Ahead of her comeback in Sitaare Zameen Par, actress Genelia Deshmukh opened up about the importance of age-appropriate casting and revealed that she was often overlooked for roles after her marriage.
Genelia D’Souza Deshmukh is making her long-awaited comeback to the big screen, starring alongside Aamir Khan in the much-anticipated film Sitaare Zameen Par. In this coming-of-age sports comedy drama, she takes on the role of Aamir’s on-screen wife, ‘Sunita’. In a recent interview, Genelia opened up about the importance of casting actors in age-appropriate roles and shared her thoughts on why such opportunities are still rare for her in the industry.
Genelia Deshmukh Opens Up About Age-Appropriate Casting and Being Sidelined Post-Marriage
In a candid conversation with Filmymantra Media, Genelia Deshmukh emphasized the importance of moving past outdated mindsets in filmmaking and embracing age-appropriate casting. Speaking about her role as Aamir Khan’s wife, ‘Sunita’, in Sitaare Zameen Par, Genelia shared that the character felt like a perfect fit for her, as it required someone of her age to authentically portray its depth and complexity.
Genelia feels that casting a much younger actor for a significantly older role often means missing out on someone more suitable, someone who can truly grasp the nuances and subtle layers that bring authenticity to the character. Speaking about her role in Sitaare Zameen Par, she reflected:
“Maybe you think I’m married, so I don’t need this character. I just feel filmmaking has changed, and so should our mentality. It’s very important that if you want a character of a certain age, you should cast someone of that age. When we cast an actor who’s much younger than the character I played, they can’t understand the little things about it. It’s important to cast right. And I hope opportunities go everyone’s way.”
Genelia Desired to Portray a Complex Role Like ‘Sunita’
Talking about being cast opposite Aamir Khan, Genelia shared her heartfelt gratitude towards the superstar for recognizing her potential. She revealed that she had to go through three rounds of auditions before finally landing the role, but every bit of the effort was worth it. She reminisced:
“When people got to know I’m doing Sitaare Zameen Par, everybody said, ‘Oh my god! So lucky! You’re doing an Aamir Khan film!’ I said, ‘Of course!’ That’s Aamir sir’s bigness that he saw something in me. Of course, he made me audition. But you could also do that, right? You could also offer me a role. But you go as per the norms.”
Earlier, in a conversation with SCREEN, filmmaker R.S. Prasanna shared his thoughts on working with Genelia Deshmukh. He praised her for bringing infectious positive energy to the set and commended her versatility in embracing roles across various languages, particularly in South Indian cinema. He remarked: “Working with Genelia has been such a pleasure. She’s full of positive energy. She’s a great actor, and we love her in the South! Apparently, she’s done all languages, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and now, Marathi, obviously.”
All About movie Sitaare Zameen Par
Sitaare Zameen Par tells the story of a fallen basketball coach (Aamir Khan) who finds a shot at redemption when he’s tasked with mentoring a team of differently-abled children. A Bollywood remake of the celebrated Spanish film Campeones, the movie also stars Genelia D’Souza alongside ten promising newcomers. The film is slated for release in theatres on June 20, 2025.
Before its official release, Sitaare Zameen Par has garnered glowing praise from early viewers who attended a special pre-screening on June 9, 2025. Renowned author Sudha Murthy described the film as an “eye-opener.”