Aamir Khan And Kiran Rao On Working Together Through Their Divorce

Basking in the success of Laapataa Ladies (2023), India’s official submission to the Oscars in 2025, actor-producer Aamir Khan and director-producer Kiran Rao make for one of the most successful and influential collaborations in Indian cinema.

They met on the sets of the Oscar-nominated film Lagaan (2001), on which Rao was the assistant director and Khan was not only the leading man but also producer. In the same year, they collaborated on Dil Chahta Hai (2001), followed by Taare Zameen Par (2001), Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008), Peepli Live (2010), Dhobi Ghat (2010), Delhi Belly (2011), Dangal (2016) and now Laapataa Ladies.

In an interview with Anupama Chopra, Editor of The Hollywood Reporter India, the duo shared the secret to their successful collaboration, which endured even throughout their divorce.

“It took a lot of patience!” said Rao. “It’s been amazing working with him though, he's a powerhouse.” Khan said their shared sensibilities enabled them to work well together. 

“As creative people, we gel really well. We like each other's mind and also trust it,” he said.

Rao agreed that they were on the same page when it came to aesthetics. She added that while there’s a lot they agree on, it’s the way they deal with their disagreements that makes for a successful working relationship. She said, “When we disagree with each other, we take the trouble to convince the other (of our argument) and give (them) a good reason for it. We both respect the other’s opinion.”

Khan said  the divorce did not affect their relationship, either personally or professionally, because it was such an organic process. “Divorce implies moving away… we did as husband and wife but not as human beings,” he said.

Chopra asked them how they dealt with a difference in sensibilities, particularly since Rao had described hers in a previous interview as “highbrow”.

 “Thoda sa mujhe kheechna pada yaha pe (I had to pull her over to this side),” said Khan.

Rao revealed that Khan was the first to recognise the script’s potential, while she worked on its  comic angle. “The original script wasn't so funny. It was a satire but the comic element needed enhancing.” Khan’s desire was for it to be a broad, mainstream film that spoke to everyone. He said he trusted Rao and so simply  asked her to work on it till she was satisfied, which she did with screenwriter Sneha Desai.

“When I read the script, I thought Kiran was the right director for it. One would imagine if she’s (done films like) Dhobi Ghat, could she do something like this? Her strength lies in her honesty,” he said. “The situation (in Laapataa Ladies) was so bizarre and dramatic — going to the wrong house as a bride — that any director who tried to push the humour would have gone in the wrong direction. But the honesty of her characters is inherent to the script.”

Chopra remembered Rao mentioning in a  previous interview that it was Khan who always knew that she had a “commercial kameena” director inside her. He was the one who pushed her to connect with a larger audience.

“That’s where my sensibility comes in too,” said Rao. “Laapataa Ladies was a new kind of mainstream. Tonally, it’s very unusual but it still connected (with the masses).”