Dhobi Ghat First Look At Andheri

Prateik: Aamir is like a father, brother and friend

Aamir Khan beamed like a proud father introducing prodigal son as he showcased the trailer featuring Prateik, as Munna of Dhobi Ghat.

Aamir proudly presented Prateik to the world saying, "I am here as a producer today. Prateik is a dream for a producer to work with. He was extremely dedicated. He practiced for 2-3 months, before we went to the DHOBI GHAT and interacted with the dhobis. He is ideal actor among today's generation. I'm very happy to present Prateik to you all."

Prateik had only kind words to say in return, "I'm very grateful for such a wonderful opportunity. I'm very lucky to have DHOBI GHAT as my first film. Usually actors have their first films which have a romantic track but DHOBI GHAT is a very different film, and the script is just so good, that I was drawn to it."

When Prateik was questioned about not being nervous, he said, "This is the Aamir Khan effect! Actually Aamir is just so many things to me. He's like a father, brother and friend so the comfort level I share with him is great..."

"Kiran can't stop me from promoting Dhobi Ghat"

When the first look of 'Dhobi Ghat' was revealed, director Kiran Rao did not want her husband and actor-producer Aamir Khan to attend the event so that the spotlight doesn't shift from the movie to him. But who can keep Aamir away!

"I was never meant to be away from the promotions of the film. I'm very proud of the film and I'm part of it, since I'm the producer and have also acted in it. Even Kiran can't keep me away from it," Aamir told reporters.

"I'm happy to be a part of it and I will be part of it till the end," he added.

'Dhobi Ghat' that stars Aamir along with Prateik Babbar, Monica Dogra, Kriti Malhotra, Kitu Gidwani and Nafisa Khan is a film about four characters from different classes of society and how their lives are intertwined. The film is Kiran's directorial debut.

It is slated to hit the screens Jan 21.

Asked if he helped Kiran in the filmmaking process, the 45-year-old actor promptly said: "If I had not helped her, she would have killed me. As her husband, it is my duty to help her always and as it is, as an actor, whatever film I'm connected to, I feel I'm a team player."

Aamir is playing the role of a painter in the film but he revealed that initially he wanted to take up Prateik's role.

"When I heard all the characters, I really liked Prateik's character and wanted to do that. But the character requires someone who looks 18-19 years old. So to prove it to Kiran that I can look that young, I did ‘3 Idiots'. But she still didn't agree. Thankfully she gave me some role in her film," he said.

Aamir also revealed that 'Dhobi Ghaat' will be released in two versions - one completely in Hindi and the other with a few scenes in English.

"The film has 8-10 scenes in English. But we realised that people who are not very comfortable with the language would be in a tough spot. So we dubbed those scenes in Hindi," Aamir said.

"We will release the film in two versions. One will be completely in Hindi and the other will have the original English dialogues. People can choose the version they want to see," he said.

The 45-year-old confirmed that both the versions will be released Jan 21.

Aamir envious of Pratik

Pratik Babbar, who recently celebrated his 25th birthday, is making some one green with envy these days. And that someone is no mere name. He is none other than superstar Aamir Khan.

According to our sources, while Kiran Rao was finalizing her actors for Dhobi Ghat, Aamir seemed too interested to play Pratik's role but couldn't bag it as Kiran wanted someone younger and preferably a non star actor.

Even Kiran Rao admits to this fact. Talking about her film and its cast, Kiran says, "I wanted non actors for my film. Initially I tried real characters but later settled for fresh talent. I hadn't thought of Pratik while writing the film, it just happened and his screen test was incredible. When Aamir read the script, he fell in love with the central character which is played by Pratik in the film. Though he was eyeing the character but I wanted someone in his twenties to play the lead."

Well, Aamir might have lost the role to Pratik, but the film cannot miss on his signature style given the fact that it is his production.

Smita Patil's 25th Death Anniversary

Smita Patil was a very talented actress in the Hindi and Marathi cinema. She was a genuine actress who performed very naturally on the screen. She was such a fine actress, much better than Shabana Azmi or any other lady at that time. You hardly ever cared how she looked, because everybody took her as a serious performer.

Time really does fly away and this year on the 13th of Dec, her 25th death anniversary will be held. For all these years, her family quietly organized a small pooja in which only the family participated. But this year an elaborate pooja will be held because it has been 25 years since the great actress left this world. Smita Patil died in 1986 due to complications in the delivery of her son.

Her son, Prateik marked his debut in 2008 in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Naa and his next film is the much talked about Kiran Rao's Dhobi Ghaat. He was only 15 days old when Smita Patil passed away. He was raised by his grandparents and maasis mostly. He has already been recognized for his first film and received several awards.

Smita Patel was considered the best actress for India's parallel cinema along with Shabana Azmi. She entertained audiences for many years but when she got romantically involved with actor Raj Babbar, the same media turned against her and made her life miserable by calling her a home breaker. Raj Babbar did leave his wife and marry Smita Patel. Prateik is their from their short lived marriage.