Aamir Khan's Secret Superstar, which released on Thursday, has opened to mostly positive reviews.
Directed by Advait Chandan, Secret Superstar is based on the life of a teenage girl named Insia, played by Zaira Wasim, who sets out to follow her dream of being a singing superstar under the confinement of anonymity.
Aamir Khan, who has acted in the film and is also a producer, plays an out-of-luck music director, Shakti Kumaarr, who is looking for a muse to revive his failing career.
Congratulations have been pouring in for the performance of not just Zaira and Aamir, but also for Meher Vij, Raj Arjun and Tirth Sharma, who essay the characters of mother, father and friend of the protagonist respectively.
Secret superstar is such a beautiful film! A MUST MUST watch this Diwali!!! And watch it with your mother!! Can't get over how lovely it is!
— Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) October 19, 2017
LOVED #SecretSuperstar A VERY IMP film!
— Ashutosh Gowariker (@AshGowariker) October 18, 2017
Laugh-a-minute ACT by @aamir_khan
ALL performances are ELECTRIC!
A Director is born @advaitchandan
Watching #SecretSuperstar was an amazing experience. Powerful, heartfelt performances and a very sincere story. @aamir_khan
— Gauri Khan (@gaurikhan) October 18, 2017
Zaira Wasim and Meher Vij are absolutely fantastic in #SecretSuperstar ....they are pitch perfect and will move you to tears ...SUPERB!
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) October 18, 2017
Just finished watching #SecretSuperstar its a brilliant film.
— Ravi Patil (@Talaash_Within) October 19, 2017
Zaira-Meher vij were brilliant. Aamir's impeccable comic timing brings back memories of Rangeela-Ishq-AAA. #SecretSuperstar
— mumbaikar (@mumbaikar7454) October 19, 2017
Film critic Raja Sen called it "a simple film that is unashamedly saccharine and manipulative, yet has the ability to surprise us in ways small and large".
Alright, my #review of #SecretSuperstar. https://t.co/q5wxth75XR
— Raja Sen (@RajaSen) October 19, 2017
Taran Adarsh, another movie critic, called it a "complete package".
#SecretSuperstar is a complete package: Refreshing plot. Watertight screenplay. Exceptional performances. Soulful soundtrack.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 16, 2017
Aamir lets Zaira shine as he relegates himself to the background. Yet, only he could’ve essayed the role with such aplomb. #SecretSuperstar
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 16, 2017
Would like to make a note of 3 remarkable performances in #SecretSuperstar: Meher Vij [mother], Raj Arjun [father], Tirth Sharma [friend].
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) October 16, 2017
A few critics however found the movie to be disappointing.
In a review for IANS, Subhash K Jha calls Secret Superstar a "stretched-out ode to wish-fulfilment".
"Secret Superstar is one of those well-meaning films that keeps reminding you constantly of his well-meaning it is. Many times as I watched Chandan's (director) panoply of tricks and treats, I felt I was being offered a Christmas deal with Santa Aamir Khan mentoring the film's 15-year old wanna-shine Zaira Wasim whose brilliance as an actor is far more dazzling than anything that is written into this film to support her dreams," he wrote.
With IANS inputs