Aamir Khan Talks Age-Gap Casting With Genelia D'Souza In Sitaare Zameen Par: 'It Is Not A Barrier'

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Aamir Khan talks about playing Genelia D'Souza's husband in Sitaare Zameen Par, despite their Jaane Tu… connection. 'That thought did cross my mind,' he says.
In an unexpected casting move that has caught fans' attention, Aamir Khan will be seen playing the husband of Genelia D'Souza in the upcoming film Sitaare Zameen Par. For many, the pairing may feel unusual — after all, it was Aamir himself who introduced Genelia to the Hindi film industry in 2008, casting her opposite his nephew Imran Khan in the beloved rom-com Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na.
Now, more than 15 years later, they're playing a married couple — a decision Aamir acknowledges with a smile. 'Ya, I know. That thought did come to me," he says in a recent interview with Indian Express. 'But that was a long time ago. And ab Imran bhi kaafi meri age ka ho gaya hai (laughs)."
In Sitaare Zameen Par, a Hindi adaptation of the 2018 Spanish film Campeones, both Aamir and Genelia portray characters in their early 40s. While Aamir is now 60, he dismisses concerns about the age difference, crediting modern technology and audience openness for breaking cinematic taboos around age-gap casting.
'We have the advantage of VFX now," he explains. 'Earlier, if I had to play an 18-year-old, I had to rely on prosthetics — like Anil Kapoor did in Eeshwar (1989), when he played an 80-year-old. Today, you can look 80 or 40 or 20 on screen with seamless visual effects. So age is no longer a barrier for actors."
Directed by R.S. Prasanna (Shubh Mangal Saavdhan), Sitaare Zameen Par marks Aamir's return to the big screen after multiple breaks from acting — first during the pandemic, and later after the commercial failure of Laal Singh Chaddha. But as he candidly shares, the right story pulls him back in.
'I have a compulsive streak," he says. 'If something enters my bloodstream, I can't stay away."
Set for release in June 2025, Sitaare Zameen Par promises to be an emotional, coming-of-age drama with Aamir and Genelia at its heart — an onscreen pairing no one saw coming, but one that may just surprise us all.
First Published:
June 08, 2025, 21:14 IST