Latest news with #Prasanna
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Sitaare Zameen Par' director RS Prasanna breaks silence on remake talk: 'The film will have the answers'
After an eight-year break from directing, RS Prasanna is back with 'Sitaare Zameen Par', a film that blends sports drama with heartwarming emotion. Best known for his 2017 film 'Shubh Mangal Savdhaan', which dealt with erectile dysfunction in a light-hearted and sensitive way, Prasanna now turns his lens toward a new challenge: a grumpy basketball coach training a team of kids with special needs. Not worried about remake talk The trailer for 'Sitaare Zameen Par' came out over a month ago and was loved by many for its touching story and Aamir Khan 's performance. But some viewers noticed it looked very similar to the Spanish film 'Campeones' and its Hollywood remake 'Champions' Despite these talks, RS Prasanna is not bothered. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he said, "I just feel the film will have the answers. It is best for the director to talk through the film. As far as I am concerned, there is so much love for the film. I am consumed by that." When asked further about whether the remake buzz bothers him, his answer remains simple and resolute, 'I am just consumed by the love for the film.' Aamir Khan on the remake debate Aamir Khan, too, addressed the criticism regarding 'Sitaare Zameen Par' being possibly another remake. While speaking on Raj Shamani's podcast earlier this month, the actor reflected on how his previous film, 'Laal Singh Chaddha', also faced flak for being a remake of the Hollywood classic 'Forrest Gump'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo 'After Laal Singh, a lot of people told me, 'you are making a remake again'. Laal Singh was trolled heavily for being a remake. But I am a different kind of person. I don't understand practical things. I don't have any problem with a remake, and I don't feel my creativity is diminishing at all. For me, it is new work. Someone else made this story, and I am giving it my perspective,' Aamir said. Training the 'Sitaare' Aamir isn't the only one doing something different with this film. Prasanna's directorial comeback is unique not just for its subject, but also for its cast. The film features ten young actors with intellectual disabilities, all of whom were selected for their raw passion for performance. 'You don't climb Mount Everest because it's easy. You do it for the glory. You love the adrenaline rush. In the 10 sitaare we have cast, all we were looking for was that keeda (itch) to act. Everything else can be taught,' Prasanna shared. To help them bring their best to the screen, the production team created a mini acting school complete with acting and clowning workshops, much like what any newcomer in the industry might go through. While not a direct continuation, 'Sitaare Zameen Par' is being described as a spiritual sequel to Aamir's beloved 2007 film 'Taare Zameen Par', which told the story of a child with dyslexia and the teacher who changed his life. The earlier film touched millions with its sensitive handling of learning disabilities, and 'Sitaare Zameen Par' aims to channel a similar spirit, though through a new lens, sport. Shah Rukh Khan Surprises Sitaare Zameen Par Cast | Aamir Called Him 10 Times!
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Sitaare Zameen Par director RS Prasanna isn't fazed by remake chatter around Aamir Khan film: Film will have the answers
Filmmaker RS Prasanna is returning to the big screen after an eight-year gap. His last release was Shubh Mangal Savdhaan back in 2017. The filmmaker has moved from telling the story of a man with erectile dysfunction to narrating the tale of an angry basketball coach training a team of special needs kids. His upcoming film, Sitaare Zameen Par, stars Aamir Khan in the lead, along with Genelia D'Souza and ten newcomers. (Also read: Aamir Khan is a legend who acts like a newcomer when newcomers act like legends: Sitaare Zameen Par director RS Prasanna) Sitaare Zameen Par's trailer was released over a month ago, garnering much love from the fans for its subject as well as Aamir's performance. A few, however, pointed out that the trailer was very similar to Hollywood film Champions, and the Spanish film Campeones, which inspired it. But the chatter around the remake and copy jibes does not bother Prasanna. "I just feel the film will have the answers. It is best for the director to talk through the film. As far as I am concerned, there is so much love for the film. I am consumed by that," he tells HT. When asked if he is not concerned by the discussions, Prasanna simply says, "I am just consumed by the love for the film." Earlier this month, Aamir also discussed the criticism of remakes while appearing on Raj Shamani's podcast. The actor said, "After Laal Singh (Chaddha), a lot of people told me, 'you are making a remake again'. Laal Singh was trolled heavily for being a remake. But I am a different kind of person. I don't understand practical things. I don't have any problem with a remake, and I don't feel my creativity is diminishing at all. For me, it is new work. Someone else made this story, and I am giving it my perspective." Laal Singh Chaddha, Aamir's previous film, was also a remake, being the official adaptation of Forrest Gump. Aamir further defended film remakes by equating them with theatrical adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays, calling the discussion on remakes 'useless'. Apart from Aamir, Sitaare Zameen Par also stars 10 newcomers, all actors with intellectual disabilities, who play his proteges. Talking about the challenges and rewards of directing them, Prasanna says, "You don't climb Mount Everest because it's easy. You do it for the glory. You love the adrenaline rush. In the 10 sitaare we have cast, all we were looking for was that keeda (itch) to act. Everything else can be taught. We created a mini acting school for them with acting workshops and clowning workshops, just as it is for any other new actor." Sitaare Zameen Par is a spiritual sequel to Aamir's 2007 film, Taare Zameen Par. The film also stars Genelia D'Souza in a pivotal role. The film is scheduled to release theatrically on 20 June.
