Why Sitaare Zameen Par Was ‘Indianised’

What is fascinating about Aamir sir is that the audience in him is still alive and throbbing. He still cries. He still laughs.

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Eighteen years after his directorial debut Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan returns with its ‘spiritual sequel’ called Sitaare Zameen Par.

This time, he deals with yet another less-known medical condition -- neurodivergence. But Aamir doesn’t direct this time. This time, R S Prasanna, who directed the Tamil film Kalyana Samayal Saadham and its Hindi remake Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, takes over the directorial reins.

“When this story was offered to me, it was so exciting,” “I saw a quintessential Aamir Khan film.”

Taare Zameen Par was a huge hit and widely appreciated. Does that put pressure on you?

Every movie puts pressure on a filmmaker, the pressure of telling a story from the heart.

When I'm writing dialogues or a scene, I am always scared. What if I am the only person who finds this interesting?

Does my wife find it interesting too? Are my kids okay with it?

Pressure is the long-term friend of every filmmaker. When there is a legacy like Taare Zameen Par, there are certainly butterflies in the stomach. But I had the legacy next to me, Aamir Khan, and he makes his directors very comfortable. I am a huge fan of Taare Zameen Par. I remember he came down to Chennai to receive the Best Debut Director Award. He rarely accepts awards, right? That was the Gollapudi Srinivas Memorial Award and K Balachander gave it to him. There was a huge crowd in the auditorium and I couldn't get an entry I was part of the crowd outside the auditorium. When Aamir sir came out to interact with fans, he was so humble. Recently, I told Aamir sir I was that kid who saw you from a distance, thank you for letting me into your world.

How did you approach Aamir for Sitaare Zameen Par?