‘Working with Aamir Khan was like climbing the Mt Everest’: Sitaare Zameen Par director RS Prasanna on working with the superstar| Exclusive

Filmmaker RS Prasanna believes cinema plays an important role in starting important conversations and forging relationships. His latest film Sitaare Zameen Par- featuring Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh- is hours away from release and while the director feels it is a big responsibility to be working with Aamir- he is confident that the film, much like his debut Bollywood feature Shubh Mangal Savdhan, will start an important conversation about inclusivity.

Ahead of the release of the highly anticipated film, RS Prasanna spoke about working with Aamir Khan, the actor and the producer, his experience of auditioning 2500 plus neurodivergent actors and how he still can’t believe that he got to work with Aamir Khan so early in his career.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

WION: Firstly, I want to congratulate you for Sitaare Zameen Par. It's one of the most anticipated films of the year. Aamir Khan’s films are always a celebration for his fans. How was it like to work with the superstar? Does working with Aamir Khan come with an added responsibility?

RS Prasanna: Yes, of course, working with Aamir Khan comes with a lot of responsibility, because one, the 1st thing that hits you is like a ton of bricks when you realise this man trusts you so much, so you can't let him down. I was suffering from impostor syndrome for a long time at the beginning. Working with Aamir was like climbing Mount Everest for me. I was really scared. Yeah, because I'm not used to that terrain. I was very anxious. I remember telling my wife that maybe, after meeting him, Ak will say he made a mistake, and he'll kick me out . But luckily, that didn’t happen.

After a long interaction online, I met him in person post-lockdown. We had this lovely whole day session of just hanging out like friends. He made me feel so comfortable. And it was like I was talking to a long lost friend and not a superstar that he is. So credit to him. I won't be lying if I say that I'm completely relaxed. I just feel this immense responsibility that I can't let him down and it comes out of love.

WION: How did Sitaare Zameen Par come to you?

RSP: I got a call from Aamir’s manager. He asked me if I had an interesting story or a script that I could pitch to AK Productions. I remember thinking in my head, ‘Oh, wow! I have this.’ I always wanted to work with Aamir but maybe on my 10th film. Little did I know that it would happen so soon.

When this story was offered to me, what at the time it was untitled. And at that time, what struck me and my writer Divy Nidhi Sharma, was the enormous opportunity for fun in this movie. It was an incredible story that came to us, and it had all the exciting ingredients to make a mainstream film, but with a difference. We had had an opportunity to speak about a lot of things, and we had this opportunity to cast 100 people of neurodivergent. I just felt that the story was so powerful, and I remember taking it to Amir, sir, and when he said, Yes, that's when things got really exciting and anxious for me. I felt, ‘Oh God, maybe Amir sir is making a big mistake by making me the director. Will I be able to do this?’ I was all nervous until I met him.

WION: Were Aamir and Genelia both the first choices for their respective roles?

RSP: So sometimes a cast just leaps at your face. Amir Sir was the 1st person who came to my mind for the film. Once he came on board, we started the casting process, and we were discussing which other actors I'd like to work with. And so, in one of those discussions, Aamir Sir said, ‘Hey, you know what? So we were about to test some actors right? I just met Ritesh and Genelia after a long time. And do you want to meet her? I mean, what do you feel?’ I said, sir actually, she might be the perfect person for this character, and when you see the movie you know there's so much in the movie that her character brings to the forefront. But again, we did our readings. We did our test shoot with Aamir and Genelia before finalizing.

WION: Your first Hindi film, Shub Mangal Savdhan, was such a sweet film. But I observe a pattern. Both Shubh Mangal and Sitaare are message-driven films. Do you see cinema as a medium for societal change?

RSP: Not so much societal change, but I feel a human conversation. I'm a person who loves conversations, and I am quite appalled by the fact that growing up in a middle-class household, I was the guy saying all the awkward stuff. And then everyone is grown up. I used to be the kid who called out hypocrisy, and I used to just speak my mind and get in a lot of trouble because of that. I was attracted to cinema and books that asked questions that others were afraid of asking. When it came to cinema, I had to define who I am by making my 1st film Kalyana Samayal Saadham right. It came organically to me. I think my personality and everything came together in the film.

And the fact that people are saying ‘Oh, my God! How can you say the story?’ That is exciting. So Sitaare Zameen Par is yet another conversation that makes people uncomfortable. So maybe I should have it, you know. Also I think humor is a great kind of softener. A lot of conversations, when you have it through characters and through humor, people accept it. More than societal change, my cinema enables human conversations. It's about relationships for me, you know. Society is, after all, an expansion of the individual, isn't it?

WION: Sitaare Zameen Par is launching 10 very unique actors in the film industry. While it's fascinating that you have cast differently abled people in those roles, does it come with certain challenges?

RSP: Everything is challenging. Human relationships are challenging. But that is what is exciting for me. I don't see it as a challenge. I see it as an opportunity to do something fun and do something new. Because theoretically, one knows that it is possible. Otherwise, one doesn't embark on the journey.

I think more than working with neurodivergent actors, the casting process was more challenging. I knew that once we get these actors, we have processes, workshops and all to get there right. But we need to be able to find these actors, and for that, I would say kudos to my producer, Mr. Amir Khan, because he was the one who gave me the confidence to audition actors. I was helped along the way by amazing casting Director Tess Joseph, and then Anmol also came along as a casting director. So we reached out to so many organizations, we did 2,500 plus intros and auditions, and from there we kind of got these amazing actors right. I was very confident about the quality, but we need quantity, too.

WION: What's been the biggest learning for you while making Sitaare Zameen Par?

RSP: That dreams can come true because I never in my wildest dreams imagined I'd sit next to Mr. Amir Khan, let alone work with him, let alone direct him. If you do things from your heart, and maybe the universe will indeed conspire to make it happen. The biggest learning is to listen to the voice of intuition, which is always a whisper.

WION: Aamir Khan is known to be a perfectionist. What is it like to have Amir Khan on the set, even when he's not facing the camera? Does he give input? Or he's more of a director's actor. He follows instructions?

RSP: He's a director's delight. So he is a person who completely submits to the film, to the script, and is very respectful of protocol. He's very respectful towards any suggestion he gives any insights he has. There's not one input he will ever give you that is about himself as an actor; it is more about the film. He's very selfless. He is just phenomenal to work with. Forget Aamir, my Sitaares gave me suggestions all the time!