Film journalist Pratim Dasgupta recently talked about an anecdote involving Aamir Khan and himself. It was 2010. Kiran Rao’s directorial debut Dhobi Ghat had just released. Dasgupta, then writing for The Telegraph’s entertainment supplement, reviewed it warmly. He praised Monica Dogra, Prateik Babbar, and Kriti Malhotra for "slipping effortlessly" into their roles.
But he was blunt about Aamir Khan: “He stuck out like a sore thumb. He hadn’t found the sur of the film. In my honest critical opinion, he was miscast.”
Usually, such harshness angers/upsets stars. However, Aamir Khan told the critic he agreed with his take. Before the critic could respond, Aamir added quietly, “I was the worst of the four.” Far from being "vengeful", the Bollywood superstar was appreciating the critic.
In a recent social media post, the critic revealed that, years later, when Aamir auditioned for Kiran Rao’s next film Laapataa Ladies, he stepped aside for Ravi Kishen after failing in an audition for the role. Kiran Rao, his ex-wife, was the director. He was the producer. Yet, she rejected him for the role and cast someone else.
