Synopsis
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.