Aamir Khan’s upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par has come under fire after the release of its trailer, with viewers pointing out strong similarities to the 2018 Spanish film Champions (Campeones). Though the film is an official remake, social media users were quick to call it a “copy-paste” job, sparking a debate on originality and storytelling in Bollywood.

Directed by R.S. Prasanna, Sitaare Zameen Par stars Aamir Khan as a hot-headed basketball coach who is assigned to train a team of players with intellectual disabilities as part of a community service sentence. The film also features Genelia Deshmukh and introduces ten new actors.

Despite its inspirational theme, many netizens criticised the trailer for replicating scenes from the original too closely. Some compared the situation to Khan’s earlier project Laal Singh Chaddha, which was also an official remake (Forrest Gump) and faced backlash for its lack of novelty. One social media user wrote, “Perfectionist in copying – this is Champions scene by scene.” Another commented, “After Laal Singh Chaddha, he should have avoided remakes.”

There was also criticism of the choice to focus on basketball, with some suggesting cricket or hockey would have connected better with Indian audiences.

However, others came to the film’s defence, pointing out that Sitaare Zameen Par is a licensed remake and intended for a different cultural audience. “It’s an official remake, so of course it will resemble the original,” one user argued. Another added, “Not everyone has seen Champions. If it’s well made, that’s all that matters.”

The original Champions was a critically acclaimed Spanish sports drama and was also remade in English in 2023, starring Woody Harrelson.

Set to release on 20 June 2025, Sitaare Zameen Par will aim to win over Indian audiences, despite the early wave of mixed reactions.