The level of curiosity about Aamir Khan’s next film Dangal is almost as intense as the secrecy surrounding the casting of his on-screen daughters.
While names of Kangana Ranaut and Taapsee Pannu were bandied about for a while, it is learnt that two unknown actresses, Fatima Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra have been cast as real life wrestlers Geeta and Babita, the eldest of the four daughters of Aamir’s character Mahavir Phogat.
Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar will play Ritu and Sangita, little sisters to Geeta and Babita. The two wrestlers have brought home several Commonwealth medals. Their father, a wrestler from a small Haryana village, coached them in this feat.
All four actresses are living in Aamir Khan’s former Bandra home and are training with him as preparation for their roles. Aamir reportedly eats his meals with his ‘daughters,’ whose evenings are devoted to perfecting the Haryanvi dialect and accent.
Aamir has also put on weight to play Mahavir Phogat, tipping the scales now at over 90 kilos which he says has alarmed his wife and mother. He’s also going to have to lose the weight to film his scenes as the younger Mahavir, after shooting the portions as the older version.
The role of Mahavir’s wife has not been decided yet. Actress Mallika Sherawat had auditioned for it.
Filming for Dangal begins in September.
