Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; August 3, 2017)

After playing a quiet but resolute father to grownup daughters in Dangal (2016), Aamir Khan has done a turnaround of sorts in his next, Secret Superstar, which features Zaira Wasim. The actor plays a cheeky, blonde-haired singer — if his mohawk doesn’t raise eyebrows, his innuendo-laden dialogues surely will.

No wonder then, filmmaker and wife Kiran Rao did not want Khan to play the role. “I thought Aamir wouldn’t be the right fit,” declares Rao, and goes on to add, “Actually, I was among those who dissuaded Aamir from taking up this character. I didn’t want him to do the role as it’s a creepy character. [He’s] someone you don’t want to hang out alone in the room with. I told him that people will find it weird when they see him in this avatar, as he recently played a father in Dangal.”

Much like Rao, Khan too was initially reluctant about accepting the offer. “When Advait [Chandan, director] approached me, I told him that I couldn’t see myself doing this role. But, I agreed to do a screen test. It’s only when I did the screen test that I realised I was enjoying [playing the character]. It was an unusual character and so, it was challenging for me to make it believable.”

Rao concedes that she was wrong about her husband not being able to pull off the wacky character. “When we saw the screen test, we burst out laughing. We were convinced that he is the perfect choice.”