Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson backs Aamir Khan for biopic, says SS Rajamouli ‘never contacted' him for it
Actor Aamir Khan recently announced that he is currently working with director Rajkumar Hirani on a biopic of the legendary Dadasaheb Phalke. Fans are excited to see the duo reunite after such a long time; their last project together was PK, in 2014. Another individual who is rather excited about the biopic is Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, the grandson of Dadsaheb Phalke. In a recent interview, he expressed his excitement for the project and claimed that Aamir Khan is better suited for the job than filmmaker SS Rajamouli, who had also announced a Phalke biopic with Jr NTR as the lead.
Pusalkar was rather disappointed with Rajamouli, and told Amar Ujala in an interview, 'I have been hearing discussions about Rajamouli's project, but he never contacted me for it. No one spoke to me on behalf of Rajamouli. If someone is making a film on Phalke ji, then at least the family should be talked to. The family cannot be ignored; it's we who know the real stories.' On the other hand, he was quite appreciative of Aamir and Hirani, who, according to him, 'worked hard to gain his trust'.
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'Aamir-Hirani's team worked hard to gain trust. Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani's project was a surprise for me too. I just got to know that they have tied the knot, but their assistant producer, Hindukush Bhardwaj, has been in touch with me for the last three years. He used to come to meet me again and again, do research, and ask for details. I told him clearly, You guys are working honestly; you go ahead; I have no objection,' said Pusalkar.
Aamir's team rolled out a statement that they will be beginning work on the project after the release of Sitaare Zameen Par and that the project has been in development for four years. 'Rajkumar Hirani with Abhijat Joshi and two other writers, Hindukush Bharadwaj and Avishkar Bharadwaj, have been working on this script for the last 4 years. Dadasaheb Phalke's grandson, Chandrashekhar Srikrishna Pusalkar, has been supportive of the project and has provided major anecdotes from Dadasaheb Phalke's life.'
Pulsalkar also added that Hirani and Aamir should approach actor Vidya Balan to play the role of his grandmother Saraswatibai Phalke. Dadasaheb Phalke directed India's first feature film, Raja Harishchandra. The country's highest honour for cinema is named after him.
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