When Aamir Khan Auditioned For Ravi Kishan's Role In Laapataa Ladies, Got Rejected: 'Kiran Said You're A...'

Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies has been selected as India’s official entry for Oscars 2025. The film is eyeing a nomination in the Best Foreign Film category. Laapataa Ladies features Pratibha Ranta, Nitanshi Goel, Sparsh Shrivastava, Chhaya Kadam and Ravi Kishan. However, Aamir Khan, who backed the film, also wanted a role in the film. He even auditioned for Ravi Kishan’s role but was rejected as he was a bigger star than the film needed.

Speaking at the ABP Majha event earlier this year, Aamir Khan shared, “The story was really good, and there was a very good character in it. I thought I would offer this story to Kiran, she might like it. I wanted to do a role in the film, and Kiran said, ‘You are a very big star, my film is small, you will disbalance it.’ I said, ‘At least let me give a screen test, let’s see if I suit the role or not.’ So, I gave the screen test.”

He continued, “After giving the screen test, both Kiran and I liked it, but we both feared that if I came as a star, people would have expectations. We felt that I should not be in the film in any case.” Following this, the actor suggested to Kiran Rao that he is ready to go through an overall change in appearance like Robert Downey Jr in Tropic Thunder but the director’s response dissuaded him, “Main huliya badal dunga,” to which Kiran replied, “Toh faida kya hai,” he recalled.

The film revolves around the misadventures of two young brides who get lost on the same train. The film is based on an award-winning story by Biplab Goswami. The screenplay and dialogues are written by Sneha Desai, while the additional dialogues have been jotted down by Divyanidhi Sharma.

The film was shot in the real locations of Sehore, located in Madhya Pradesh and the makers also added real-life villagers and locations as part of the film. Laapataa Ladies opened to massively positive reviews. However, the film’s popularity soared after it was made available to stream on Netflix.

Made under the banners of Aamir Khan Productions and Kindling Productions, Laapataa Ladies marked the directorial comeback of Kiran Rao after Dhobi Ghat. Before its theatrical release, the film was screened at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2023. It received a standing ovation from the audience present at the festival. The film was released in India in March this year.