Aamir Khan on Sitaare Zameen Par, Dyslexia and why it’s okay to be different: ‘Inclusion is what I want'

Dubai: As a mother of twins, one of whom was recently diagnosed with dysgraphia, I’ve found myself rethinking what inclusion truly means. It’s not just about special educators or patient classrooms. It’s about visibility. Normalisation. Representation.

And when Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan returns to our screens in Sitaare Zameen Par — as a basketball coach to a group of neurodivergent children — it feels deeply personal.

“Inclusion is what I really believe in,” Khan tells me during our wide-ranging conversation, as we briefly bond over sharing the same birthday (March 14 — for the curious).

“I look forward to the day when India becomes 100% inclusive.”

His voice carries conviction — and a bit of hope. As someone whose 2007 classic Taare Zameen Par first gave mainstream Bollywood a sensitive, stirring portrayal of a child with dyslexia, Khan is no stranger to the power of meaningful cinema. But this time, the roles are reversed.

“In Taare, it was the teacher helping a child with a learning disability,” he says.“In Sitaare Zameen Par, it is 10 people who are neuro-atypical — and they are helping the coach.”

A new story, a deeper purpose

While Sitaare Zameen Par is not a direct sequel to Taare, it builds on the same spirit of empathy.

“These are not the same characters anymore from Taare, but the theme is similar. It’s actually taking the discussion further,” he says.

The discussion, in this case, is about inclusion — a subject Khan feels the Indian education system has barely scratched the surface of.

“When we segregate children and put neurodivergent children into special schools, they grow up just with their own community,” he explains.

“That’s unfair. And it’s sad not only for the children who are neurodivergent — but also for neurotypical children.”

“They miss the chance of growing up with children who are different from them — learning empathy, learning to care, learning to hold each other’s hands and move ahead. It’s a loss-loss when you have segregation.”

This is why Sitaare Zameen Par, unlike the emotionally heavy Taare, uses humour as its main narrative tool. “It’s a film that says something extremely important, but it makes us laugh,” Khan smiles.

“Laughter is the vehicle. Humour is the vehicle it uses to tell the story.”

“I’m not a practical person” — the pull of passion projects

Given that his last release Laal Singh Chaddha underwhelmed at the box office, Khan was advised to pivot.

“After Laal Singh did not do well, I was advised to do a big action film — because after COVID, that’s what people want to see,” he admits.“But this script just entered my bloodstream. And once that happens, that’s all I can do. I can’t do anything else. I’m not a practical person.”

That gut-led decision-making is part of his charm — and his risk profile. In a cinematic landscape obsessed with franchises, fan service, and formula, Khan seems to lean into emotion over trend.

“I believe in cinema. I believe in my audience. And I’m hoping for the best.”

“My Ammi grounded me”

When I ask him if he’s ever had a teacher like Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society — one who shaped him profoundly — he smiles.

“Yes. In my case, it’s my Ammi. My mother,” he says.“ She’s probably the biggest influence I’ve had in my life.”

He reflects for a moment and continues:

“She is extremely caring, very empathetic, very sensitive to people’s needs and people’s emotions. And these are the things that I picked up from her.”

It’s easy to see the through-line: the emotional intelligence, the urge to uplift those who feel unseen, the storytelling choices that prize meaning over mass.

On failure: “I hold my failures very close to my heart”

Few actors in India have taken the kind of risks Aamir Khan has — from backing experimental fare to launching first-time directors. So how does he deal with failure?

“I hold my failures very close to my heart,” he says, without hesitation.“Your failures are your biggest teachers, for sure.”

“While it is very disappointing to not succeed in something you’re attempting to do, it’s also important to mourn. But then, after that, I pick myself up and I analyse why I went wrong. I try to use my failure to understand and learn.”

“Where I’ve reached today is not just because of my successes — but mainly because of my failures. Because they have really taught me and made me what I am today.”

“I’m an analogue person — and I want to stay that way”

With AI encroaching into every aspect of art and communication, I ask Khan how he sees its impact on creative professions like his and he lets me in on a secret.

“I’m not able to use AI. It takes the fun out of it — then what am I doing? ... Plus, I’m very technologically handicapped. I can’t use AI because I don’t know how to,” he admits candidly.

“I’m not even a digital person. I’m an analogue person. And I want to stay that way — because that’s what I am.”

Sitaare Zameen Par is out in UAE cinemas this June 20, Friday

He has no illusions about the march of progress. “We keep having innovations, and that’s not something you can stop,” he says. “But it’s up to me how much I want to use it. I still work the way I’ve always worked — analogue.”

There’s something quietly radical about that — an actor who’s unafraid to say he’d rather stay rooted in his process than ride the latest tech wave.

From the heart — to the hearts watching

As our conversation draws to a close, I tell Khan that I plan to take my twins to see Sitaare Zameen Par — especially the one with dyslexia. He smiles warmly.

“How lovely. Yes, it’s okay to be different.”

It’s a simple line. But for parents raising children who process the world differently, it lands with grace. And from an actor who’s spent decades using cinema to make us think and feel — it’s also a quiet mission statement.

“We’re all keeping our fingers crossed,” he says, hoping the film finds its audience. So am I — for the movie, and for a world where difference is not just tolerated, but celebrated.