"Aamir is the most jealous person."
Aamir Khan’s Taare Zameen Par (2007) remains one of Bollywood’s most loved and enduring films.
Aamir also directed the film, but it recently transpired that he was not the original choice for the role of the art teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh.
An old interview with Akshaye Khanna resurfaced, in which he claimed that he was the first contender for the film.
The writer of Taare Zameen Par, Amole Gupte, did not know Akshaye well, and he therefore reached out to Aamir.
Akshaye had worked with Aamir Khan in the classic Dil Chahta Hai (2001). In the interview, Akshaye explained:
“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 Chahta Hai, so can you call him and tell him I want to narrate 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.”
Akshaye added that Aamir admitted the incident to him later. He continued:
“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 hello.
“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’.”
The revelation sparked controversy among users on Reddit, with many criticising Aamir Khan.
One said: “Aamir is the most jealous person among the three Khans.
“But he has created his so-called fake image that people consider him the good one.”
Another user wrote: “Aamir often goes overboard when he’s acting. Akshaye acts in perfect sync.
“The fact that Aamir got insecure of Akshaye proves that he knew Akshaye could do better than him.”
Taare Zameen Par is centred on a schoolboy named Ishaan Awasthi (Darsheel Safary) who has dyslexia.
However, his father misconstrues his learning difficulties to be laziness and foolishness.
Therefore, Ishaan is packed off to a strict boarding school, where his life becomes a misery.
However, his life changes when Nikumbh begins teaching at the school.
Recognising Ishaan’s dyslexia, Nikumbh improves his reading and writing skills, capitalising on the notion that every child is special.
The film earned universal acclaim, with many praising the screenplay, performances, and social message.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Akshaye Khanna was last seen in Chhaava (2025) as the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Aamir Khan will next be seen in Sitaare Zameen Par.
His cult classic Andaz Apna Apna (1994) is also due to be re-released in April 2025.
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