Himanshu Malhotra reveals he was almost cast in Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par: But then something didn’t materialise

Rashita Sahni

Actor Himanshu Malhotra, best known for his role in the much-loved war drama Shershaah, recently revealed that he was almost finalised for a part in Aamir Khan’s latest film Sitaare Zameen Par. In an exclusive chat with The Free Press Journal, Himanshu opened up about how he has now made peace with letting go of things that don’t work out and why that philosophy has only led to better outcomes in his career.

“Initially, when you come to Bombay, there’s some kind of zest and desperation — yeh bhi karna hai, woh bhi karna hai. After a point in time, you realise, no, wait… let it come to you. Something which is meant for you, something which is good for you, will come,” Himanshu said. Reflecting on the projects that didn’t pan out, he shared, “There were a few things — they were coming and going. Some things I could sense weren’t happening, and I just let them go.”

One such opportunity was Aamir Khan’s much-loved Sitaare Zameen Par, which he says nearly materialised. “There was some part in Sitaare Zameen Par which had almost materialised. I’d met R.S. Prasanna sir, he’s directing the film. I met him at Aamir Khan Productions. I haven’t mentioned this before; this is the first time I’m saying it. It was towards the end of the film, I even had one or two scenes with Aamir sir, and of course, with the kids. I was called for the role of the new coach who comes in. I tested and they loved it. Prasanna sir was very happy with the whole process, with what I had prepared. But then something didn’t materialise.”

Rather than being disheartened, Himanshu took it in stride. “I also realised that in life, you have to let things go. You can’t be too stuck up. If something is meant for you, it’ll come. If not, let it go. I don’t force anything, because I feel that by forcing, you’re interfering with the universe’s plan. Maybe it had something better in store for me.”

One of those better things turned out to be Shershaah. Himanshu recalled how another project that fell through actually made way for his role in the Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani-starrer. “Another film of mine didn’t materialise and was converted into a two-part web series. And right after that,  Shershaah was offered to me. Imagine, Shershaah happened in one second. It’s a blessing to be a part of a film like Shershaah in your whole career.” On the work front, Himanshu was last seen in Netflix’s Rana Naidu 2 and Kesari Veer with Suniel Shetty & Sooraj Pancholi!