It’s not unusual for Bollywood to take creative cues from global cinema — some might call it adaptation, some might say it’s an homage. But when the trailer of Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par dropped, a growing chorus online began pointing to a curious resemblance: a 2018 Spanish film called Campeones (Champions). And by resemblance, we don’t just mean a similar storyline. We’re talking frame-by-frame parallels. So naturally, one begins to wonder—is Sitaare Zameen Par a legit remake of Champions, or is Bollywood just pressing Ctrl+C with a bit too much enthusiasm?

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When you remake a film, especially in a different language, for a different culture, you’d expect some level of adaptation. Local flavour. Cultural context. Maybe even a new perspective. But what Sitaare Zameen Par seems to be doing (at least from the trailer) is following the original script beat-for-beat, shot-for-shot. It doesn’t feel like an Indian take on an idea; it feels like someone translated the script and filmed it again, almost as a rehearsal of the original. Which begs the question: Are we running out of stories to tell?

Are we creatively tapped out?

It would be naive to assume that India lacks original stories. We have no dearth of cultural complexity, lived experiences, or social tension to mine for compelling narratives. From the rapidly changing aspirations of small-town India to underrepresented queer love stories, from historical footnotes to mythological retellings, there is enough material to sustain an entire cinematic universe without ever having to look beyond our borders.

And with someone like Aamir Khan attached, the expectations are even higher. His name comes with a certain guarantee: that of thoughtfulness, emotional gravity, and social purpose. So when Sitaare Zameen Par, billed as a spiritual successor to Taare Zameen Par, comes along, it’s wrapped in goodwill before it even hits the theatres.

That’s exactly what makes the choice of a remake so curious. Why lean on someone else’s story when your previous success came from telling something original, rooted in Indian schooling and parenting? Is the social earnestness of Sitaare Zameen Par meant to lend it moral legitimacy or to distract from the lack of creativity?

Whose stories are we telling?

This isn’t about one film. It’s about an industry that often defaults to what’s familiar, pre-approved, and relatively risk-free. Even as regional Indian cinema experiments with fresh themes and bold storytelling, Bollywood, particularly its biggest names, still hesitate. The result? A film that may succeed in moving us, but doesn’t surprise us.

Yes, Sitaare Zameen Par is an official remake of Champions. The issue is not of unethical imitation. The issue is why our most trusted filmmakers, even the ones who’ve made originality their brand, are opting to tell other people’s stories when our own are still waiting in the wings.

Are we so bereft of original storytelling that we now remake films frame by frame, wrapping the same story in local packaging?

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