
Aamir Khan interview: No troll can stop a good film
Aamir Khan is finishing a run of interviews at his Santa Cruz office in Mumbai. He looks as animated as some of his characters. 'I'm going down?' he queries his associates, shuffling into an elevator. 'I'm coming up again? Um-hum.' Khan is 60, looks no more than 48, and is itchy with excitement for his newest release. This is not the man I encountered seven years ago, during the release of Thugs of Hindostan, clammy with unspoken nervousness about a shaky product. Or the man who disappeared behind a beard to play Tom Hanks, loudly and disappointingly, in Laal Singh Chaddha.
In interviews and podcasts, Khan has been open about the failure of these two films. His latest, Sitaare Zameen Par, finds him on a surer footing. Like a merry highlights reel, the trailer combines the best elements of Khan's filmography: sports, humour, team assembly, social uplift. Directed by R.S. Prasanna, the film is a remake of the Spanish drama Champions. It follows a mouthy, knuckleheaded basketball coach put in charge of a team of players with intellectual disabilities.
'This film entered my bloodstream,' Khan says. Here, he speaks about working with his co-stars, the miasma of trolling and negativity that befogs his recent releases, and his hopes for the theatrical business in India.
You had hinted at a break after 'Laal Singh Chaddha'. Yet, here you are with 'Sitaare Zameen Par', a film two years in development…
Aamir Khan: When a film or an idea inspires me, I just have to make it. My director, R.S. Prasanna, brought the Spanish film Champions (2018) to me. When I saw it, I was extremely moved by it. It left a deep impact on me. I also felt it was the ideal sequel to Taare Zameen Par. In that film, it's the teacher, Nikumbh, a supposedly neuro-typical person, who helps the child with dyslexia. In this film, ten neuro-atypical people are helping the coach, Gulshan. I feel Sitare takes the discourse of the first film ten steps ahead, especially in our country where people need to be sensitised to the topic of neurodivergence.
Like 'Laal Singh', this film has also been subjected to online trolling. Are you nervous about the release?
AK: I don't think trolling affects the box-office performance of a film. Not at all. When a film is good, no troll in the world can stop it. And if a film is bad, no producer in the world can make it work. You may assume that Laal Singh Chaddha did not work because of the trolling. That's not true. If, in place of that film, 3 Idiots or Dangal had released, and was trolled just as viciously, it would have still become a superhit. Laal Singh Chaddha did not turn out well as a film. It could not touch the audience's heart. That's why it failed.
...when I read comments on YouTube, I am always interested in what the real audience is saying. If someone is writing, 'boycott!' or 'go to Pakistan', I can instantly tell they are trolls. Their reactions don't affect me.
Much like your character, Gulshan, what did you learn from your ten co-stars?
AK: They are all between the age of 18-42. The oldest is Rishi Shahani, who won the gold and silver medals in swimming for India at the Special Olympics World Games in 1999. What I learned from them is the importance of being happy. If a person has a high IQ of 195, but they are always anxious and grouchy, what is the point? I have worked with neuro-typical people for the last 35 years. Usually, on a film set, there are ego clashes and tussles. That never happened on Sitare. When these ten people were on set, the whole energy brightened. They were always smiling, hugging and spreading good cheer. Their presence was so pure and innocent that no one raised their voice.
What is the streaming plan for 'Sitare Zameen Par'? You spoke out recently on short theatrical windows affecting the business adversely.
AK: I have received multiple offers and proposals and I have said no to all of them. I am a believer in cinema and the theatrical experience. Whatever I am today, it is because of cinemas. I am a loyalist of that format. Perhaps I am making a mistake by not selling the OTT rights upfront, as most Hindi film producers today are doing. In today's age, unless a film has sold to streaming, it cannot be green-lit. I am the only person who is holding out. Perhaps I will incur a huge financial loss as a result. But we'll see. My mission, at present, is to revive the theatrical business in India, which has been on a steady decline.
Exhibitors, especially multiplex owners, point to high real estate costs to justify steep pricing. How do you resolve this?
AK: I am actively working towards creating policies and coming up with ideas that can create theatres which are economical. Where ticket pricing can be moderated. In India, we have 9,000-10,000 screens for a population of 1.4 billion. By contrast, China has 90,000-95,000 screens while the US has 35,000 screens. There are so many districts in India that do not have a single theatre. In a city like Mumbai or New Delhi, the price of land is very high, so theatres have to pay huge rents. You cannot blame them. But what about the rest of the country? So we need to build more economical theatres across the country.
You are doing an action film with Lokesh Kanagaraj. But it won't start until next year. Why not strike a trend while it's hot?
AK: Yaar, I am not able to think like that. When I decided to do Sitaare Zameen Par, the people who are close to me told me not to do another remake after Laal Singh Chaddha. Everyone advised me to do an action film instead. It's the flavour of the season. But I wanted to tell this story. It's a humorous film with drama at its centre, like a Rajkumar Hirani movie.
Interestingly, when I did Ghajini, in 2008, the opposite had happened. I was told that action films hadn't worked for the last five years. That it was the wrong time to make action. So my films have always released at odd times, because I don't follow the industry's metrics. I follow my heart. And I have complete faith in my audience. If I have made a good film, they will come and watch.
