What Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par Role Teaches the Alpha Males of Kabir Singh and Animal
In an era dominated by chest-thumping alpha males and hyper-masculine portrayals on screen, Aamir Khan’s return with Sitaare Zameen Par feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air. The actor, often referred to as ‘Mr. Perfectionist,’ doesn’t just return to the big screen; he returns with purpose. With Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir breaks away from the testosterone-fueled archetype of the modern-day Bollywood hero and presents us with a deeply flawed, vulnerable, and ultimately healing male character.
Set against the backdrop of a basketball court and a community of children with intellectual disabilities, Sitaare Zameen Par isn’t just a film; it’s a powerful counter-narrative. At the heart of it is Gulshan, a perpetually frustrated coach who begins the film as someone hard to empathize with. But as the story unfolds, so does Gulshan. We meet a man hiding behind layers of trauma, suppressed emotions, and a stubborn fear of confrontation. Slowly, the mask of anger slips off, revealing someone far more human and far more relatable.
In recent years, Indian cinema has seen the meteoric rise of the alpha male archetype characters like Kabir Singh and Animal’s Rannvijay, who wear their emotional baggage like a badge of honor and use violence and aggression as expressions of love and loyalty. These are unstable men, emotionally unavailable and habitually destructive not only to themselves but to those around them.
Kabir Singh (2019), starring Shahid Kapoor, became a hit even though it had a problematic message. His explosive temper, drug abuse, and acceptance of emotional abuse were used as signs of extreme, unrelenting love. Likewise, in Animal, Ranbir Kapoor’s Rannvijay is another emotionally scarred male whose love and hurt find expression through abusive dominance. These figures were cult idols not because they were heroes, but because they catered to a fantasy that romanticized uncontrolled male fury.
But what happens when a character faces similar demons and chooses empathy instead of dominance? That’s where Aamir Khan’s Gulshan steps in.
Aamir Khan’s Gulshan: A Study in VulnerabilityGulshan, in Sitaare Zameen Par, is no saint. He drinks, he yells, he abandons conversations midway, and he emotionally neglects his wife, Sunita (played beautifully by Genelia Deshmukh). But rather than descend into self-destruction, he is assigned to an unfamiliar setting, serving alongside children who are differently abled in a community service order.
At first resistant and aloof, Gulshan gradually starts to bond. Not with words, but with small acts of noticing, shared delight, and finally, true concern. These children, in their innocence and toughness, become mirrors to him. He finds in them what he has suppressed in himself: hope.
His change is incremental and plausible. He doesn’t become an instant perfect human being. He trips, he struggles, and he cries. But that’s why his journey is so strong. It’s not redemption through spectacle; it’s healing through modesty.
The genius of Sitaare Zameen Par is how it redefines masculinity. Gulshan’s emotional odyssey tells us that crying is not a sign of weakness, being unsure doesn’t make you less of a man, and healing can only start when we stop acting tough.
At a time when Bollywood continues to mint money by projecting emotional abuse as ‘true love,’ Aamir Khan dares to play a character who doesn’t want to win at all costs. He simply wants to understand, to grow, and to be better. And maybe that’s the kind of hero we need more of.
This isn’t the first time Aamir Khan has ventured into the grey. In Dil Chahta Hai, his Akash was emotionally avoidant and dismissive, almost losing his best friends and his chance at love. In Fanaa, he played a terrorist who truly loved the woman he was betraying. In Talaash, he portrayed a grieving father drowning in guilt and loneliness.
But Gulshan is perhaps his most grounded character in recent memory, one that doesn’t rely on dramatic twists or high-stakes action. It relies on something far more powerful: emotional truth.
Why It MattersIn the grand scheme of Bollywood narratives, Sitaare Zameen Par may or may not shatter box office records like its alpha male counterparts. But it’s already done something far more valuable: it has started a conversation. A conversation about masculinity, emotional health, and the kind of stories we uplift.
The success of Sitaare Zameen Par, both critically and commercially, proves that audiences are ready for nuance. We’re tired of the noise, the chest-thumping, and the relentless rage. We’re craving stories that remind us of the quiet strength in empathy, the courage in accountability, and the beauty of human imperfection.
In the Japanese art of Kintsugi, broken pottery is mended with gold, highlighting its cracks instead of hiding them. In Sitaare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan gives us a character who does exactly that; he shines not in spite of his flaws, but because of them. And that, perhaps, is the truest kind of heroism.