During the screening of Dangal, we caught a glimpse of the ‘secret superstar’: the teaser of the movie was screened during the interval, without revealing the face. But having just watched her on screen, doe-eyed yet feisty, it wasn’t difficult to place Zaira Wasim even with a burqa on.
And of course, now that the trailer is out, Zaira is just as impressive as she was in the trailer of Dangal when it first came out. Having had a tyrant for a father in Dangal, who pushes her to do more, to a tyrant for a father in Secret Superstar, who forbids her from pursuing things – there’s a lot that Zaira’s Insu has in common with Ishan from Taare Zameen Par.
Misunderstood, and dubbed “lazy “or “going through a phase”, Insu’s fight is real and difficult. She wants to sing, play her guitar, and be the rock star she dreams of becoming. But that is quickly dismissed when her father cuts off the strings of her guitar and her mother is forced to side with her husband because – “He is your father, and my husband. And, we should listen to him.”
Give in to patriarchy, Insu hears. But if the nearly three-minute trailer is anything to go by, Insu chooses to battle it out on her own.
Burqa-clad and without revealing her name, Insu becomes a rock-star on social media. Her music, her lyrics, and her voice get her all the recognition even without people knowing who she is.
Aamir Khan makes an appearance, too, as a very flamboyant music director. As Shakti Kumarr, Aamir Khan attends award functions and even takes a dig at himself. “Yaar I’m too tired of getting awards. This year, I’m going to give an award,” he says.
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He’s creepy as well, especially when he talks about his new song with a receptionist. But he gives life advice, too, like in all of his films. “You children are like bubbles on soda. You all rise up all by yourself,” he says. Cue: Some deliberately heartwarming music, and a child smiling at him.
Speaking about his film at the trailer launch, Khan said: “Both Dangal and this film are based on the same topic… That we look differently at our daughters. And probably, we aren’t able to give the same treatment to our daughters as our sons. So, Secret Superstar is another film based on empowerment of the girl child.”
Secret Superstar is slated for an October 19 release.
Watch the trailer here: