After Aamir Khan backed out of first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma's biopic Salute, Shah Rukh Khan has come on board. It is said that the change was reportedly smooth and amicable.
In fact, Aamir personally met Shah Rukh and urged him to take up the project, and the latter obliged. Since Aamir intends to devote his entire time to a mega project — presumably the Mahabharat — the Thugs Of Hindostan actor has apparently stopped accepting any projects at the moment.
Now, rumor has it that SRK is leaving no stone unturned in seeking Aamir's help for researching the project.
A source told DNA: "King Khan has asked Aamir to help him out with the research he did for the film when he was supposed to do it. Knowing what a perfectionist Aamir is, he must have done detailed research and SRK will only benefit from that."
The superstar will start preparing for Salute in May, after wrapping up Zero. "SRK will wrap up Zero by April-end, after which he will be busy for the next three months prepping for his character in Salute. He will be doing his own research with his team and studying the nuances to play the astronaut. That's why he's taken a three-month break in between to devote himself fully to the biopic," a source told the daily.
Interestingly, Shah Rukh is not new to projects related to astronomy. He played a NASA engineer in Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades.
Meanwhile, Zero — directed by Aanand L Rai — also has Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma in key roles. Zero will see the Badshah of Bollywood play a small person. The film is set to release December 21, 2018.
On the other hand, Aamir is filming the last leg of Thugs Of Hindostan in Rajasthan. The movie also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Katrina.
Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced under the Yash Raj Films banner, Thugs Of Hindostan is scheduled for release in Diwali 2018.
