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Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha is nearing its release date and the Indian actor is revealing more details about the casting choices. King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan has a cameo in the film and the PK actor revealed why he chose him.

According to Pinkvilla, in response to a question about how he got the My Name Is Khan actor onboard, he said Shah Rukh is a friend and he told him he needed someone to represent what Elvis represented in America. The Dangal actor added that SRK is one of the greatest icons of India, which is why Aamir went to him. “He was really sweet and he said yes,” he said.

The Taare Zameen Par actor’s upcoming film is a Hindi adaptation of Tom Hanks’ 1994 classic Forrest Gump. The comedy-drama, directed by Advait Chandan and co-produced by Aamir Khan Productions, will see Aamir and Kareena Kapoor in lead roles for the second time after their hit movie 3 Idiots.

The film’s cast also includes Mona Singh, 40, playing the 57-year-old Aamir’s mother. This 17-year gap received backlash by netizens. The Ghajini actor addressed the matter and said, “I want to ask you a question that as an actor, as a creative person, if I’m looking 103, which I’m supposed to, why is my age inappropriate to play the role? Just because I am 57. What is the logic? What is age-specific for an actor? An actor can play characters who are not their age and that is the beauty of it.” He also appreciated Singh for her ability to portray an older character.

Set to release on August 11, Laal Singh Chaddha has gone through a lot to get here, including enduring a potential boycott by Hindu hardliners. They claimed that the actor does not have the patriotic spirit owing to an old clip circulating in which his then-wife said she felt unsafe in India and wanted to leave. Another factor spurring the call for boycott was that the film’s leads, Aamir and Kareena, had chosen a Hindu and Muslim spouse respectively and given their children Muslim names.