Any cineaste with a semblance of aesthetics would weep tears of blood at the films that are doing well at the Indian box office.
Says Roshan Singh, a leading film exhibitor of Bihar, “It is appalling that a film like Housefull 5 is actually filling up the seats. I don’t know how, or why. But the film is doing decent business, even post-weekend. This is a good thing for the trade, but not a good thing for cinema. I feel Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par will prove there is still room for quality products at the box office. His last film (Lal Singh Chadha) may not have done well. But nobody could fault its aesthetics. Aamir Khan is the most trusted actor-filmmaker of Hindi cinema.”
India’s most prized actress Shabana Azmi is all praise for Aamir. “His dedication, his sincerity and most of all his integrity as an actor and filmmaker are unquestionable. Taare Zameen Par was a complete game changer. It was one of a kind. It brought into the public eye the issue of dyslexia. But that was so many years ago. The audience should not expect another Taare Zameen Par in Sitaare Zameen Par. Aamir has a lot more to give.”
Producer Sheetal Talwar saw Sitaare Zameen Par and is floored by the film. “I howled like a baby at the end. What a film Aamir has made! Every bit as brilliant as Taare Zameen Par, if not more. The film is everything cinema should be: moving, entertaining, funny and very very relevant. I think the film industry needs many more Aamir Khans.”
