He may be one of the three Khans who have ruled Bollywood for over three decades, but Aamir Khan has one of the most mysterious auras among Bollywood stars. From his public appearances in flip-flops to his willingness to be interviewed often, Aamir is someone who refuses to accept his superstardom at every turn. RS Prasanna, the director of his next film, Sitaare Zameen Par, says this makes the actor endearing and easy to work with. In a no-holds-barred chat about the actor and the film, Prasanna opens up on the making the film, expectations from it, and more. (Also read: Sitaare Zameen Par new song out: Fans say, Aamir Khan and Genelia’s Sar Aankhon Pe is ‘pure magic’)
On collaborating with Aamir Khan
Prasanna’s last release was Shubh Mangal Savdhaan in 2017. He says that a potential collaboration with Aamir Khan began soon after. “Shamath (Mazumdar), his manager, reached out to me after Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. I was playing with my kids in Chennai, and I got a call from this guy saying, ‘I am calling from AKPL,’ and somehow that AKPL didn’t stick. As a Chennai guy, I associate with Aamir Khan Productions. Later on, when he said Aamir Khan, I wondered ‘ye Aamir Khan ke baare me kyun baat kar raha hai’. When I asked, he specified, and it hit me,” says the filmmaker with a laugh.
Eventually, he began developing the script of Sitaare Zameen Par, the official Hindi adaptation of Campeones, and things fell into place. Prasanna felt that the coach could only be played by Aamir. “Then I went into a deep sorrow. What if he says no? Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anybody else in the role,” he says. But Aamir said yes to the film, and the filming began.
Why Aamir Khan doesn’t accept his stardom
Prasanna describes Aamir as a combination of actor, superstar, and producer. But in any role, the star is someone who shrugs off praise and wants to avoid stardom. Prasanna shares, “The most surprising thing about Aamir sir is that he is a legend who behaves like a newcomer, and you have newcomers who behave like legends. For me, it was just like how I connected with Ayush (Ayushmann Khurrana) and Bhumi (Pednekar). I was a first-time director (in Shubh Mangal Savdhaan), and they made me feel comfortable. The same is with Aamir sir.”
Talking about Aamir’s reluctance to be a star on screen, the filmmaker says, “Sometimes, I have to remind him, ‘You are a superstar; people want to watch your film.’ But he won’t let me do any fan service in the film. For him, only the film and the story matter. He doesn’t matter.”
Sitaare Zameen Par is a spiritual sequel to Aamir’s 2007 film, Taare Zameen Par. The film also stars Genelia D’Souza in a pivotal role. The film is scheduled to release theatrically on 20 June.
