Laal Singh Chaddha's leading lady Kareena Kapoor Khan on auditioning for the first time in her 20-year career
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 26, 2019)

"There was no way I would have missed working with Aamir Khan," emphasises Kareena Kapoor Khan, who landed the coveted role of the female lead in Laal Singh Chaddha, a few months ago. The actor created quite a flutter recently when she revealed that she was required to audition for the part — her first screen test in a stellar career spanning almost two decades. In Hollywood, auditions may be par for the course, but superstars giving screen tests for roles remains unheard of in Bollywood's star-driven system.

"I wouldn't have agreed to do this for anyone except Aamir. He is a genius, and he would want to do the best for his film. If he asked me to audition, it is only because he knew I was perfect for the part. But he wanted to be sure of what he was seeing in me. There's science to that decision," she argues.

Prod her about the audition, and she excitedly says, "He wanted me to read two scenes with him. The minute I did the reading, I knew I had bagged the part. I have an amazing chemistry with Aamir that comes alive [on screen] the minute we get together." The duo, who has earlier collaborated on 3 Idiots (2009), has a more ambitious offering this time around — the Advait Chandan-directed venture is an official adaptation of Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump (1994). "Aamir is as transformative as Tom Hanks. I am his biggest fan. He is the only actor who leaves me tongue-tied."