Secret Superstar is a 2017 Indian musical drama film directed by Advait Chandan and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. The film tells the story of a teenage girl named Insia, who dreams of becoming a singer despite facing numerous obstacles, including her conservative Muslim family’s disapproval.
About Secret Superstar:
‘Secret Superstar’ Set in Vadodara, Gujarat, the film opens with Insia’s passion for music and her dream of becoming a singer. However, her father is against her pursuing a career in music, and he tries to keep her away from her passion. Despite her father’s objections, Insia continues to sing and secretly uploads her songs on YouTube, disguised in a burqa and calling herself the Secret Superstar.
The plot of a movie takes place in a Gujarati Muslim household of Baroda. The protagonist, Insia Malik is a 15-year-old girl who is passionate about becoming a singer one day but her father is against her dream. Her father is shown as a wife-beater and used to keep his daughter threatened with his anger. He used to go out of town for work and come back to the house only once a week. Insia’s mother, Najma is shown as a supportive mother who goes to great lengths to support her daughter’s dream of becoming a singer. She gifts Insia a laptop which Insia uses to upload her videos of singing on YouTube under the name of ‘Secret Superstar’. Insia becomes a sensation overnight and grabs the attention of a talented music director, Shakti Kumar. Chintan, Insia’s school friend, who has a crush on her reveals that he knows Insia is a secret superstar.
Insia gets an offer from Shakti Kumar to record a song for him in the studio. She at first refuses this offer as she had heard some negative remarks about Shakti Kumar. However, when she sees the news of Shakti Kumar getting divorced on the television, she gets the idea of contacting the lawyer of Shakti Kumar’s wife through him. Insia asks Shakti Kumar for this favor and in return, agrees to sing a song for him. In ‘Secret Superstar’ She sings the original version of a song rather than a remix which Shakti Kumar had asked her to. Her song becomes sensational and brings everyone to tears. She grows fame and gets nominated for the Best Female Singer award.
Then she comes back home and asks her mother to sign the divorce papers, to which her mother refuses. Insia gets frustrated by her mother’s attitude. Later on, in this movie ‘Secret Superstar’ when she realizes how her mother has struggled to bring Insia into this world, despite her father’s efforts to get her aborted, Insia forgives her mother. Farookh, Insia’s father gets a job in Riyadh and asks the entire family to move to Riyadh with him. Farookh also tells Insia that he intends to marry her to his friend’s son. Insia comes to accept the fact that this her destiny and comes to terms with the fact that she will have to sacrifice her singing career and therefore, she deletes her YouTube channel. They plan to go off to Riyadh on the last day of Insia’s exam.
Things take a U-turn at the airport when Farookh asks Insia to leave behind her guitar at the airport as the luggage was exceeding the limit. Najma asks her husband to pay the extra amount but carry her guitar with them. Farookh disagrees with it and says that it is just a guitar and so, it is not a big deal. Najma tells him that it is not just a guitar but it is Inisa’s dream and they are going to carry it with them no matter what. Najma brings the guitar back from the trash and takes out divorce papers from the suitcase and signs them. She hands over divorce papers to Farookh and tells him that their daughter is the ‘Secret Superstar’. If he tries to hit her, she will upload the video of hitting on Insia’s YouTube channel, which everyone will watch and Farookh will lose his respect as well as his job. So, she suggests that it will be better for him if he just leaves for Riyadh and leave her and her children alone.
Then Najma comes out of the airport and calls Shakti Kumar and lets them know that they were coming for the award function. Unfortunately, Insia does not win the Best Female Singer award. The winner, Monali Thakur hands the award to Insia as she believes that Insia truly deserved it. Insia makes an emotional speech on the stage and reveals her face.
Secret Superstar conclusion:
Secret Superstar is a must-watch film that inspires and entertains. Its message of empowerment, gender equality, and the importance of pursuing one’s dreams is relevant and inspiring. The film’s exceptional soundtrack, powerful performances, and compelling narrative make it a timeless classic that will continue to inspire and entertain audiences for years to come. So, grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy this heartwarming tale of dreams, music, and empowerment.
