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Aamir Khan reveals Thugs of Hindostan makers were against pairing him with Fatima Sana Shaikh: 'Neither am I her father in real life, nor her boyfriend'
Aamir Khan details how Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Shraddha Kapoor rejected Thugs of Hindostan, leading to Fatima Sana Shaikh bagging the role.
Aamir Khan is currently basking in the glory of his latest release, Sitaare Zameen Par, which was released on June 20, 2025. Following its success, the Bollywood superstar was seen in a conversation with The Lallantop, discussing how Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, and Shraddha Kapoor rejected Thugs of Hindostan.
Aamir Khan on how Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt rejected Thugs of Hindostan
In his conversation, Aamir Khan reacted to the casting, saying, “When we were casting, no heroines agreed to the film. Deepika said no, Alia was a no, and Shraddha also said no.”
The superstar continued that Aditya Chopra and director Vijay Krishna Acharya were interested in casting Fatima Sana Shaikh, but not in pairing her opposite the actor.
Aamir added, “Ultimately, Victor (Vijay Krishna Acharya) went with Fatima. However, Aditya Chopra and Victor conveyed that her test was good, but made it clear she won't be made my pair because I played her father in Dangal, the audience might not accept."
"While I don't believe in such aspects because neither am I her father in real life, nor her boyfriend. We're just making a film. Aren't we understimating our audience like they won't understand we are actors,” he concluded.
Was Thugs of Hindostan’s script changed midway while shooting?
As Aamir Khan reacted to why Thugs of Hindostan was a failure in theaters. The actor revealed how the original screenplay was changed over time. While Aditya Chopra was satisfied with the first print, the SZP actor didn’t like it and argued with Aditya and Victor for 6-8 months.
The actor also mentioned that the story was initially introduced as a revenge tale about Zafira Baig, but the character later disappeared from the narrative. In the original screenplay, Amitabh Bachchan’s Azaad was supposed to die at the interval, but that script was changed before the shoot began.
For those unaware, Thugs of Hindostan was a period action-adventure movie set during the East India Company's expansion in India. As Aamir Khan played a small-town thug, Firangi Mallah, the film featured an ensemble cast of actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, and others, in key roles.
