‘Bachchan sir has played both Rakhee ji’s lover and her son…’: Aamir defends pairing with Sana

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has opened up about the 2018 film Thugs of Hindostan, calling it a “massive failure” at the box office and addressing the casting controversies that surrounded it.

In a candid interview with The Lallantop, Khan spoke about the decision to cast actress Fatima Sana Shaikh in the lead role opposite him. He revealed that several top actresses, including Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt had turned down the project. It was then that producer Aditya Chopra and director Vijay Krishna Acharya suggested Fatima for the role.

Interestingly, Khan noted that his previous on-screen relationship with Fatima in Dangal, where he played her father, had raised concerns for the filmmakers.

"Two years earlier, in Dangal, Fatima played my daughter. That was a sticking point for both Adi (Aditya Chopra) and Victor (Vijay Krishna Acharya). They felt audiences might find it hard to accept her as my love interest in Thugs of Hindostan," Khan said.

Khan, however, disagreed with their reservations. "I don’t believe in any of that. This isn’t real life — it’s cinema. I’m not her father, and I’m not her lover. We’re actors playing roles. I made that very clear to both of them," he added.

He also pointed out that legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan have portrayed both romantic and familial roles opposite the same actresses in different films. "Bachchan sahab has played both Rakhee ji’s lover and her son in different films. He has done the same with Waheeda Rehman ji. If we follow the logic that Victor and Adi were suggesting, we would be underestimating the intelligence of our audience," Khan remarked.

Despite his disagreement, the film went ahead with Fatima in the role. Khan shared that both Aditya Chopra and Vijay Krishna Acharya were pleased with the final product, but he personally found it unsatisfying.

"I was shocked after watching the final film. I told them I didn’t understand it. At first, they thought I was joking. But I told them frankly — this won’t work even for a day. They didn’t like me interfering, and I respected that. After all, the producer and director have the final say," Khan stated.

Thugs of Hindostan, which also starred Amitabh Bachchan and Katrina Kaif, was one of the most anticipated films of 2018 but was met with overwhelmingly negative reviews and performed poorly at the box office.