Aamir Khan is all set to return to the big screen with his much-awaited film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’. While fans are excited to see him alongside Genelia Deshmukh in the upcoming release, not many know that Aamir wasn’t originally supposed to star in the film himself. In fact, the role was first offered to Farhan Akhtar!Yes, that’s right. Aamir recently revealed that he was going through a tough emotional phase after the failure of his last film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. So much so, that he decided to step away from ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’, which he had planned to shoot next.Aamir took a break after ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’The ‘PK’ actor opened up during the Bollywood Hungama Style Icons Summit and said he was feeling “heartbroken” and “emotionally battered”. That’s when he made the difficult choice to take a break from acting.“I told Prasanna (director) that I was depressed and hence, I needed a break. Prasanna got a heart attack (laughs) on hearing that. He was very understanding. He said, ‘I understand what you are going through and emotionally, you don’t feel like doing the film. But I request you to produce the film’. I agreed,” Aamir shared. Although he didn’t want to act in the film at the time, Aamir agreed to produce it. That’s when the makers began work on casting new actors for the lead roles.Farhan Akhtar and Sivakarthikeyan were locked for the lead roleOnce Aamir stepped back, the team moved ahead with casting. The film was set to have two versions – a Hindi and a Tamil one. Aamir revealed, “They had decided to make two versions of ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ – one in Hindi with Farhan Akhtar in the lead role, while Sivakarthikeyan was going to do the Tamil version. They loved the script and the dates were even worked out.”With everything in place, it seemed like the film was ready to go without Aamir in front of the camera. But things changed very quickly.Script readings sparked a change of heartAlthough he had stepped back from acting, Aamir still sat in on script readings, as he usually does before the shoot begins. And that’s where his feelings started to shift. “On the first day of reading the script, within half an hour, I was like ‘Why am I not doing this film?’ For 7 days, I got that feeling 10 times a day,” he confessed.After spending a week feeling more and more connected to the story, Aamir couldn’t hold back anymore. “Then on the seventh day, mere se raha nahin gaya. I told writer Divya and Prasanna that I loved the script. I also said, ‘Now it’s too late. Casting ho chuki hai’. The bullet has been fired from the gun. Prasanna told me, ‘I am from Chennai. We take the bullet which has been fired and put it back in the gun’!”This humorous yet touching comment from the director R.S. Prasanna clearly made a strong impact on Aamir – and sealed the deal for his return as the film’s lead.Aamir personally apologised to Farhan and SivakarthikeyanGoing back on a casting decision is never easy. But Aamir made sure to handle it with honesty and respect. He reached out personally to both Farhan Akhtar and Sivakarthikeyan to explain the situation. “He (Prasanna) told me, ‘You are my original choice and as a director, I have been with you for 4 years. Now, when you are feeling like doing it, I can’t let you down’,” Aamir recalled.“Badi himmat karke, I spoke to Farhan and Sivakarthikeyan and apologised to them. I honestly told them what had happened. They were disappointed but they understood my point. Farhan said, ‘You have lived with the script for so long’.”What to expect from ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’Now back in the lead role, Aamir Khan will be seen alongside Genelia Deshmukh in the film. ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ is the film is directed by R.S. Prasanna and is set to hit theatres on 20th June, 2025.
