Harshada Rege (DNA; October 28, 2014)

Aamir Khan is known to go to great lengths to work on his characters. Be it going rural for Lagaan, sporting six-pack abs and a unique buzz cut in Ghajini, and working on his mannerisms to fit in as a college student for 3 Idiots, he always goes that extra mile to get it right.

For his next PK, where he plays an alien who wears anything that comes his way (including a skirt), the look couldn’t be too refined. During a brainstorming session, director Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir decided that the actor’s character should be seen wearing worn clothes, since they are borrowed/stolen. So, instead of sourcing clothes from a designer, they sought help from the aam janta.

So even before the shooting began, the crew of the film was sent on a mission to get clothes. Aamir and Raju too ‘picked up’ clothes from people on the streets or their local crew. When they shot in Rajasthan, they wanted shirts in authentic Rajasthani print. But instead of going to the local market, they requested locals to give them the clothes that they were wearing. In return, the film’s crew gave them money or a new shirt. The locals were more than happy to help the film’s crew. When the crew displayed the clothes they had managed to collect, Raju and Aamir were extremely pleased with the quirky collection that helped add colour to the character.