Aamir Khan refused to read Laal Singh Chaddha script for 2 years

• The movie tells the journey of the country as well as the story of a guy.
• Which Atul Kulkarni has succeeded in doing that.
• With Laal Singh Chaddha, which has Aamir Khan in the lead role, the actor transitions into a screenwriter.

The 1994 Oscar-winning picture Forrest Gump has frequently been referred to as a classic American tale. The movie tells the journey of the country as well as the story of a guy. It seems strange to adapt it in a foreign country. Which Atul Kulkarni has succeeded in doing that. With Laal Singh Chaddha, which has Aamir Khan in the lead role, the actor transitions into a screenwriter. In an interview, Atul discusses the “daunting” challenge of adapting Forrest Gump. And the reason Aamir put off reading the script for a full two years.

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Atul Kulkarni recalls, “There was a premiere, after which we went to Aamir’s place. And during the chat over dinner, the subject of favourite films came up. We both mentioned Forrest Gump. The next day, I was to go for an outdoor shoot for 10-15 days, which got cancelled. I saw the Forrest Gump DVD at my home and it was fresh in my mind, so since I had free time, I decided to watch it. After some time, I wondered if this incident took place in India, when would it begin and I began taking notes. One hour through the film, I said why not attempt a screenplay.”

Thanks to the free time he had due to the cancelled shoot, Atul wrote the first draft in just 10 days and a second draft in the remaining four days. “I realised after 10 days, I had completed the script. I did the second draft over the next 3-4 days. I only realised I had written the script after I had done it. It all started with a random discussion between two actors,” he says with a laugh.

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But his hardships were just beginning. As he approached Aamir with his script, the actor just didn’t give him time for a reading. “First two years, Aamir didn’t read the script. It’s not that we were not meeting or we weren’t in touch. All the time, he would say, ‘haan padhte hain (yes we will do a reading)’,” shares Atul. Eventually, a frustrated Atul asked his friend and former co-star about the delay and Aamir promptly dropped a bombshell on him. Atul says, “After a couple of years, I asked him when will we read. And then said let me confess something. He said, ‘you are not a writer and you tell me you have written a Forrest Gump adaptation in 15 days. You are a close friend and I don’t want to disappoint you by saying you have written very badly’. That’s why he wasn’t listening to the script.”

By stating that he didn’t care if Aamir “trashed” the script after the reading, Atul was able to persuade Aamir to grant him a reading. Aamir ended up liking it so much that he decided to produce the movie in addition to acting in it. However, the delays continued. According to Atul, obtaining the rights to Forrest Gump from Paramount Pictures took ten years.