Teachers or coaches are generally expected to impart values in their students or pupils and bring a sort of transformation in them. But Filmmaker R Prasanna’a Aamir Khan starrer Sitaare Zameen Par did the opposite. The film showed how a group of 10 specially abled kids ended up teaching life values to their basketball coach, played by Aamir.
Sitaare Zameen Par also starred Gurpal Singh in the lively role as Kartar Singh, the manager of the basketball body in Delhi. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, he said that the group of 10 special kids – played by Ashish Pendse, Simran Mangeshkar, Aayush Bhansali, Naman Misra, Gopikrishnan K Verma, Rishi Shahani, Aroush Datta, Rishabh Jain, Samvit Desai and Vedant Sharma – are the same in real life too.
“The biggest takeaway for me from this film is the time spent with them and what all I got to learn from them,” said Gurpal Singh. “We keep hearing in theories that we should love everyone and treat everyone equally. They live like that. We learn from spiritual masters that we should live in the moment. They are like that. They don’t differentiate and provide unconditional love to everyone.”
He added, “Maybe because of this they are such fine actors. They don’t carry the baggage which we, other actors, carry.”
Singh said that he also had an “excellent” time working with Aamir Khan. “I found him very simple and down-to-earth, despite being such a superstar,” he said. “He understands each scene properly. He instantly understands how it needs to be done. He also used to discuss the scenes with Prasanna. He is an acting masterclass, as we all know, but he is also a cultured person and a gentleman. I first met him when he was doing a workshop with the special children. I attended it for some time. Then we did a reading together.”
Singh’s casting in Sitaare Zameen Par was quite a journey. He was initially auditioned for Kartar Singh. But after a few rounds, he was told that they would like to cast him for a smaller role. He agreed. However, as fate would have it, they finally locked him for Kartar.
Singh was also impressed with the small gestures of Aamir. “As it is with big stars, when the shot is finished, they turn the AC duct towards them. Aamir used to point towards me and say, “Inki taraf bhi toh karo. He is also here.” Such little things show how cultured a person he is,” he said.
Singh had all his scenes with Aamir. He also got to mouth the tagline of Sitaare Zameen Par, which is, “Sabka apna apna normal hota hai.” He credits the film’s writer Divy Nidhi Sharma for this. “If people are liking my role, it is because it has been written so well,” he said.
Singh also had a funny scene with Aamir where he explains to him the situation of the 10 special kids by pointing towards his bum. Recalling that scene, he laughed and said, “Toh ajeeb toh laga ki yeh kaisa hoga? But masti mein kiya. And I can see that the audience is liking it. There is also a recall of that scene when he (Aamir’s character) explains this to a woman in the bus. That becomes funny as he is not able to explain properly.”
Ever since the film released, Gurpal and the team of Sitaare Zameen Par have been receiving calls from the parents and siblings of specially abled kids. “Social organizations have been asking me to come and meet specially abled children,” he said. “The response has been very warm. They feel they have been represented on screen. To get such a representation from a film starring a big star is a big thing for them.”
As far as Gurpal Singh’s journey into performing arts is concerned, he started acting in school and college plays. Interestingly, he went onto graduate from the FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) in the Direction course. “I kept acting in between over there in student exercises. I also did some non-fiction work. I then did a prank show called Chhupa Rustam. Because of that, I started getting acting offers,” he said.
Sharing about his work in the direction arena, Singh said, “I was always interested in directing non-fiction. So, I worked in that space. I also did music videos. I have assisted Mani Kaul and Pankaj Advani.”
But more than making films, Singh receives great joy from providing space to independent filmmakers to showcase their films. “I have friends who keep making great films in the independent space,” he said. “I like independent films more. Such films aren’t seen much. So, I started holding small film festivals. I started venturing more into it thinking that a lot of people are making very good films but there should be someone who showcases them. I hold such screenings and music gatherings in Aram Nagar in Mumbai.”
Gurpal Singh has also acted in quite a few films starring Akshay Kumar, which include Special 26, Jolly LLB 2, Sarfira and this year’s Sky Force. He will next be seen in Raam Reddy’s The Fable.
Also Read: Aamir Khan hosts star-studded screening of Sitaare Zameen Par for UN ambassadors in Delhi
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