Aamir Khan says Kiran Rao ‘didn’t trust him as an actor’ after she rejected him for cop’s role in Laapataa Ladies: ‘My screen test was very good’

Kiran shed light on her reasoning for the casting choice, explaining, “Obviously, his screen test was good, and he really wanted to play that role. But I felt that the balance of the film would have tipped a little. Now, everyone knows that the character does a flip in the end, even though he stays kind of grey throughout the film. It shows that he has an empathetic side to him. But with Aamir, you would have expected him to do something like this in the end because he is Aamir Khan.”

Aamir, quick to add his signature humor, quipped, “She didn’t trust me as an actor. She didn’t trust that I would convince the audience that I am a very grey person.”

Initially opening to a lukewarm response, Laapataa Ladies became a sleeper hit as its storyline resonated deeply with audiences. The film was later selected as India’s official entry to Oscars 2025. Produced by Aamir Khan and directed by Kiran Rao, it featured Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastav, Chhaya Kadam, and Ravi Kishan in pivotal roles.