'Sitaaron Ke Sitaare' Review: Aamir Khan's documentary on 'Sitaare Zameen Par' will leave you more emotional than the actual film

Director: Shaanib Bakshi

Language: Hindi

Given the unconventionality of actor and filmmaker Aamir Khan, it’s sometimes not enough to savor his films. The world that he creates or lets his director create seduces you into knowing what may have gone behind the making of those standout monikers. Who wouldn’t want to know how the madness and mayhem in Delhi Belly came into being? Why would anyone say no to watching Farhan Akhtar making his finest film and also his first film in the form of Dil Chahta Hai 25 years ago? And Khan has already shown the world how it all began and ended for the 2001 classic _Lagaan_ in the form of its documentary Chale Chalo.

Hindi filmmakers and actors show bloopers and behind the scenes almost every time, but they usually get banal and border on boredom. Only few go ahead and make something out of it. And who else but Aamir Khan to take that plunge, given his penchant for unconventionality, as the opening line read. So the next film he chooses to make a documentary on is his last release _Sitaare Zameen Par._ Just like the 2007 weepie Taare Zameen Par which also marked his directorial debut, this one is an underdog story too. But with a tinge of humor. Six months ago, Khan played the role of a basketball coach often mocked for his height. And he has to train a team of young players who could be mocked for being specially abled. But RS Prasanna, who had the blueprint of the original film Campeones, steered clear of melodrama.

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_Sitaare Zameen Par_ was a film that demanded the viewers experience it with a comical lens. But the documentary carries the emotional wallop and weight that the film refused to schlep. We have seen these misfits who make no bones about their imperfections, but what about their parents? Are they are untaxed about their disabilities? The answer is obviously going to be a NO. Multiple couples narrate their love stories, embracing parenthood, and the challenges they were plagued by when they discovered how their children were not as ‘conventional’ as others. Some stories leave a lump in the throat because of the effortlessness with which they are narrated to the viewers.

It’s over 90 minutes long and unlike the documentary on Lagaan, Aamir Khan doesn’t dominate the screen time. In fact, we are not even told how the actor came on board and also made the decision to produce the film. This is a film that belongs to children and more crucially their parents. The stars of the stars. Hence the title. Khan enters the film much later when few of the parents tell us how they wanted their children to be in movies. One of them has even acted in a couple of Malayalam outings. What mists the eyes is the innocence of these marveling characters and their lovable insouciance. There are places when Sitaaron Ke Sitaare unfolds like a warm embrace you need after an overwhelming day. And director Shaanib Bakshi does an impressive job to jot all the details together.

The documentary ends exactly how the film did. The final shot is with the leading man and his team of unconventional misfits. The one cause it wishes we carry back home is how life is beyond victory and defeat. And every child is special. We have been preached these thoughts before as well. What makes this one stand out is who’s doing the preaching.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)