Aamir Khan says Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra told him he was ‘making a big mistake’ before Lagaan shoot

Aamir Khan recalled that he was warned by Karan Johar and Aditya Chopra about ‘making a big mistake’ right before he left to shoot for Lagaan. They were sceptical about his decision to shoot the film in a single schedule but he chose to go ahead with his intuition.

Lagaan, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, completed 20 years of its release on June 15. The film, starring Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh, was the story of how the inhabitants of a small village in India, ravaged by drought and burdened by taxes, stake their future on a game of cricket with the British. Lagaan was a critical and commercial success, and was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 74th Academy Awards.

Bollywood Hungama quoted Aamir as saying in a media interaction, “I remember I met Karan Johar and Adi (Aditya Chopra) at a party just a few days before the outdoor and they told me I was making a big mistake. They advised me to not shoot in a single schedule. They said it will become a mess but I stuck to my guts. And today both Adi and Karan are doing sync sound and single schedule.”

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Aamir also revealed that when Ashutosh initially gave him a narration for Lagaan, he was hesitant to do it, as he felt that the film was ‘too complex’. He not only went on to play the lead role but also produced it under his banner Aamir Khan Productions. The film was his first production venture.

During the interaction, Aamir also talked about how he was averse to the idea of venturing into production, as he saw his father Tahir Hussain face financial difficulties as a producer, to the point of being ‘almost bankrupt’.

Aamir will be seen next in the titular role in Advait Chandan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the Hollywood hit Forrest Gump. The film also stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Mona Singh.

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