As you may know, Sitaare Zameen Par is slated for a theatrical release on June 20, 2025. And this is not the first time Aamir Khan has starred in a sports film. His tryst with the genre began early in his career, and each of his sports films has seen varying degrees of critical and commercial success. Let’s take a closer look at those films and how they fared both commercially and with critics and audiences, to ascertain whether they were hits or misses.
1. Awwal Number
- Release Year – 1990
- Director: Dev Anand
- IMDb Rating: 4.5/10
Plot: When Ronny (Aditya Pancholi), a popular but out-of-form batsman, is sacked from the cricket team, a gifted player, Sunny (Aamir Khan), gets a chance to play in his place. This doesn’t sit well with Ronny, who hatches a plan to blow up the stadium. That’s when an honest ex-cop (Dev Anand) comes face to face with his own brother.
Hit or Miss?
The film failed to make a mark at the box office and didn’t resonate with most critics or audiences. (via Bollywood Hungama)
2. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar
- Release Year – 1992
- Director: Mansoor Khan
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Plot: The film follows Sanju (Aamir Khan), a carefree student from a modest background who falls in love with a wealthy girl (Pooja Bedi). When his elder brother (Mamik) is injured and can no longer participate in a prestigious inter-college cycle race, Sanju steps up to take his place. He must now face the arrogant reigning champion Shekhar (Deepak Tijori) and tries to beat him against all odds.
Hit or Miss?
The film performed well at the box office with a worldwide gross of ₹ 6.6 crores (as per Sacnilk). It was well received by audiences and critics and achieved cult status over the years.
3. Lagaan
- Release Year – 2001
- Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Plot: Set in 1893, the period sports drama Lagaan revolves around a group of villagers who are burdened by heavy taxes imposed by an arrogant British Indian Army officer, Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne). When a rebellious villager, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), accepts Captain Russell’s challenge to defeat the Britishers in the game of cricket, the villagers must quickly learn the new game to avoid paying taxes for the next three years.
Hit or Miss?
This one is a no-brainer. The Oscar-nominated film registered a worldwide gross of ₹ 58.05 crores (as per Sacnilk), garnered widespread critical acclaim, and was unanimously admired by movie lovers.
4. Dangal
- Release Year – 2016
- Director: Nitesh Tiwari
- IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Plot: The film’s underlying plot follows the story of a former wrestler, Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan), who trains his daughters, Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (played by Sanya Malhotra) to get a gold medal for the country in professional wrestling. But to achieve his dream, he faces various societal pressures and backlash from the villagers. The film also features Sakshi Tanwar, Zaira Wasim, Aparshakti Khurana, Ritvik Sahore, and Girish Kulkarni in pivotal roles.
Hit or Miss?
Dangal is the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide, with a whopping worldwide collection of ₹ 2,070.3 crores, as per Sacnilk. It received highly positive feedback from critics and cinephiles.
The Final Hit
As seen above, three out of four of Aamir Khan’s sports films have earned the Hit tag based on their overall critical acclaim, commercial performance, and audience feedback. That gives him a solid 75% Hit rate in this genre. Whether Sitaare Zameen Par will continue this streak or break it remains to be seen. But if we had to guess, we’d bet on another hit from the perfectionist Bollywood actor, potentially pushing the final Hit rate to 80%.
