The much-anticipated cinematic reunion of superstar Aamir Khan and director Rajkumar Hirani has hit an unexpected wall. The duo has made the tough decision to indefinitely shelve their ambitious biographical film on Dadasaheb Phalke, the father of Indian cinema. The primary reason cited is a fundamental creative disagreement: the film’s script, despite enduring multiple rewrites, was deemed “too dry” and severely lacked the signature humour and universal appeal required to connect with contemporary audiences.
This postponement marks the second major Phalke biopic project to face a hurdle, following the earlier exit of Jr. NTR from a separate project on the same subject planned with director S.S. Rajamouli. The repeated challenges in crafting a compelling narrative underscore the difficulty of translating Phalke’s historical significance into a commercially viable, modern-day blockbuster.
Both Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani share an industry-wide reputation for perfectionism, choosing quality and thematic relevance over speed. The Dadasaheb Phalke biopic was slated to be their third blockbuster collaboration after 3 Idiots and PK. However, the script, meticulously developed over months, ultimately failed to meet their famously high narrative standards.
According to reliable sources within the production team, Aamir Khan, who was closely involved in the script consultation, was the first to express profound concern. He felt that the life story of the pioneering filmmaker, while historically rich, did not inherently possess the engaging emotional highs and necessary comedic lightness that defines a successful Rajkumar Hirani film.
“Aamir Khan and Rajkumar Hirani believe that a personality as iconic as Dadasaheb Phalke deserves a script that is both emotionally stirring and universally engaging,” an insider confirmed. “After repeated attempts to infuse the narrative with their trademark humour, they concluded that the script felt too factual and inert for a commercial theatrical release, leading to the collective decision to put the project on hold.”
The creative team, which included key members of Hirani’s long-time writing collaboration, reportedly worked tirelessly to humanize the historical figure, but the struggle to balance reverence with contemporary entertainment demands proved insurmountable.
The shelving of the Aamir-Hirani project shockingly follows an earlier setback for a separate film on the same subject. Years ago, reports had indicated that RRR director S.S. Rajamouli was planning a biopic on Dadasaheb Phalke with Telugu superstar Jr. NTR in the lead role.
However, that project also failed to take off. While the official reasons for the Rajamouli-Jr. NTR collaboration stalling were never explicitly detailed as a script issue, the back-to-back challenges faced by two of India’s most successful actor-director pairings (Khan-Hirani and Rajamouli-Jr. NTR) highlight a potential inherent difficulty in adapting Phalke’s profound, yet arguably less dramatic, life for a large-scale modern cinema audience. Dadasaheb Phalke’s contribution was foundational , focusing more on technical and creative groundwork than the high-stakes personal conflicts favoured by current biopics.
The shelving of the Phalke biopic has immediately sent ripples of speculation across the industry, particularly regarding the next steps for the two cinematic titans.
Aamir Khan, who remains committed to selecting only the most compelling subjects, has now returned to a slate of alternative scripts. Sources indicate he is actively reviewing several other projects and is expected to finalize his next directorial or acting venture in the first half of 2026.
Rajkumar Hirani has also shifted his focus, commencing a new round of writing on a different, fresh subject. Both artists maintain their commitment to their high standards, ensuring their next collaboration—whenever it happens—will meet the monumental expectations set by their previous record-breaking successes. Their mutual agreement to prioritize the integrity of the script over market pressure ultimately reaffirms their status as industry leaders defined by their unwavering pursuit of excellence.
