Akshaye Khanna once revealed that 'Taare Zameen Par' was initially being offered to him. Read to know more.
Aamir Khan has built a name for himself in the Indian film fraternity as a phenomenal Bollywood actor and a film director. The actor made his directorial debut with one of the most loved films of Indian cinema, Taare Zameen Par. The film had such a major impact that it became the country's official entry for the 81st Academy Awards in 2009 under the Best Foreign Film category.
Filmmaker, Amol Gupte had infused reality in the film in such a way that it touched the heart of every viewer, making Taare Zameen Par a staple in Bollywood's most loved. However, did you know Aamir Khan was not the first choice for the blockbuster film? Yes, you read that right, it was actor, Akshaye Khanna who was the first selected for the film, but Aamir Khan snatched the film. Akshay Khanna, in an interview with Midday, revealed that the filmmaker, Amol Gupte, had picked him for the film, but Aamir liked the film and took it.
During the Sit with Hitlist segment of the show, the actor shared that Amol couldn't cast him because of Aamir. He added that Amol wanted to meet him and narrate the story, but he didn't know the actor himself, so he reached out to Aamir. However, Aamir asked him to narrate the story to him first. Nonetheless, Aamir liked the story, and as soon as Amol was done with the narration, he told him that he would do the film. He stated:
"He approached Aamir because he was a friend of Aamir's and said, 'You know I really want to narrate this story to Akshaye, and I don't know him, you just worked with him in Dil Chahata Hai, so can you call him and tell him I want to narrate him a script.' So, Aamir, being Aamir, said, 'I can't recommend a script unless I hear it first, so make me hear it, and if I like it, I'll tell Akshaye,' and he liked it so much that he ended up doing it."
In the same conversation, Akshay Khanna revealed that Aamir Khan himself had told him about the occurrence. However, Akshaye admitted that he didn't regret it, as Aamir had done an excellent job with the film. He shared the anecdote from when Aamir told him about the film and stated:
"One day, I was shooting at one of these studios, I don't remember, Mehboob, I think it was. And Aamir was also shooting for a film, so I just went to his van to say 'hi,' and then he was like, 'Oh, you know what, this happened, and I didn't allow him to come to you, and I did the film myself.' I said, okay, no problem."
The interview, which dates back to 2022, recently reached the discussion platform, Reddit, and netizens chimed in to share their views. A user wrote, "Just like Akshaye said, 'Aamir being Aamir.'" Another wrote, "I can actually see Akshaye doing a great job with the TZP role. It would have been more intense and serious." A Redditor penned:
"What happened to Amol Gupte was terrible...However, Aamir's version of TZP was and remains a life-changing movie for many parents of kids with learning disabilities. Aamir made the film very accessible to parents. From a cinematic perspective, Aamir's version of TZP might be a much lesser movie than Amol Gupte's version, but its real-world impact is immeasurable."
What are your thoughts on Akshaye Khanna's revelations?
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