New Indian Express
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Sitaare Zameen Par director RS Prasanna Interview: I would love to see more feel-good films
Aamir Khan's Sitaare Zameen Par marks the second Hindi film of RS Prasanna. He had earlier directed the Ayushmann Khurrana starrer Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017), which was a remake of his own 2013 quirky Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham. For Prasanna, working with Aamir for the film was like a dream. He recalls being moved by Aamir's films, be it Lagaan (2001) or Taare Zameen Par (2007). 'For me, cinema has always been from the point of view of the audience. I literally look up to cinema because I am the audience who sits in the front row. So, I never thought that one day I would get to direct Aamir sir after having seen all his films as an audience,' says the filmmaker. Prasanna admits that it was difficult for him to remain objective during the film's shoot as he was so starstruck with Aamir. He met the superstar for the first time at his Mumbai home and was surprised with his humility. 'We were having food together sitting on the floor. Within fifteen minutes, I felt like, is it really Amir sir? He made me quite comfortable and was open to let me say anything to him,' he says. It was also during these discussions about Sitaare Zameen Par, which is a remake of the 2018 Spanish film, Champions, that Prasanna would keep referencing Taare Zameen Par. 'I would keep torturing him with questions about Taare Zameen Par as to how certain scenes were filmed and how did the songs come in,' he says, adding that it was during the pre-production process that Aamir thought of aligning it with the 2007 film. 'One day, he said that Sitaare Zameen Par also belongs in the same emotional landscape. ' So why don't we make it sound similar to that? The audience also will know, what are they in for'. That's how it happened,' recalls Prasanna.
India Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
R.S. Prasanna on making ‘Sitaare Zameen Par'
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated June 23, 2025)When the whole world was in lockdown, my world was opening up,' says filmmaker R.S. Prasanna. The year was 2020 and Prasanna, then living in Chennai, had managed to land a meeting, albeit virtual, with Aamir Khan. Best known for directing the comedy Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, a remake of his sleeper Tamil hit, it was a dream Prasanna says he didn't dare dream. Convincing the pernickety Khan about a script is no easy feat, but Prasanna and writer Divya Nidhi Sharma managed to grab his attention with a funny tale about a man who comes of age as he trains a basketball team of neurodivergent individuals. Five years later, that pitch has manifested as Sitaare Zameen Par, which Khan has also in the Aamir Khan Productions office in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, Prasanna expresses sentiments which Khan would concur with. He talks of his 'responsibility as a storyteller', which entails reaching out to the audience with stories that come from 'the heart'. He speaks of having no 'insecurity' despite being absent from the filmmaking scene for almost seven years. And he emphasises the need to have 'conviction'.But that very conviction wavered a bit as he came into the orbit of the mercurial Aamir Khan, one of the last superstars of Indian cinema. Says Prasanna, 'I was full of anxiety, I had imposter syndrome, I couldn't believe I was directing him. I was like, 'Of course, he is going to call you out.'' An eight-hour-long conversation, which started over South Indian breakfast, allayed those fears and brought an immediate sense of comfort. 'Aamir sir is quite open and one who only sees talent and passion for cinema and no other identity marker,' says Prasanna. 'I usually call him the Atlantis, [for] he is like the refugee camp of passionate filmmakers. He is very protective about the director and empowers them.'advertisement Passion alone doesn't drive Prasanna. He'd prefer the word 'obsession'. 'I'm told you are too involved. You have to give it everything. There's no ego and hierarchy, you take inputs from everyone.' It's perhaps why he sees himself as a misfit and has made a comedy about working with other individuals whom society perceives as misfits. CHANGING PERCEPTIONS Aamir Khan with his team of 'misfits' in Sitaare Zameen Par, which releases on June 20 Central to Sitaare Zameen Par was a cast of individuals diagnosed with autism and Down's Syndrome. Over 2,500 auditions were conducted, with casting directors Tess Joseph and Anmol Ahuja taking charge. Finally, 10 were finalised and put through workshops. 'They are my stars,' says Prasanna. 'They have josh, a positive spirit and a keeda to perform. You just have to give them the tools on how to face the camera and learn the lines.' Their presence, adds Prasanna, made the set a happier place. A paediatrician who champions for inclusion and works with neurodivergent people was present during the shoot to like other films in Khan's rich filmography, this one comes packaged with a social message. 'Today, we live in a world where we don't connect with anybody, forget neurodivergent people,' says Prasanna. With the film, he hopes that audiences remember the child within themselves. 'You are born with purity and being non-judgemental. It's only later we learn to discriminate.'Sitaare Zameen Par arrives at a time when the yardstick of what works at the box office has undergone a seismic shift. Loud spectacles with hypermasculine heroes are favoured over slice-of-life soft outings. Khan's last film, Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the Hollywood hit Forrest Gump, crashed at the box office. Sitaare Zameen Par, which has been pegged as a 'spiritual sequel' to Khan's own directorial debut, Taare Zameen Par, is inspired by a Spanish film, Campeones (2018). Prasanna isn't too worried that the film may seem an anomaly in the current landscape. 'Everyone wants a palate-cleanser. A film works if it entertains and has a strong emotional connect with people,' he says. 'Everything changes with one thing. It's Aamir Khan who usually starts the trend.'Subscribe to India Today Magazineadvertisement
India Today
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
'Sitaare Zameen Par' director RS Prasanna
"When the whole world was in lockdown, my world was opening up,' says filmmaker R.S. Prasanna. The year was 2020 and Prasanna, then living in Chennai, had managed to land a meeting, albeit virtual, with Aamir Khan. Best known for directing the comedy Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, a remake of his sleeper Tamil hit, it was a dream Prasanna says he didn't dare dream. Convincing the pernickety Khan about a script is no easy feat, but Prasanna and writer Divya Nidhi Sharma managed to grab his attention with a funny tale about a man who comes of age as he trains a basketball team of neurodivergent individuals. Five years later, that pitch has manifested as Sitaare Zameen Par, which Khan has also produced.
