to make the complexity of the matter seem less severe than it is. And the easy-peasy resolves, last minute non-compliance and saccharine tributes doled out in the third act reek of creative lethargy.

But the wholehearted goodness of Insiya and all those who contribute to her eminence make it easy to overlook the liberties he takes.

Secret Superstar's cheerful, feel-good imagery of a rotten reality, captured gorgeously in cinematographer Anil Mehta's lens and aided by Amit Trivedi's soaring tunes, reflects a young adult's hopeful perspective yet to be crushed by the weight of cynicism.

It pulsates in the anticipation of response to her homemade music video, glows in the avowal of first love (a very adorable Tirth Sharma), basks in the gentle affection of her doting mom and awestruck kid brother, buckles up to remind a has-been his forgotten virtues and help her finally find her own place in the skies.

And because Zaira Wasim is an absolute wonder, her journey there -- even if too good to be true -- is one you bid Godspeed.

She effortlessly conveys the strength of a single-minded artiste, the temper of a hurricane holding back, the impulses of free-spirited adolescence and the guts of a girl who knows who she is.

Rediff Rating:

Sukanya Verma in Mumbai

Edited by raj80 - 7 years ago

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Rangaaa

@Rangaaa

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Posted: 7 years ago

#39

Secret Superstar Movie Review: Zaira Wasim Is A Treat, Aamir Khan Tackles Shakti Kumaarr With Glee

Secret Superstar Movie Review: The movie is a winner notwithstanding the bumps along the way

Entertainment | Saibal Chatterjee | Updated: October 18, 2017 09:29 IST

Cast: Aamir Khan, Zaira Wasim, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun

Director: Advait Chandan

Genre: Drama

Rating: 3.5 stars

Let us get the quibbles out of the way first. Secret Superstar, written and directed by debutant Advait Chandan, is a bit like an over-enthusiastic child gifted a new bicycle. It never takes the foot off the pedal. The overlong film could have done with more restraint. It frequently seems to get carried away by the urge not to miss any trick in the book. But who cares when the sentiments with which it informs the emotionally charged story of a 15-year-old Vadodara girl who dreams of miracles for herself and her mother, is, in the end, so well-orchestrated?

There is no great secret here: Secret Superstar is for every mother, daughter and human being who loves and relates to Bollywood melodrama. The film taps the genre to narrate a compelling, if familiar, tale. The portrayal of the world of a middle class Muslim family in which the women still have to subscribe to strict social codes is strikingly heartfelt. At times, it isn't subtle. The man of the house, an itinerant engineer, is given to flying off the handle, leading to the women being subjected to verbal and physical violence.

The grouchy, perennially distracted man returns home from an official trip. The wife opens the door. He asks: Guddu kaisa hai (How is Guddu)? Guddu is the couple's only son. It is as if the daughter has no existence, which obviously makes her battle to assert herself and chase her goal all the more bitter. Nothing new there either.

On the positive side, the script takes recourse to no conventional signifiers to underscore the religious identity of the Malik family of Vadodara, barring the burqa that is fished out of the cupboard for the daughter to conceal her personal 'identity' in the youtube videos that turn her into an overnight singing sensation. She seeks widespread recognition for her talent but her orthodox father will have none of it. It is an uphill battle for the girl and her empathetic and actively supportive mother, but we know that dreams do come true in Bollywood fantasies.

Parts of Secret Superstar touch the very pinnacle of the form of storytelling that defines the Mumbai movie mainstream. You may nitpick to your heart's content over the way Secret Superstar pans out, but this film will sure steal your heart. Okay, if the film as a whole doesn't, the magnificent Zaira Wasim certainly will. And if even she doesn't, just let your dil do the thinking. Chances are that you will go home happy as a king or a queen, as the case may be. Yes, Secret Superstar is the sort of film that disarms you at entry and quickly pushes you into a frame of mind that allows you to readily pardon its length, clichs and overly broad brushstrokes.

The melodramatic business of a young girl rebelling against the conservatism of her dad, a mother trapped in an unhappy marriage and battered black and blue by an abusive husband, and a small-towner's musical journey driven by passion, ambition and self-belief is at the heart of Secret Superstar. The film's overt theatricality is adeptly offset by the lightness and playful quality brought to the table by the figure of a brash, flamboyant, twice-divorced, ostracized-by-the-industry music director who pretends to be more cocky and carefree than he actually is.

Aamir plunges into Shakti Kumaarr - double 'a' and double 'r' in place in an obvious dig at the Mumbai movie industry's fetish for numerology - with unabashed glee, which is expressed most riotously in an end-credits 'item' number in which the star shakes a leg with abandon.

This is typical of Aamir Khan: he does not hog the spotlight though he does dominate many a scene with his flashy clothes and the to-hell-with-you demeanour. Shakti Kumaarr isn't the principal agent of change in the life of Insia Malik, a high schoolgirl whose voice travels far and wide and sets off a chain of events that raise hopes of liberation. She is a feisty, rebellious girl who goads her mother to take a stand against domestic violence. It is her financially dependent but ever-positive mother, Najma (Meher Vij), who is the girl's guide and mentor despite that horrors that she has to confront as the wife of a violent boor (played with cold efficiency by Raj Arjun).

"Mujhse maang lena, zindagi se nahin," the mother says to Insia when she expresses a desire for something that appears to be beyond the ken of the possible. Secret Superstar is a story of dreams, disappointments, little revolts and terrible blowbacks that will make you laugh and cry and transport you to a fuzzy, warm zone.

A tremulous teenage love story is dovetailed into the screenplay. Insia's unassuming classmate Chintan Parekh (Tirth Sharma) makes no bones about the soft corner that he has for her. Despite her initial reservations, he becomes her best friend and most trusted accomplice when she dares to break free from her shackles.

Through the character of Shakti Kumaarr, the film takes good-humoured swipes at the ways of the music industry, award shows and the entertainment media. But Secret Superstarnever loses sight of its principal purpose: lending heft and height to a daughter's derring-do and a mom's mutiny. It achieves that end not the least because of the magic that the perfectly cast Zaira Wasim and Meher Vij - the duo could pass off as daughter and mom in real life - rustle up.

Zaira is an absolute treat - a bundle of miracles! As for the wonderful Meher Vij, one can only ask: where was she all these years? We hope to see more of her on the big screen.

Secret Superstar is a winner notwithstanding the bumps along the way.