Akshaye Khanna Shares How Aamir Khan Took Over ‘Taare Zameen Par,’ Netizens React

Akshaye Khanna previously said that ‘Taare Zameen Par’ was initially presented to him. Taare Zameen Par, one of the most beloved Indian films, marked Aamir Khan’s directorial debut. The movie was so successful that it was officially submitted by the nation as Best Foreign Film for the 81st Academy Awards in 2009.

Akshaye Khanna was the first choice for Taare Zameen Par

Akshaye Khanna was the first actor chosen for the project, but Aamir Khan snatched it. In an interview with Midday, Akshay Khanna disclosed that he was chosen for the movie by director Amol Gupte, but Aamir accepted it since he enjoyed it.

During the Sit with Hitlist part of the show, the actor revealed that Amol was unable to cast him because to Aamir. He went on to say that Amol wanted to see him and tell the story, but he contacted Aamir because he didn’t know the actor. But first, Aamir requested him to tell him the narrative. Aamir, however, thought the story was good and informed Amol that he would do the film as soon as he finished narrating it. He said:

“He approached Aamir because he was a friend of Aamir’s and said, ‘You know I really want to narrate this story to Akshaye, and I don’t know him, you just worked with him in Dil Chahata Hai, so can you call him and tell him I want to narrate him a script.’ So, Aamir, being Aamir, said, ‘I can’t recommend a script unless I hear it first, so make me hear it, and if I like it, I’ll tell Akshaye,’ and he liked it so much that he ended up doing it.”

Aamir Khan recounted the ordeal to Akshaye Khanna

In the same conversation, Akshay Khanna disclosed that Aamir Khan had told him about the incident. Akshaye acknowledged that he didn’t regret anything, though, because Aamir had done a fantastic job with the movie. He related the story of how Aamir informed him about the movie and said:

“One day, I was shooting at one of these studios, I don’t remember Mehboob, I think it was. And Aamir was also shooting for a film, so I just went to his van to say ‘hi,’ and then he was like, ‘Oh, you know what, this happened, and I didn’t allow him to come to you, and I did the film myself.’ I said, okay, no problem.”

Netizens react on Akshaye Khanna’s remark

The interview, which goes back to 2022, recently surfaced on the discussion platform Reddit, where netizens weighed in to give their thoughts. A user wrote: “Just like Akshaye said, ‘Aamir being Aamir.'” Another wrote, “I can actually see Akshaye doing a great job with the TZP role. It would have been more intense and serious.” A  Redditor penned: 

“What happened to Amol Gupte was terrible…However, Aamir’s version of TZP was and remains a life-changing movie for many parents of kids with learning disabilities. Aamir made the film very accessible to parents. From a cinematic perspective, Aamir’s version of TZP might be a much lesser movie than Amol Gupte’s version, but its real-world impact is immeasurable.”