Aamir Khan reveals why his Laal Singh Chaddha character is Sikh: ‘Technically, he could be any one, but…’

Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha will be released on August 11. In a recent interview, the actor was asked why he was playing a Sikh character in the Hindi remake of Tom Hanks’ Hollywood classic Forrest Gump. Aamir said that although ‘technically’ the character could be anyone, the film’s screenwriter, Atul Kulkarni, had written the story in a way that the audiences could ‘invest their emotions very strongly’ in the character, and the incidents from 1983-84. The actor added that the Sikh community ‘went through a lot of difficulties at that time’. (Also Read | Aamir Khan refused to read Atul Kulkarni’s Laal Singh Chaddha script for two years, told him ‘you are not a writer’)

Laal Singh Chaddha is the official Hindi remake of the 1994 Hollywood classic, Forrest Gump. The film, Aamir’s first in four years, also stars Kareena Kapoor, Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya. In a recent interview, Aamir spoke about why the film’s lead character is Sikh, and not from any other background. In the film’s poster and trailer, Aamir is seen with a long beard and wearing a Sikh turban.

“Atul (Atul Kulkarni) in his adaptation (of Forrest Gump) had already placed him as a Sikh… When we received it as a script, we were already reading a Sikh character. So, it felt very natural to us and organic to us. So, none of us questioned why he is a Sikh. But now that I think about it, technically, he could be anyone, he could be south Indian. But I think Atul did that because, in our timeline of recent socio-political history, 1983-84 was a very key time, a very difficult time, and the Sikh community went through a lot of difficulties at that time,” Aamir told journalist Baradwaj Rangan.

Aamir added that by making the lead character Sikh, the film’s writer, Atul Kulkarni, was trying to capture the audience’s emotions. “By making the lead character a Sikh, I think what Atul was trying to do and I think he did that rather well, is that you are actually investing your emotions very strongly in the character, in the incident and then from there on… in the film,” Aamir said.

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Atul had spoken about Aamir’s look in the film and said that ‘every small detail has a reason’. He said about Aamir’s Laal Singh Chaddha avatar, “There is a lot to say, but if I do, I will be spoiling it for the audience. But I can say, every small detail has a reason in the film.”