Quick answer: Secret Superstar is a 2017 Hindi musical drama written and directed by Advait Chandan and produced by Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. Zaira Wasim plays Insia, a teenage girl who secretly becomes a YouTube singing star while hiding her face, with Meher Vij as her mother and Aamir Khan as a music director. It was announced for 4 August 2017 but released on 19 October 2017, and it went on to earn far more in China than in India.
About this article
We first published this page in 2017 as a news update while Secret Superstar was still an upcoming film, with its cast, story and announced release date. The film has long since been released, so the page now records what was announced, what actually happened and how the film performed. A few details from the original have been corrected along the way.
Secret Superstar: key facts
- Writer and director: Advait Chandan
- Producers: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Nitin Keni and Akash Chawla
- Production: Aamir Khan Productions and Zee Studios
- Music: Amit Trivedi, with lyrics by Kausar Munir
- Release date in India: 19 October 2017
- Release date in China: 19 January 2018
- Reported budget: about ₹15 crore in most reports
The original article described Advait Chandan as a former manager of Aamir Khan. Contemporary reports did describe him as Khan’s manager, and the idea for the film grew out of his research for an episode on domestic violence for Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate.
Cast of Secret Superstar
- Zaira Wasim as Insia “Insu” Malik. Wasim had played the young Geeta Phogat in Dangal (2016), as the original article noted.
- Meher Vij as Najma Malik, Insia’s mother
- Raj Arjun as Farookh Malik, Insia’s father
- Aamir Khan as Shakti Kumar, a flamboyant Mumbai music director
- Farrukh Jaffar as Insia’s grandmother
- Mona Ambegaonkar as the lawyer Sheena Sabavala
Singers Shaan and Monali Thakur appear as themselves. The original article said Aamir Khan had only a cameo; in the finished film, Shakti Kumar is a supporting role that runs through much of the story.
What is Secret Superstar about?
Insia, a 15-year-old schoolgirl in Baroda (Vadodara), dreams of becoming a singer. Her father, who is controlling and violent towards her mother, will not allow it. So Insia records herself singing while wearing a niqab to hide her identity, and uploads the videos to YouTube as “Secret Superstar”. The videos go viral and reach Shakti Kumar, a talented but self-important Mumbai music director, who offers her a chance to sing for a film.
The original article described this part of the story correctly. What it could not say before release is that the film is as much about Insia’s mother as about Insia: the story turns on Najma’s decision to stand up to her husband, and the film’s climax is about the two of them, not only about Insia’s singing career.
Release date: what was announced and what happened
When this article was first written, the release date had just been announced as 4 August 2017, and the original page reported that date. The film was later moved to 19 October 2017, during Diwali, and it released in India on that date. It opened in China on 19 January 2018.
Aamir Khan’s role and look
Early promotional material drew attention to Aamir Khan’s flashy, comic look as Shakti Kumar, which the original article called “different, funky and comedy”. In the film Shakti is a talented but pretentious music director, played partly for laughs, but he is the person who gives Insia her break.
Secret Superstar box office collection
These figures are as published by Bollywood Hungama:
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Opening day, India | ₹4.80 crore |
| India lifetime (nett) | ₹63.40 crore |
| India lifetime (gross) | ₹81.28 crore |
| Overseas (gross) | ₹794.50 crore (about US$124 million) |
| Worldwide (gross) | ₹875.78 crore |
Most of the overseas total came from China, where Aamir Khan’s Dangal had been a major hit less than a year earlier. Other trade sources give different worldwide totals, so treat the figure above as one published estimate. For how Dangal itself performed, see our page on Dangal’s story, dialogues and box office.
Awards
At the 63rd Filmfare Awards in January 2018, Secret Superstar won three awards from ten nominations:
- Best Actress (Critics): Zaira Wasim
- Best Supporting Actress: Meher Vij
- Best Female Playback Singer: Meghna Mishra, for “Nachdi Phira”
Zaira Wasim also received the National Child Award for Exceptional Achievement. For more from the film’s producer and star, see our collection of Aamir Khan dialogues in Hindi, and for his next big release after this film, our page on Thugs of Hindostan.
Frequently asked questions
When did Secret Superstar release?
It released in India on 19 October 2017 and in China on 19 January 2018. It had first been announced for 4 August 2017.
Who directed Secret Superstar?
Advait Chandan wrote and directed it; he was nominated for Most Promising Debut Director at the Screen Awards for the film.
Who sang the songs in Secret Superstar?
Meghna Mishra sang five of the album’s eight tracks, including “Main Kaun Hoon” and “Nachdi Phira”, and won the Filmfare award for Best Female Playback Singer for “Nachdi Phira”. The music is by Amit Trivedi.
Is Aamir Khan the lead in Secret Superstar?
No. Zaira Wasim plays the lead role of Insia. Aamir Khan plays the supporting role of music director Shakti Kumar and also co-produced the film.
How much did Secret Superstar earn?
Bollywood Hungama puts its worldwide gross at ₹875.78 crore, most of it from China. Its India nett total was ₹63.40 crore.
Checked in November 2026 against the film’s credits, Bollywood Hungama’s box office page for Secret Superstar, and 2017-18 coverage of its release and the 63rd Filmfare Awards. Box office figures are attributed because sources differ.
