I WANT TO REVIVE THE THEATRE BUSINESS

Aamir Khan speaks about his upcoming film, Sitaare Zameen Par, remaking the Spanish film Champions for Indian audiences, his thoughts on the declining theatre business, his upcoming projects, and more

- SHREYAS PANDE

AFTER the underwhelming response to his last film, Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), the ambitious remake of Tom Hanks' much popular Forrest Gump (1994), Aamir Khan is returning with a local adaptation of another international feature.AFTER the underwhelming response to his last film, Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), the ambitious remake of Tom Hanks' much popular Forrest Gump (1994), Aamir Khan is returning with a local adaptation of another international feature. This time, it's the Spanish film Champions (2018).

The movie tells the story of an abrasive basketball coach and his interactions with ten neurodivergent people. The actor-producer says that he was deeply moved by the Spanish film and wanted to make a palatable Indian version through Sitaare Zameen Par. Addressing the discussions around the film, Aamir says that he doesn't have a problem with remakes.

"They are a new canvas for me. Besides Laal Singh Chaddha, many of my earlier films were remakes too. Be it Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), which was based on Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet or Ghajini (2008) and they were all hits," he says. The actor adds that the "sudden problem" with remakes is something that has been started by social media trolls.

"I believe in remakes and will keep doing it all my life. Why shouldn't I do it? If you don't want to see it, then don't. It's your choice," Aamir says. "Remakes are more than just cut, copy and paste. You have to put your own life into it."

As the film releases in theatres on June 20, the actor interacted with the media, talking about his reasons for making the film, the impact of trolling on a film's box office, clearing the air around Sitaare Zameen Par's OTT release, his upcoming projects and more.

Excerpts:

How did development on the film begin and why did you want to make it?