The hashtag #BoycottSitaareZameenPar has claimed a spot into X's top-five trends in India, garnering more than 200,000 posts in just twelve hours. Most tweets called for a blanket ban on Aamir Khan's upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par, whose trailer premiered on 13 May. The backlash is due to a string of past controversies surrounding the actor.
Minutes before the trailer launch, Khan's production house posted a cryptic "Sindoor of sacrifice" message, which many felt mixed national grief with PR stunt. Twitter users also note that Aamir said nothing about the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, yet he quickly promoted his movie. Users also dugout photos of his 2020 meeting with Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan, arguing that Turkey's friendly stance toward Pakistan makes the actor "anti-national." And of course, his infamous 2015 remark on India's "rising intolerance" have added to the fury.
Controversies and boycotts are nothing new to the actor. Over the years, it has become a trend for any Aamir Khan film to face the trending boycott hashtags. A coordinated boycott could dent the film's advance bookings, but note that similar campaigns against Laal Singh Chaddha had little impact once reviews turned positive.
We are appreciating #BycottTurkey #BycottAzarbaijan now it's time for#BoycottSitaareZameenPar #SitaareZameenPar because Bollywood has no time for India and can't hurt their Pakistani fans. No sympathy for these B@st@rds. No support to actor/ actress or any movies. pic.twitter.com/qVIO7QP1lF
— Roushan Singh (@Roushan_Dataguy) May 13, 2025
Don’t fall for this guys. His movie is releasing, so he came out now, just to fool Hindus again & make money.#BoycottSitaareZameenPar ❌
— Dr Vivek Pandey (@Vivekpandey21) May 14, 2025
He was scared to live in India, and now making money here ?#BoycottTurkeyAzerbaijan #BoycottTurkey #boycottKhans #BoycottBollywood pic.twitter.com/OYvewVhsJK
On the other hand, viewers who compared the trailer with the 2018 Spanish hit feels the film is a xerox copy of the original. A side-by-side video doing the rounds on Reddit and X shows the same opening court-side meltdown, identical bus-cleaning gag, a slow-motion water-spray practice montage, and even the final scoreboard reveal—all matched for camera angle, cutting rhythm and dialogue beats.
Sitaare Zameen Par is a Hindi remake of the Spanish sports comedy Campeones. Aamir plays a hot-headed basketball coach who must train a team of players with intellectual disabilities to save his career. It is slated for a June 20, 2025 release. Similar to Taare Zameen Par, the film will be a slice-of-life laced with laughter, emotions and drama.
Directed by RS Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par features a strong ensemble cast, including Genelia Deshmukh, Aroush Datta, Gopi Krishnan Varma, Vedant Sharmaa, Naman Misra, Rishi Shahani, Rishabh Jain, Ashish Pendse, Samvit Desai, Simran Mangeshkar, Aayush Bhansali, Dolly Ahluwalia, Gurpal Singh, and Brijendra Kala.
