Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 8 : Indian filmmaker Kiran Rao, best known for directing 'Dhobi Ghat' and 'Laapataa Ladies', recently revealed an interesting anecdote from her early days in the film industry.
Before she started working as an assistant director on films like Lagaan and Swades, Kiran made a cameo in the 2001 hit film Dil Chahta Hai, which starred her ex-husband and actors Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna in lead roles.
Kiran made a blink-and-you-miss-it appearance in the film, where the three lead actors are waiting at a hotel. In the scene, the filmmaker, with her shoulder-length curly hair, can be seen entering with two friends, wearing a printed blue halter top and a yellow sarong.
In a recent conversation with ANI, Kiran recalled how she unexpectedly landed the role and shared that she was initially responsible for casting extras for the Goa schedule of the film. However, when they were short on background actors, her friends pushed her to step in.
"This is thanks to my friends Arjun Bhasin, Reema Kagti, and Zoya Akhtar, who were all, most annoyingly, leading the set. I was actually casting the extras for Dil Chahta Hai for the Goa schedule. And every time they felt short of an extra, they were like, 'Kiran, just wear this costume and walk,'" she chuckled as she recalled the incident.
"I was like, guys, I'm the extras coordinator. I'm the casting director of extras. And Arjun, who was the costume designer, put me in this, and I was like, 'What is this, Arjun? With this, like literally, you're sending me out nanga!'" she added.
She explained that Arjun convinced her by saying, "It's a beach, and nobody else is willing to wear it, so come on, you go!"
After 'Dil Chahta Hai', Kiran worked as an assistant director on 'Lagaan', where Aamir Khan played a village boy who takes on the British in a cricket match. She later married Aamir Khan in 2005 and made her directorial debut with Dhobi Ghat in 2011. She recently returned to directing with 'Laapataa Ladies'.
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