14-year-old Insia dreams of becoming a singer. Her mother wants to help her achieve this, but her father is an extremely patriarchal and violent man: he wants her to get married soon and live an ordinary life as another man’s possession. Insia uploads a video clip of her singing with her face covered. Her video goes viral and it looks like her dream is going to come true, but her father will not change his mind; he even tries to destroy Insia’s life and her mother’s. 
Following in the footsteps of Dangal (2016), Secret Superstar touchingly depicts the hard life of women in India. Playing a failing singer and producer, Aamir Khan encourages Insia to go her own way. How ridiculous is a society where people have to give up their dreams solely because they are women? This scene in Secret Superstar is very much a reality in India, but it’s not far away from how it is in Korea too, as Korean society is also oppressive for women. Secret Superstar speaks out about women’s reality in a refined manner, inspiring viewers both to cry and applaud, empathizing with Insia and women around the world. It also demonstrates the power of Indian film to the full.

We all have a right to dream. This is also true of Insia, a girl in India. Her dream is to be a singer, enough talented. Her mother also supports her dream. However, her authoritative, patriarchal, and violent father denies her right. They are just property to him. What should they do now? Insia carries out a reckless challenge in the small house, which becomes like an ice field when her father returns home. She posted her own song on YouTube, covering her face. Her overwhelming talent soon wins the public's favor. Although this film closely shows the lives of oppressed women, it is not so serious. It is like a fun epic with an optimistic attitude which is characteristic of Indian films. Especially, when Insia's dream is reenacted, the colorful music scene is continuously played like a music video. Response to tragedy with comedy or smile until the end. In this narrative, we experience the growth of a girl, the hot solidarity of women and the most of all, the revenge to the unjust masculine order. Following Dangal (2016), which tells the story of a young girl who succeeds as a wrestler, it shows the advanced style of gender sensitivity in the Indian film. (PARK Woo-sung)