Ace casting director Tess Joseph first worked with Aamir Khan on AR Murugadoss’ 2008 blockbuster action thriller Ghajini, in the capacity of an Assistant Director. Even in a potboiler like that, Tess remembers Aamir as an explorer. But the actor had the deepest impact on her a year prior to that when he turned director with the coming-of-age classic Taare Zameen Par in 2007.

“I watched Taare Zameen Par when I moved away from home for the first time. It answered a lot of questions for me. It connected me back to home and family in ways that were special,” recalls Joseph, explaining that the film’s influence went even deeper. “I’m slightly dyslexic. I keep flipping numbers and letters, so it was deeply personal for me,” she reveals.

Little did Tess know that over a decade later, she’d be roped in as the casting director on RS Prasanna’s coming-of-age sports comedy Sitaare Zameen Par, the spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par, also starring Aamir. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, she opens up on casting the titular, neurodivergent Sitaare for the film, working with Aamir, and how the success of this film could open more doors for the community.