Aamir Khan at an event, Ravi Kishan in the film. (courtesy: RaviKishan)
Filmmaker Kiran Rao, who is set to come out with her new directorial Laapataa Ladies, revealed how Aamir Khan was keen on enacting the role essayed by Ravi Kishan and had even auditioned for it.
Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Kiran Rao opened up about the casting process for her film, saying, "Aamir loved the character and auditioned for it as well. But I felt that since he is a star, there would be more expectations from the character if he were to essay that role. Aamir was bringing a star baggage to the character. So, we wanted someone so fit for the role that you cannot make out what he does next. Ravi Kishan is amazing, I felt that there could not be a better Manohar than him."
"In a way, Aamir (Aamir Khan) helped a lot because he supported the idea of having fresh actors so that the viewers are pleasantly surprised and find some new things in the character and what Ravi Kishan brings to it. When you see stars, you understand that this is a hero and that is a villain. However, we had to keep the suspense till the end." Also opening up on how the idea around her next film came about and was taken forward, Kiran said, "Aamir was a judge at a screenwriting competition in 2018. He liked the story as soon as he read it. When he narrated it to me in one line, I felt that I had to make (a film on it) it after a little bit of rewriting."
Laapataa Ladies is a story set in 2001 in rural India about two young brides who get separated during a train journey and what happens when Kishan, a police officer, takes it upon himself to probe the missing case. The film received a standing ovation during a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film also stars Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, and Nitanshi Goel in key roles.
Laapataa Ladies is produced by the team, which collaborated for such hits as Delhi Belly, Dangal, and Peepli Live. Presented by Jio Studios, Laapataa Ladies is directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan and Jyoti Deshpande. The film has been produced under the banner of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions, with the scripting by Biplab Goswami.
Sneha Desai wrote the screenplay and dialogue while Divyanidhi Sharma jotted down the additional lines. Laapataa Ladies will hit the theatres on March 1.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)