In a whirlwind week for Bollywood’s Mr. Perfectionist, Aamir Khan finds himself at the center of both creative crossroads and industry debate. On September 17, 2025, a cascade of news stories revealed that two major film collaborations featuring the actor—one with acclaimed director Rajkumar Hirani and another with Lokesh Kanagaraj—have been shelved or put on hold, even as his latest release, Sitaare Zameen Par, continues to make waves both at the box office and in the ongoing conversation about film distribution in India.
The most headline-grabbing development involves the much-anticipated biopic of Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. According to Bollywood Hungama and Republic World, the project, which would have marked Khan’s third collaboration with Hirani after the blockbuster successes of 3 Idiots and PK, has hit an unexpected roadblock. The reason? Aamir Khan himself requested a script rewrite, expressing concern that the screenplay lacked the signature blend of comedy, emotion, and drama that audiences expect from a Hirani film. As a source told Bollywood Hungama, “Aamir Khan heard the script of Dadasaheb Phalke from Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. He felt that the script didn’t have enough elements to make it suitable for a theatrical release. He expected Raju and Abhijat to follow their usual approach of blending laughter with emotion and drama. But the script lacked comedy, which raised doubts in Aamir’s mind, prompting him to ask Raju to rewrite it.”
The news was reportedly met with surprise by the creative team. Rajkumar Hirani and Abhijat Joshi, the film’s principal writers, were “shocked” by Khan’s feedback and are now reassessing their next steps. The film, which had been scheduled to begin production in October 2025, is now on indefinite hold. In the meantime, Aamir has begun hearing other scripts and exploring new stories from across the industry, as reported by News18.
The Dadasaheb Phalke biopic is an ambitious project, aiming for historical authenticity in its portrayal of the man who made India’s first full-length feature film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913. To ensure the period is brought to life accurately, FX studios in Los Angeles have already developed AI-powered visual references for the production. The script, which has been in development for over four years, is being shaped by a powerhouse writing team including Hirani, Joshi, Hindukush Bharadwaj, and Avishkar Bharadwaj. Yet, as of now, everything is at a standstill.
If that weren’t enough drama for one week, Aamir Khan also lost another high-profile project: a superhero film with director Lokesh Kanagaraj. As Republic World reported, the movie was shelved following the mixed reviews and average box office performance of Coolie, in which Khan had a cameo. Rumors swirled that the actor had criticized the film, but his team quickly issued a statement denying any negative comments about Coolie or its star, Rajinikanth. “Mr Aamir Khan has given no such interview and has made no negative comments about the film Coolie,” the spokesperson clarified, seeking to quell the social media chatter.
Despite these setbacks, Aamir Khan’s most recent film, Sitaare Zameen Par, has been a commercial success, collecting over ₹200 crore in India and ₹267 crore worldwide, according to Republic World. The movie, a sports comedy-drama and a spiritual successor to Taare Zameen Par, tells the story of Gulshan—a former star basketball coach, played by Khan—who is ordered to coach a group of neurodivergent children as part of his community service following a DUI offense. The film also marked the Hindi cinema debut of several new faces, including Aroush Datta and Gopi Krishna Varma, and was produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit.
Yet it’s not just the content of Sitaare Zameen Par that’s making headlines, but also its unconventional release strategy. Rather than opting for a massive OTT deal worth up to ₹125 crore, Khan chose a pay-per-view (PPV) release on YouTube—a move he explained on the Game Changers podcast. His reasoning? To experiment with release windows and protect theatre footfalls, which often plummet when audiences wait for quick digital releases. Khan’s plan was to release the film theatrically first, then via PPV, and only then on OTT and satellite platforms. “The image that Aamir had with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was an innocent boy next door. Just a nice, clean boy. And that’s what I needed for the ad film,” Khan said, reflecting on his approach to audience expectations and image.
While Sitaare Zameen Par earned 20 times more profit than the average PPV stream in India, the absolute revenue still fell short of what the major OTT platforms had offered. Khan justified his choice of YouTube for the PPV release by citing its vast active user base, which he argued is larger than all top OTT platforms combined. Nevertheless, critics have called Khan inconsistent, pointing to his frequent changes in strategy following unexpected results. Now, with the possibility of an OTT release for Sitaare Zameen Par back on the table, the industry is watching closely to see whether this hybrid approach will influence the future of film distribution in India or if the OTT giants will continue to dominate.
This is not the first time Aamir Khan’s decision-making has sparked debate. Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar recently revealed that he once chose Aamir over Shah Rukh Khan for an advertisement, even though Aamir was charging almost three times as much. “Aamir was charging some 17 lakhs and Shah Rukh was only charging 6 Lakh at that time. And why Shah Rukh was charging 6 Lakh was also because he was short of 6 Lakh for buying his house (Mannat). So, he said, I am short of 6 Lakh, you give me and I will do the ad. So, I said he is not right for the film. I wanted someone who had the image of an actor. Money was not my concern,” Kakkar told Vickey Lalwani. Kakkar explained that Aamir’s “innocent boy next door” image from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was the deciding factor, as opposed to Shah Rukh’s less “squeaky clean” persona from his early roles.
Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan remains as busy as ever, with three major releases in 2023—Pathaan, Jawan, and Dunki—and an upcoming action film, King, directed by Siddharth Anand and featuring Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Deepika Padukone in pivotal roles.
As Bollywood’s biggest stars navigate shifting creative and commercial landscapes, Aamir Khan’s choices—sometimes bold, sometimes controversial—continue to shape not only his own career but the broader direction of Indian cinema. Whether his insistence on script quality, willingness to experiment with release models, or steadfastness in protecting his image will pay off in the long run remains to be seen. For now, fans and industry insiders alike are left waiting and watching, eager to see what the perfectionist does next.
