After reuniting for Ek Din nearly two decades after their last collaboration, Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan may already have their next project in mind — an adaptation of Mansoor’s novel 'One: The Story of the Ultimate Myth'.
In a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Aamir revealed his admiration for Mansoor’s book and praised the depth of the plot as well as the characters. “I love what the book is saying, and I love the characters he’s written — not just the two lead characters, but all the characters actually. I think it’s a fantastically written book,” he said.
The actor-producer clarified that the project is still in the early stages, with both of them yet to work on the screenplay. “It’s not an easy book to adapt to a screenplay but I have been telling Mansoor for the last few years since I read the book that this is something I would like to work on. Now whether we succeed in converting it into a screenplay that works for us, I don’t know,” he said.
However, Aamir reiterated that the intent is serious. “I certainly want to give it a shot,” he said, revealing that once Ek Din releases, he plans to spend time with Mansoor in Coonoor to brainstorm the adaptation.
He further mentioned how the film is not one that fits right into the conventional “mainstream” cinema but he would still want to work on it. “It’s not a mainstream kind of a movie but it is saying such an enormous truth — that I feel it needs to be told.”
Mansoor said that the book is not specifically tailored to India, rather has a premise which would click with the world as a whole. The filmmaker also revealed that One took him two decades to write, and while Mansoor has not directed a feature since the Shah Rukh Khan starrer Josh in 2000, he noted that this adaptation would mark his return as a director. “I will have to. I hate to direct, but I will have to,” Mansoor said.
Mansoor had directed Aamir on two iconic films, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992). If the adaptation works out, it would result in a collaboration between Aamir and Mansoor after nearly 18 years — the last one being Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na in 2008.
