Aamir aims for the heartstrings

IN what is probably the most moving scene in Taare Zameen Par (2007), Aamir Khan's carpe diem-teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh looks over, teary-eyed, as a bunch of neurodivergent kids in bright clothes shyly dance at their school's annual function.

- KARTIK BHARDWAJ

The parents smile and laugh as they spot their kids, jumping around awkwardly trying to match steps.

Synchronisation doesn't matter.

Even when they aren't in a straight line, stars can still make beautiful constellations.

It’s a touching sequence. There is no line of dialogue, only Shankar Mahadevan’s voice soothing in the title song in the background. While watching Sitaare Zameen Par (2025), I couldn’t help but think about this scene. How subtle and economical it was in putting its point across. The spirit of the spiritual sequel lay in it. There is a lot of strumming in Sitaare… but nothing really touches the heartstrings.

In a sharp contrast to the sensitive Nikumbh, Khan plays Gulshan Arora this time, an uncouth basketball coach, who gets suspended over punching his senior in the face after an argument. To top it up, drunk and dejected, he rams his car into a police van. The judge sentences him to three months of community service. He is sent to an NGO to coach a basketball team for the intellectually disabled, who are smarter and not as pitiable as he thinks. It is an intriguing premise, bubbling with possibilities, which Khan is quick to burst. He falls again into the trappings of antics and theatrics, making the same missteps he made in Laal Singh Chaddha (2022).