[7] The film tells the coming-of-age story of a teenage girl who aspires to be a singer, uploading videos on YouTube while disguising her identity with a niqab, and her relationships with her mother, father and mentor.

[11] Secret Superstar received ten nominations at the 63rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Chandan, Best Actress for Wasim, and Best Supporting Actor for Khan.

Insia Malik, a 15-year-old girl, lives with her Muslim family in Baroda: her mother Najma, her brother Guddu, her paternal grandmother, and her abusive father Farookh, who often beats his wife.

She records a song wearing a niqab, so Farookh can't find out her identity, and uploads the video on YouTube under the name of 'Secret Superstar' using the laptop gifted by Najma.

She becomes an overnight sensation and grabs the attention of Shakti Kumar, a talented but pretentious music director based in Mumbai.

After singing the original song, her fame grows and she is nominated for the Best Female Singer.Insia persuades Kumar to arrange a meeting with his ex-wife's lawyer.

She angrily warns Farookh that should he lay hands on her or her kids, he will face severe consequences and even lose his job in Riyadh.

Chandan conceived of the film during the first season of Aamir Khan's television talk show Satyamev Jayate.

"[12][13] During the third season of Satyamev Jayate, the first episode narrated the success story of ten year old Shubham Jaglan, son of a milkman and the youngest golf champion of India.

That was the umbrella idea—a mother and daughter in middle-class, small-town India getting empowered by this amazing tool that is giving platform to talent.

"[12] In July 2015 it was reported that Aamir Khan shall be collaborating with his manager Advait Chandan and music composer A. R. Rahman for a film that was initially titled Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai.

[42] Secret Superstar's China premiere was in Beijing on 16 January 2018, and was attended by director Advait Chandan, actress Zaira Wasim, and singer Meghna Mishra.

[52] The Chinese-Indian Film Forum, held by CCTV, was attended by a number of Chinese directors, stars, and film critics, including Chinese filmmaker Yu Baimei and Hong Kong filmmaker Stanley Tong, as well as former Olympic champion Liu Guoliang with whom Khan played a competitive ping pong (table tennis) match.

[citation needed] Khan was also greeted by actor-singer Huang Bo, as well as other film stars including Liu Yifei[53] and Jackie Chan in video messages.

[77] It is also the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time, behind only Dangal, Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015),[36][77] after surpassing Aamir Khan's own PK (2014).

[79] It was declared a hit at the Indian box office, and is domestically one of 2017's five most commercially successful Bollywood films, along with Tiger Zinda Hai, Golmaal Again, Raees, and Badrinath Ki Dulhania.

[25] It established Aamir Khan as the only Indian actor with five films crossing US$20 million overseas, after 3 Idiots (2009), Dhoom 3 (2013), PK (2014), and Dangal (2016).

[111][112][113] In its second weekend, Secret Superstar remained the second-highest-grossing film at the international box office, behind Maze Runner and ahead of Jumanji.

[123] Secret Superstar's opening weekend gross was US$29.2 million[124] (₹200 crore),[125] after its show count rose from 56,000 screenings on Friday to 63,000 on Sunday.

On its fifth day, its daily show count increased to over 64,000 screenings,[135] and it gained a 33.7% market share of the Chinese box office.

[153] It topped the box office again in its third weekend with $12 million,[154] beating seven new releases,[36] including Hugh Jackman starrer The Greatest Showman, Chinese films Till the End of The World and Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink, and Japanese film Miracles of the Namiya General Store.

[72][161] Secret Superstar was also the highest-grossing foreign film in China during the first quarter of 2018, ahead of Hollywood films including Black Panther, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Tomb Raider, Maze Runner: The Death Cure and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

"[178] Rajeev Masand gave the film a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 describing it as "an inspiring journey towards empowerment, a case for pursuing one's passion against all odds, a testament to the deep mother-daughter bond, and a convincing depiction of teenage years."

Wise beyond her years, she is riveting on screen, in the manner in which she appears to sing using her entire being, or the little moments of crushing disappointment and excitement that are reflected on the canvas that is her expressive face.

"[182] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express praised the acting performances and the first half of the movie saying that, "The biggest strength of Secret Superstar is the wonderful Wasim who was also in Dangal.

He called it "a tough story about domestic abuse and female empowerment" and noted "India’s energetic and freewheeling style of cinema can offer a new way of telling a story," such as the "idea of having Insia – who does not usually wear a burka – don the garment to disguise herself when she performs on YouTube is very clever, in the sense it’s a reasonable way for her to solve her problem of anonymity.

[22] The film was also trending on Chinese social media platforms, including WeChat and Douban,[201] and dominated discussions on Sina Weibo.

[201] The film's strong opening weekend cemented Aamir Khan's status as a superstar in China,[141] and as "a king of the Chinese box office".

[207] Secret Superstar has reportedly influenced an increase in Chinese women calling police for help with domestic violence.

Secret Superstar's gross dwarfed every Hollywood film released in the first two months, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Maze Runner: The Death Cure, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.