Aamir Wants To Cast Actors From Northeast India

By Afsana Ahmed

Mumbai : Aamir Khan in disguise when he was promoting 3 Idiots in Varanasi.

While Bollywood has explored practically every aspect of conflict in its movies — from wars to riots to communal tensions — it has never featured the North East in spite of the troubles there. Why is this so?

Aamir: On a professional level, I feel all filmmakers (and those in

other creative art forms) have every right to choose what they want to do with their creativity. Cinema is to entertain and not educate. However, on a personal note, I want to see topics, stories and strong characters emerging from North-East India in mainstream cinema.

It’ll be a treat to watch such stories on the 70mm screen. If you remember, I took up an unusual character in 3 Idiots called Phunsuk Wangdu. I applaud Raju Hirani who digressed from the mainstream and made a Ladakhi his central character.

Why don’t Bollywood filmmakers expand their horizons and look for actors from the North-East, rather than just those from the South and the North?

Aamir: Excellent idea and a fantastic perspective! I certainly feel they have a place in mainstream cinema. The girls have very expressive eyes and the guys with high cheekbones are very handsome. I want to send out a message that the whole of India has to learn a lot from this part of the country.