‘Sabka apna apna normal hai’

The film ends on a heartening note -- that everyone has their share of struggles, fragility and strengths, and our own ‘normal’ need not be someone else’s. The ‘normal’ simply doesn’t exist.

By Jasmine Mishra

Sitaare Zameen Par (SZP) directed by RS Prasanna and produced by Amir Khan, is a heartwarming watch. It seems to have accomplished what it had originally aimed to -- spreading awareness about neurodivergent people.

Box office Bollywood usually fails in meaningful representations about such complex issues, but this movie nails it. It doesn’t show neurodivergent people as victims, but as dogged survivors; not to be pitied, but to be understood with empathy and sensitivity.

As in Taare Zameen Par (TZP), this film stars Amir Khan playing the role of Gulshan Arora, a promising but blunt coach who gets himself off the team for fighting with a senior coach. As if it couldn't get any worse, he then gets involved in a DUI (Driving Under Influence) accident and is sentenced to community service; he is asked to coach a basketball team of neurodivergent persons.

Initially, the character of Gulshan is shown as shallow, escaping responsibilities like discussing plans about kids and a future with his wife. He refers to his team members as “abnormal" and “crazy” (paagal). As the story progresses, he learns that what he describes as ‘normal’, is so different for every person, in things as simple as sugar in tea, to different strengths and challenges in brain-functioning.

He coaches them basketball in their way, as he learns about their lifestyle, their inner self, their thought process. At first, it’s frustrating for him; he gets overwhelmed and angry. However, he gradually gets used to their unique charm and originality.

He learns that they are just people who have their own dreams, aspirations and everyday life, like all so-called ‘normal’ people; it’s like everyone else. It’s just that their normal is different, or, as the movie phrases it, ‘Sabka apna apna normal hai’.

A crucial match is going to happen. The parents and family members of the team come to watch the match. Gulshan watches as the seats fill up and everyone is so eager to support them. Then he realizes that their family members don’t see them as a ‘burden’; instead, they find joy in their childlike wonder and amazement. Their house never loses its light and never fails to put a smile on their faces.

This film also focuses on innate fears. For instance, Gulshan has always had a fear of elevators since he got stuck in one. He meets one of the players in the team, Guddu, who loves animals, but is afraid of water, since he almost got drowned once. After one session of team-practice, a small mouse ends up drowning in one of the tubs. Gulshan uses this opportunity to encourage Guddu to save it.

Guddu gets into the tub, saves the mouse, and, thereby, gets over his fear of water. The team cheers him, and then they give him a good, happy bath.

Later, in a Mumbai hotel, before their final match, the team encourages Gulshan to get over his fear of elevators. They all laugh, get emotionally closer, and connected.

As the team competes in tournaments in different states, Gulshan finally goes back to his wife and seeks her help, while traveling, and managing the team during their matches. Their relationship gets back on; yet, Gulshan is still unsure about kids. “What if our kids end up like them?” He gets into an argument with his wife, as the final match approaches.

It’s reasonable. This is because even if Gulshan has become more open and empathetic from what he was before, a flawless understanding of everything would be unrealistic for his character.

It’s in the finals that the team turns the tables and teaches him something about life, of which he was clearly ignorant. This is another thing I liked about the movie -- the people he considered less than his ‘normal’ self, show him how shallow and limited his understanding is.

As the tense final game progress in a neck-and-neck score with the other team taking a slight lead, it all comes down to the last shot. Everyone is on the edge of their seat as the ball hits the basket -- if it goes in, they win.

It misses.

Gulshan is upset at the loss, but he watches as his team, along with the other team, celebrate with collective cheers and bonhomie, instead of disappointment or petty rivalry. As soon as the match is over, the lines drawn between them and the opposing team blur, and they congratulate the other team. While also being proud of their own performance.

They teach Gulshan what authentic sportsmanship is really about. Indeed, the coach gets coached.

It’s a beautiful finale. Gulshan joins them in their celebration and the losing team helps the winning team up onto the winning pedestal.

Finally, his community service days are over. He gets a call from the senior coach who got him fired. He is retiring. Gulshan is back on the job.

He is overjoyed, but now he must say goodbye to the team he has got so attached to. He had felt so deeply connected with them. There was a strong bond formed.

Initially, he thinks of leaving; just leave without facing the team one last time, without even a goodbye. But he changes his mind.

He tells the newly-appointed coach about all the unique moments he has experienced with the team. Just like the rest of the movie, the goodbyes are not filled with sorrow, but with laughter, camaraderie and merriment. The team jokes that he is “not dying, so why should it be sad, they can still meet and build memories in the future”.

Summing up, I would say the movie lives up to its expectations in a big way, charting a different course than ‘Taare Zameen Par’ -- the movie it’s supposed to be a spiritual sequel to. Remarkably, on a serious subject, it takes a more humorous and light-hearted approach compared to TZP, leaving the audience reflecting on their skewed perspective of a ‘normal’ life, and how that it simply doesn’t exist; it is nothing more than a utopia.

The film ends on a heartening note -- that everyone has their share of struggles, failures and strengths, and our own ‘normal’ need not be someone else’s. This is perhaps a lesson Indian society must understand and absorb. Right now!

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Jasmine Mishra is a student of B. Design in PEC, Chandigarh. She is also a budding illustrator.