'I have typically worked with neurotypical actors. This was the first time that I was working with neuro-divergent actors.'
'The experience was mind-blowing.'
'Because they don't have egos.'
Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par is among the most-watched films of the year so far, thanks to its heart-warming underdog story.
Aamir discusses the film with Subhash K Jha, and reveals why he chose to set the film against basketball.
"Basketball is a game where you have to bounce the ball and put it in a basket. It's a fairly simple requirement," he says.
When you converted the Spanish film Champions into a Hindi film, why did you choose basketball? Basketball is not such a popular game in India.
Yes, yes, you're right. Well, the original had basketball.
We did experiment with a couple of choices.
We thought because we are showing that it's a team of neuro-divergent players, if the game is very complex, then neuro-divergent people would usually not enter that space.
Basketball is a game where you have to bounce the ball and put it in a basket. It's a fairly simple requirement.
We had thought of one alternative.
Football?
No. Kabaddi, because that's a very Indian game.
But they are specially-abled people, so playing Kabaddi would have been a little difficult.
Also, Kabaddi is a body contact sport and a lot of them are averse to pushing and shoving and pulling the leg. It doesn't come naturally to them.
So we dropped that idea.
Have you ever played Kabaddi?
Well, I have in school. It's considered as a national sport.
But basketball brought a sense of unusualness.
Was there a bond beyond the camera with these neuro-challenged heroes?
I'm very close to all of them, all 10 of them.
I had a great working relationship with them.
Having worked for 35 years now, I have typically worked with neurotypical actors. This was the first time that I was working with neuro-divergent actors.
I have to say the experience was mind-blowing.
Why is that?
Because they don't have egos.
They don't come with any preconceived heart, it's pure heart.
They're joyful.
They're happy to be on set.
They're happy to be working on a film.
Their energy is infectious.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
