Aamir Khan calls Sitaare Zameen Par a ‘spiritual successor’ to Taare Zameen Par; says, “It’s a humorous film”

In 2007, Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par, featuring a remarkable performance by Darsheel Safary in the lead, created a buzz by reshaping storytelling in Hindi cinema. Now, years later, Aamir describes its spiritual successor, Sitaare Zameen Par, as being “far ahead” of the original, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India.

While discussing the film, Aamir described it as "a beautiful story." He explained, “Well, it’s a beautiful story. Actually, the easiest way I can describe it is that, Taare Zameen Par is a very emotional film which makes you cry. Sitaare Zameen Par makes you laugh, it’s a humorous film. The theme is similar, of people with different abilities, different intelligence, or with different challenges. But it’s humour as opposed to emotions.”

The actor also stated that the sequel takes the subject even further than Taare Zameen Par did. He explained, “In many ways, I feel it’s way ahead of Taare Zameen Par. In Taare Zameen Par, the person who was with the challenge in the film, Ishaan, was helped by my character. In Sitaare Zameen Par, it’s the ten people with challenges, they help me, the supposedly normal person. So I feel it goes much further. I hope it turns out well.”

Written by Amole Gupte, Taare Zameen Par told the story of Ishaan, an 8-year-old with artistic talent who struggles academically. His teacher, Nikumbh (played by Aamir Khan), helps him manage his dyslexia. Upon its release, the film was widely praised for raising awareness about the learning disorder. Taare Zameen Par received critical acclaim, was a box office success, and won three National Film Awards.

Sitaare Zameen Par, was announced in October 2023. Starring Aamir Khan, Darsheel Safary, and Genelia Deshmukh in lead roles, the film is directed by RS Prasanna and is based on the 2018 Spanish film Champions. Also Read : Aamir Khan speaks on almost quitting acting after Laal Singh Chaddha debacle, reveals son Junaid Khan changed his mind: “I was going from one extreme to another”