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IMDbPro

Secret Superstar

  • 2017
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 30m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
31K
YOUR RATING
Aamir Khan and Zaira Wasim in Secret Superstar (2017)
Secret Superstar traces the journey of Insia, a 14 year old girl from Baroda, whose dream of becoming a singer changes her life and the lives of everyone around her.
Play trailer2:46
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaMusic

A talented teenage singer/songwriter living amid domestic abuse becomes a YouTube sensation after a video in which she hides her identity goes viral.A talented teenage singer/songwriter living amid domestic abuse becomes a YouTube sensation after a video in which she hides her identity goes viral.A talented teenage singer/songwriter living amid domestic abuse becomes a YouTube sensation after a video in which she hides her identity goes viral.

  • Director
    • Advait Chandan
  • Writer
    • Advait Chandan
  • Stars
    • Zaira Wasim
    • Meher Vij
    • Raj Arjun
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    31K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Advait Chandan
    • Writer
      • Advait Chandan
    • Stars
      • Zaira Wasim
      • Meher Vij
      • Raj Arjun
    • 121User reviews
    • 37Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 18 wins & 31 nominations total

    Videos1

    Official 'Secret Superstar' Trailer
    Trailer 2:46
    Official 'Secret Superstar' Trailer

    Photos107

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    + 102
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    Top cast23

    Edit
    Zaira Wasim
    Zaira Wasim
    • Insia
    Meher Vij
    Meher Vij
    • Najma
    Raj Arjun
    Raj Arjun
    • Farookh
    Aamir Khan
    Aamir Khan
    • Shakti Kumar
    Tirth Sharma
    Tirth Sharma
    • Chintan
    Kabir Sajid Shaikh
    • Guddu
    • (as Kabir Sajid)
    Farrukh Jaffar
    Farrukh Jaffar
    • Badi Apa
    Manuj Sharma
    • Ranjeet
    Nikita Anand
    Nikita Anand
    • Sheetal Mam
    Shaan
    Shaan
    • Self
    Monali Thakur
    Monali Thakur
    • Self
    Mona Ambegaonkar
    Mona Ambegaonkar
    • Sheena Sabhawala
    Jasmeet Singh Bhatia
    Jasmeet Singh Bhatia
    • Cheesy News Anchor Host
    Dianne Commissariat
    • Sheena's Receptionist
    Patrali Chattopadhyay
    Patrali Chattopadhyay
    • Glamour Awards Girl
    Fatima Ashraf
    • Insia's Friend Mansi
    Jasleen Singh
    Jahid D'cruz
    • Mister
    • Director
      • Advait Chandan
    • Writer
      • Advait Chandan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews121

    7.731.4K
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    Featured reviews

    10vinayhelsing

    MARVELLOUS heartfelt movie for all the mothers out there!A TRUE GEM...

    This is my first IMDb review and I don't know why am I writing this although I am not into this review thing :P...Maybe the movie drove me here. First things first....Aamir Khan - take a bow for this man.He always did everything right.Fits into every single role as if there's no one on the planet who can do them so perfectly as he did!! This is a simple script, a girl who is not even allowed to dream has a dream..to sing big! Zaira Wasim..mmuahh.....Loved her throughout the film <3<3<3... Meher as the mother was magnificent. Simple script, beautiful screenplay, heartfelt emotions, altogether, an emotional ride!!!A perfect blend of a mother's love and some Aamir's comic... A must watch for everyone... 10 on 10!No more words... Now stop reading and go watch it
    8LeonardHaid

    A Warm Embrace

    On my walk home from the cinema, I thought about why I loved Secret Superstar so much despite it being a sometimes-absurd, cliché-heavy fantasy film imparting the dubious message that only if a female is a potential entertainment superstar does she have the chance to escape her sordid existence in the Indian Muslim world. It's obvious - there is so much to love about this film that made me cast aside any reservations I had about declaring it a masterpiece. The subjects of domestic abuse and the subjugation of women in Indian Muslim culture are dealt with adroitly, and they provide the perfect foundation and vortex for an extraordinary story to unfold. I loved the mingling of conventional Indian Muslim culture and Internet culture, and the mingling of provincial values and culture with the Mumbai lifestyle and attitude within the entertainment industry. Overall, I did not feel manipulated by this film nor did I feel bombarded by a Let-Us- Entertain-You vibe; behind the Bollywood blockbuster production guise I witnessed tremendous genuineness. The tears that I shed did not happen because the filmmakers are clever pushers of emotion buttons. I was genuinely touched. The joy that I experienced was more from being moved than from being entertained. It's simply a beautiful, glorious film.
    10Fella_shibby

    Simple but powerfully acted, sweet but not syrupy.

