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‘Aamir being Aamir…’: When Akshaye Khanna revealed he was the first choice for Taare Zameen Par, not Aamir Khan
Did you know not Aamir Khan but Akshaye Khanna was the first choice to play Ram Shankar Nikumbh in Taare Zameen Par?
Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna is currently winning hearts across the nation thanks to his incredible performance in Dhurandhar. His unmatched aura, impeccable acting chops and unbelievable portrayal of Rehman Dakait in the Ranveer Singh-starrer have made Akshaye the internet’s newest obsession. Amid all the craze, many of Akshaye’s old interviews have resurfaced on social media. Recently we came across a clip where Akshaye revealed that he was the first choice for Taare Zameen Par (2007) — one of the most memorable masterpieces in the history of Bollywood, which marked Akshaye's Dil Chahta Hai co-star Aamir Khan’s directorial debut. In another video, Aamir revealed how he ended up doing the film instead of Akshaye.
6 years ago in a chat with Mid Day, when asked if he was approached by Amole Gupte for Taare Zameen Par, Akshaye Khanna shared, “No, he didn’t. He approached Aamir, because he was a friend of Aamir’s.” Akshaye explained that Amol didn’t know him personally. So the filmmaker told Aamir that he wanted to narrate a script to Akshaye. Akshaye went on to recall, “Aamir being Aamir said that, ‘I can’t recommend a script unless I hear it first. So make me hear it and if I like it I will tell Akshaye.’ And he (Aamir) liked it so much that he ended up doing it. And then one day I was shooting at one of these studios, Mehboob I think it was. And Aamir was also shooting on one of the floors. So I just went to say hi and then he was like, ‘Oh you know what, this happened and I didn’t allow him to come to you, I did the film myself.’ So I said, ‘Okay, no problem’.” When asked if Akshaye thought it was a miss for him, the actor replied, “No. I don’t think I could have done a better job than Aamir. He was superb, so it was good that destiny kind of took him.”
Well, six months ago, in a chat with Lallantop, Aamir shared his story. Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist recalled, “Amol ne mujhe yeh kahani sunaai, mujhe yeh kahani bohot pasand aayi. Unhone mujhe kaha tha mujhe Akshaye Khanna ko ek cheez narate karni hai. Akshaye dost hai mera, main usko recommend karunga, toh aisa nahi ho ke… Ek dafa main sun leta hun.” Aamir remembered saying, “Yeh kahani hai toh badi achhi aur main Akshaye ko kal hi phone karta hun, aaj hi phone karta hun. Lekin mera ek sawal hai aap yeh mujhe offer kyun nahi kar rahe hain? Toh unhone kaha ki maine kabhi socha hi nahi tha aap karenge, I never thought aap film karoge mere saath ya sunna chahoge.”
Taare Zameen Par’s spiritual successor Sitaare Zameen Par released in theatres last year.
