No more Mr. Nice Guy: Aamir Khan plays a hot-headed coach in Sitaare Zameen Par; ‘story is how he changes with the film’-OxBig News Network

The actor recently made a virtual appearance in front of his China-based fan club, where he finally opened up about the film that’s been surrounded by curiosity since it was first announced in October 2023. In the interaction, which was later shared on social media platform X, Aamir shared, “Sitaare Zameen Par is almost ready. It is the sequel of Taare Zameen Par. Thematically, it is going ten steps ahead. It is about people who are differently abled. It is about love, friendship and life. Taare Zameen Par made you cry but this film will make you laugh. It’s a comedy but the theme is the same.” The original film, which focused on a dyslexic child and his empathetic art teacher, struck a chord with millions.

Aamir also revealed significant changes in his own character. Unlike the gentle and perceptive Nikumbh in Taare Zameen Par, this time he plays someone strikingly different. “My character in Taare Zameen Par was Nikumbh, who is a very sensitive person. In this film, my character’s name is Gulshan, but his personality is exactly opposite to Nikumbh’s. He is not sensitive at all. He is very rude, politically incorrect, and he insults everybody. He fights with his wife, mother. He is a basketball coach and he beats up his senior coach. He is a person with a lot of internal problems, and the story is how he changes with the film. How these people in the spectrum teach him what it is to be a good human being,” Aamir explained.

The storyline draws inspiration from the Spanish film Champions (2018), which was based on the real-life story of the Aderes basketball team, a team of athletes with intellectual disabilities in Valencia, Spain. The film was previously also remade in Hollywood, with Woody Harrelson playing the lead role of a hot-headed coach assigned community service. Aamir’s Indian adaptation, however, promises a uniquely local and emotionally resonant take, with RS Prasanna directing and Darsheel Safary and Genelia Deshmukh joining the cast.

While an official release date has yet to be announced, the buzz around the film has reached a fever pitch. Fans, who have long considered Aamir Khan to be Bollywood’s “thinking actor,” are celebrating his return to a genre he helped elevate. One fan noted that they “hope Aamir Khan recreates this magic with Sitaare Zameen Par,” echoing the sentiment of many who were deeply moved by the original. Another fan wrote, “Aamir aur drama genre dono ka comeback hoga iss film se,” suggesting that both the actor and the emotional storytelling he’s known for are set to return in full form. Furthermore, comments like “Bollywood is incomplete without The Perfectionist #AamirKhan” and “Trust this movie is something else — really excited for this one to release,” are flooding social media sites.

For now, fans will have to wait a little longer to watch Aamir in action, but one thing’s for sure: Sitaare Zameen Par promises to deliver more than just entertainment!