Sitaare Zameen Par releases in theatres on June 20
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Genelia D'Souza asks why film industry can't offer her a role like Sitaare Zameen Par: ‘They think I'm married so I don't need this character'
Genelia D'Souza will be next seen as Aamir Khan's wife in RS Prasanna's coming-of-age sports comedy Sitaare Zameen Par, slated to release in cinemas on June 20. In a recent interview, Genelia revealed she auditioned thrice for the part, but didn't mind it because she wanted to do a layered role like Sunita, her character in the film. 'When people got to know I'm doing Sitaare Zameen Par, everybody said, 'Oh my god! So lucky! You're doing an Aamir Khan film!' I said of course, that's Aamir sir's bigness that he saw something in me. Of course, he made me audition. But you could also do that, right? You could also offer me a role,' said Genelia in an interview with Filmymantra Media. She continued, 'But you go as per the norms. Maybe you think I'm married so I don't need this character. I just feel filmmaking has changed, and so should our mentality. It's very important that if you want a character of a certain age, you should cast someone of that age. When we cast an actor who's much younger than the character I played, they can't understand the little-little things of it. It's important to cast right. And I hope opportunities go everyone's way.' Interestingly, Genelia D'Souza's first film with Aamir Khan Productions was Abbas Tyrewala's 2008 cult romantic comedy Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na, in which she was cast opposite Aamir's nephew Imran Khan in his debut film. Aamir recently opened up on casting Genelia in an interview with SCREEN. 'That was a long time ago. And ab Imran bhi kafi meri age ka ho gaya hai (Now Imran is also quite close to my age),' Aamir quipped. 'That thought did come to me, but in the film, we're both playing characters in the age group of early 40s. She's around that age. I'm 60, but in today's day and age, we have the advantage of VFX,' reasoned Aamir. He added that casting Genelia was director RS Prasanna's idea. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Prasanna claimed that Genelia is hugely popular in the South, from where he hails. 'Working with Genelia has been such a pleasure. She's full of positive energy. She's a great actor, and we love her in the South! Apparently, she's done all languages — Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and now, Marathi, obviously,' pointed out Prasanna. Also Read — Aamir Khan says he was asked to do an action film after Laal Singh Chaddha failure: 'I had many offers, but story of Sitaare Zameen Par entered my bloodstream' Genelia D'Souza made her debut with the Bollywood film Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003. Her first Tamil film was Boys in 2003, first Telugu movie was Satyam the next year, Kannada film debut was Satya My Love in 2008, and maiden Malayalam movie was Urumi in 2011. She made a full-fledged acting debut in Marathi with her husband Riteish Deshmukh's 2022 directorial debut Ved.


Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Enrique Iglesias to perform in India after 13 years: Check out date, venue and ticket booking here
Enrique Iglesias, the hitmaker of globally popular songs like Rhythm Divine and Bailamos, is set to perform in India after a gap of 13 years. The Spanish singer-songwriter will hold a concert on October 30 at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai's Bandra Kurla Complex. (Also read: Justin Baldoni clarifies '$650 million lawsuit against Blake Lively thrown out' claims, reveals what's really happened) The event is produced and promoted by EVA Live in partnership with BEW Live, a press release stated. 'Iglesias, celebrated as one of Spain's most prolific musical icons, is expected to deliver an unprecedented nostalgic showcase embracing a career-spanning setlist encompassing both his iconic standards and contemporary chart-toppers from his illustrious three-decade plus career,' said the press release. The 50-year-old singer previously visited India in 2012 for a tour, where he covered three cities -- Delhi, Pune and Bangalore. "Iglesias' unparalleled versatility will be on full display as his magnetic stage presence, coupled with his signature bend of pop will ignite the city, enhanced by world-class production and state-of-the-art visuals that promises to be an unforgettable, immersive and nostalgic experience for all in attendance," it added. Deepak Chaudhary, founder and managing director, EVA Live, said bringing the singer back to India is a "historic moment". "The anticipation among fans has been palpable, and we are overjoyed to facilitate this reunion. With a resurgence of interest in iconic international acts, Iglesias epitomizes a timeless allure that bridges generations, and this tour reaffirms our dedication to delivering world-class entertainment while elevating India's stature on the global touring stage," he added. In the last one year, the country has witnessed many concerts by international artists like Guns N' Roses, Coldplay, Bryan Adams, Maroon 5, Akon, Alan Walker, Glass Animals and Dua Lipa. General ticket sales will begin on June 27 after a two-phase pre-sale.


New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Netflix to invest 1 billion euros in Spain productions over the next four years
According to Netflix, its activity in Spain supports more than 20,000 jobs. According to Netflix, its activity in Spain supports more than 20,000 jobs. File Photo MADRID: US streaming giant Netflix said on Tuesday it was going to invest more than billion euros ($1.1 billion) in productions in Spain, which has become one of audiovisual creation hubs in Europe. "Over the next four years, we plan to invest over one billion euros in Spain," Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said at an event in the company's studios near Madrid. "With this investment, we will be able to contribute even more to the Spanish economy, create more Spanish jobs, tell more great stories made in Spain," he said, standing alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The event marked the 10-year anniversary of Netflix's presence in Spain. It opened its studios there -- the first ones outside the United States -- in April 2019, shortly after finding global success with the Spanish crime series Money Heist. Since then, it has turned the 22,000-square-metre (236,800-square-foot) studios into one of its main sites for film and TV production in the European Union. According to Netflix, its activity in the country supports more than 20,000 jobs.