    Saw this first day in a theater with my family. Aamir once again proves he is one of the few finest actors in Bollywood today. Very convincingly n nicely he fits into every character he plays, no matter the screen time. He is magnificent, but he does not carry the weight of this film on his own. A slue of other fine actors give absolutely divine performances, especially Zaira Wasim. The story centers around a 15 year old girl. The film highlights her talents while also showing the painful problems that comes with being a female in a patriarchal society. Beautifully acted, sweet but not syrupy and perfect for a break from all the holiday madness, Secret Superstar is a true gem.
    8oazam

    A secret recipe for success

    Bollywood has been going through some tough times during 2017 starting from Salman Khan's disaster dilemma to Varun Dhawan's cheesy acting. Luckily some films during the year created some satisfaction such as Baahubali 2 and Mom.

    So the story revolves around a 14 year old named Insia who resides in a suburban city that goes by the name of Vadodara which is in Gujarat. Insia's dream was to pursue a career in singing and her mother is highly supportive of Insia's decision to become a singer but her abusive and cold- hearted father invades her comfort zone which results in her dreams being crushed. So Insia decides to secretly pursue signing by posting a video and uses a burqa to hide her identity so her father don't find out. The video goes viral and it catches the attention of a failing and dim-witted Casanova music director Shakti Kumar. With the help of her mother and Kumar, how Insia manages to pursue her dream and what happens afterwards is basically what this film is about.

    Honestly, the teaser and trailer made me more excited for Aamir Khan but watching this movie made me realize that Aamir Khan wasn't the only important factor in the film. I loved this movie for how it was and how it looked. Advait Chandan deserves a bow because this debut filmmaker managed to master the craft of producing a screenplay that kept all the emotional factors in its place which also kept the audience engaged throughout the 143 minutes of the film.

    The acting in the movie was phenomenal.

    Zaira Wasim steals the show completely. Her acting had a clear justification to never fear anyone before pursuing a dream and her Dangal mentality managed to cover that.

    Meher Vij was nice and heartwarming as the mother for Zaira. Luckily in my opinion, she was not bad in Bajrangi Bhaijaan where she did the role of the little girl's mother but in this movie she manages to execute the mother role according to our expectations.

    Despite Aamir Khan's role only appearing half of the film, he still managed to act like the same khan who we all adore a lot. His flirty and sleazy humor managed to ma laugh a lot of times.

    Raj Arjun's first attempt as an abusive father figure kept the film smooth.

    The music was nice but I felt some tracks had weak compositions and Amit Trivedi has done it in some films like Qaidi Band and Shaandaar. Lyrics were fantastically produced by Kaiser Munir.

    Anil Mehta's cinematography keeps the script of the integral and consistent.

    Overall, I loved this movie.

    1) Beautifully written and directed. 2) Well performed 3) Nice Camera work

    Enjoy your Diwali with this film at a theater near you.

    Golmaal Again will surpass the box office for this film. Secret superstar should fall into the 50-75 crore range. But just rely on the film more than the box office.

    3.75/4- Bollywood's most proper flick
    10joy-dutta35

    Aamir Khan's Diwali gift to all Mothers & Motherhood ★★★★★

    Debutant director Advait Chandan has hit the right chords by beautifully portraying the mother-daughter relationship and setting the story in a middle class locality where not only you, your dreams and emotions are also trapped by the 'man' of the house.

    This is a story of a teenage girl Insia (Zaira Wasim) who tackling massive challenges imposed by her overtly potent father (Raj Arjun) finally fulfils her dreams of becoming a superstar singer with the support of her helpless mother (Meher Vij), best friend Chintan (Tirth Sharma) and an out of luck music director Shakti Kumar (Aamir Khan). All the performances are so enthralling that it keeps you glued to the screen and makes you give a victory jump at the climax.

    On the whole, Secret Superstar is a brilliantly crafted film inspiring people to chase dreams as they do come true, highlighting relevant social issues of patriarchal society and showing the importance of mothers. It's a mother's unconditional love and sacrifice that holds the family together. She sacrifices all her passions and dreams for the sake of her husband and child. Salute to all mothers and motherhood.

    Aamir khan never fails to amaze us, never! Do not miss this film.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Prince and Apollonia Kotero in Purple Rain (1984)
    Music

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Aamir Khan completed shooting for his role in the film in only 15 days.
    • Quotes

      Najma, Insia: Did the chicken come first or the egg?

      Insia: It depends on the situation... If you want to eat chicken, the egg comes first--it hatches into a chicken, which you cook. But, if you want to eat an omelet, the chicken comes first--it lays the egg, which you make into an omelet.

    • Connections
      Referenced in 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Main Kaun Hoon
      Performed by Meghna Mishra

      Lyrics by Kausar Munir

      Music by Amit Trivedi

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    FAQ16

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 18, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • India
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Hindi
    • Also known as
      • Süperstar
    • Filming locations
      • Vadodara, Gujarat, India
    • Production companies
      • Aamir Khan Productions
      • E Stars Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ₹500,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $130,765,691
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 30m(150 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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