Secret Superstar Review: It’s a winner, one of the most soulful and engagingly told multilayered films of the year!

Secret Superstar One Line Review:

The film revolves around a Muslim girl Insia’s dreams of becoming a singer and what challenges she faces to fulfill her dreams.

Positive Points: Riveting Performances, Solid Story, Taut Screenplay, Brilliant Direction

Negative Points: Editing

Secret Superstar Plot Review:

Vadodara based Insia (Zaira Wasim) is a teenage girl who wants to pursue a career in singing. While her innocent mother (Meher Vij) lends her feeble support to her dreams, her conservative father (Raj Arjun) is totally against the idea of singing. She tries her best to convince her father but to no avail. When nothing seems working in her favour, Insia starts posting her singing videos on YouTube while hiding her identity under a burka. Within no time, she becomes an internet sensation. Her songs start trending on YouTube with millions of views and likes. But her woes don't end there. Her life changes when she meets Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan) who helps her fulfil her dreams. To know what happens next watch the film.

Secret Superstar Performance Review:

Secret Superstar is a masterful blend of drama and emotions with astonishingly amazing performances by each and every actor in the star cast. Since the film unfolds the eventful journey of Zaira Wasim’s character Insia, she gets a lot of room to show her talent. And believe me, she does not disappoint at all. The actress makes most of it by delivering a performance which is worth remembering for the longest time. It is her second film after Dangal, but when you see her perform on screen with unmatched conviction and intensity, you wonder how a two film old teenage actress can be so good at her craft. She is really a promising talent. She pulls off her character so effortlessly that after a point it becomes impossible to imagine any other child artist in her role. Zaira is amazing in the film. She is natural. She is credible. She slips in and slips out of various emotions in a jiffy. Aamir Khan plays the important character of Shakti Kumar in the film, who acts like a catalyst for Insia. His character is very over-the-top, who wears gaudy costumes and teams them up with a set of unusual accessories. When a superstar of Aamir Khan’s stature is in a film, it is bound to overshadow every other actor around. But the megastar does not do anything like that here in Secret Superstar. He understands the base of the story and knows it well whose story is being told through the film. Aamir gives Zaira an open field to play. He enters the narrative much later and tries to impress you with his antics without letting his superstar persona steal the thunder from the main protagonist. Like all his films released in this decade, you will love him thoroughly in Secret Superstar also. In the supporting roles, Meher Vij, Raj Arjun and Tirth Sharma are outstanding.

Secret Superstar Direction Review:

The film marks the directorial debut of Advait Chandan. He has previously done innumerable odd jobs on the sets of films like Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Taare Zameen Par and Dhobi Ghat along with managing superstar Aamir Khan’s work. The director, who is also the writer of the film, takes up a simple subject in his hand and turns it into a sharp, engrossing, and moving portrait worthy of audiences’ full attention. What you like most about his direction and storytelling is its simplicity. His dialogues sound normal but have a message attached to them. Though he is a first-time director, he shows such maturity in his craft that is, at times, hard to find even in established filmmakers. Secret Superstar clearly shows his passion for the medium of cinema. It comes straight from his heart. Advait impresses us like no other debutant director of the year.

Secret Superstar Technical Aspects Review:

Production design of the film is gorgeous and gels well with the overall setting of the film. Sets are authentic and cinematography by Anil Mehta is brilliant. Background score of the film is also commendable. The only department where Secret Superstar fails to score good marks is editing which is sloppy at times.

Secret Superstar Music Review:

Since we all know that Secret Superstar is the story of a girl who aspires to become a singer, its music has to be good. The album boasts of six songs which are composed by popular music director Amit Trivedi while lyrics have been provided by the award-winning lyricist, Kausar Munir. Out of six songs, four songs have been sung by Meghna Mishra who is the voice of female protagonist, Zaira Wasim in the film. Meghna does full justice to her songs 'Main Kaun Hoon', 'Meri Pyaari Ammi', 'Sapna Re' and Nachdi Phira'. Her voice suits Zaira well. The other two songs like ‘I’ll Miss You’ and ‘Sexy Baliye’ are average. In nutshell, the music of Secret Superstar is good but it could have been better without any doubt.

Secret Superstar Final Word:

If you have been waiting for a film which inspires you to the core, do yourself a favor and watch Secret Superstar as soon as possible. A film like this is made only once in a decade. It’s a work of art that grabs hold of you. It’s a must watch!