Aamir Khan, Gowariker team up again for cricket drama 'Lalkaar'

Bollywood star Aamir Khan and filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker are reuniting for a cricket-based sports drama, more than two decades after their acclaimed collaboration on Lagaan.

Titled Lalkaar, the film will feature Aamir in the lead as a 25-year-old character, despite the actor being 61. According to Filmfare, he has already begun preparing for the demanding role, including following a strict diet and working to lose weight to match the character's age and physique.

The film is set against the backdrop of the historic 1952 India-Pakistan Test series, one of the defining chapters in the cricketing history of the two countries. The project marks Gowariker and Aamir’s return to a cricket-centred story after Lagaan, which was released in 2001.

Lagaan, set during British colonial rule, received widespread acclaim in India and internationally, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Aamir's physical transformations for films such as Ghajini and Dangal have also drawn considerable attention, raising expectations for his new look in Lalkaar.

There had been speculation that actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar would also star in the film. However, Farhan told Variety India that he was never formally attached to the project and therefore did not leave it.

Farhan will nevertheless remain involved as a producer. His Excel Entertainment, co-founded with Ritesh Sidhwani, is backing the film.

The rest of the cast and the film's release date have yet to be officially announced.