When Kiran Rao refused to give Aamir Khan a role in the film

- 'Even today I, Aamir's first wife Reena, our children all live in the same society. We all go together to restaurants for dinner.'

- 'Look, we are separated as husband and wife, not as a family...'

"I'm nervous about whether the audience will welcome 'Missing Ladies'."

As much fun as the Hindi film world is, it is also full of uncertainties. Kiran Rao is an example of this. There has been a long gap of 13 years between the two films of Kiran Rao as a film director. Kiran's first film as a director 'Dhobighat' was released in 2010. After that, his second film 'Lapata Ladies' has been released till now.

Hyderabad-born, Kolkata-raised, Mumbai-educated Kiran Rao says, 'Filmmaking has undergone a lot of modern changes in a period of thirteen years. There has also been a change in the interest of the audience. To be honest, 'Lapata Ladies' is basically a comedy film and it is made in Bhojpuri language. Bhojpuri is thus a language with a very sweet tone. However, I am worried about both the Bhojpuri language and the comedy of the film. I am tensed whether the audience will accept my film. However, I am very satisfied and happy that the film received a rousing reception at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. Say I'm disappointed.'

The story of the movie 'Lapata Ladies' is about two newlyweds who go missing during a train journey. The train passes through the hinterland of India. Now where did these two suddenly disappear from the train? Have some criminal elements kidnapped them or have they disappeared by themselves? How to find both newlyweds creates forced comedy. Comedy intertwines with mystery.

There are no big or well-known names of Bollywood in this film. Here are unknown but talented actors like Pratibha Ratna, Nitanshi Goyal, Sparsh Srivastava. Yes, there is a well-known and big name - Ravi Kishan.

Kiran Rao, who has degrees in food science and mass communication, says, 'I fell in love with Aamir Khan's story the first time he narrated it to me. Then I read the entire story with ease. I had an idea that in this story, how the mystery of the incident in which two nine more people go missing from the train will be solved? Although the film has an element of mystery, we decided it was important to give it a comic touch.'

Kiran, who has worked as an assistant director on 'Lagaan' and 'Dil Chahta Hai', says, 'I really like certain scenes in 'Missing Ladies'. For example, female members of the same family get together and laugh a lot about something they like, have a lot of fun. During these moments of joy, one of the brides says, Hey, listen, we are relatives and members of the same family, but let us become true sisters from now on... Another scene is the river bank. The newlyweds sit on the bank of the river and talk lovingly. We have captured this scene by installing a camera in a drone with modern technology. I love this scene too.'

Kiran Rao, who played an important role in the production of films like 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na', 'Peepli Live', 'Dhobighat', 'Delhi Belly', 'Talaash', 'Dangal' etc., expresses an important point and says, 'We are the 'missing ladies'. A bold decision has been taken to cast all the new, unknown actors in the film except for Ravi Kishan. They are theater actors from Indore, Jabalpur, Bhopal. His theater training has given him an edge. We have tried our best to make the story and events of the film realistic.

'A funny thing. Aamir Khan auditioned for the role of a police officer in the film! Aamir did not even discuss with me for the role of a police officer. When we saw the audition of Ravi Kishan, we realized that Ravi is the best for this character. This is the role of a police officer who behaves strangely, says something and does something different. I refused Aamir. And yes, Aamir also agreed with my decision.'

Elaborating on the decade-long gap between 'Dhobighat' and 'Lapata Ladies', Kiran Rao says, 'Look, to be honest, I was super busy with the production of our films 'Dangal', 'Secret Superstar' etc. Also I have to raise my son Azad. Today, Azad has turned 12 years old. All these situations delayed the writing of the story of the film 'Lapata Ladies'.

Kiran Rao, who is associated with Pani Foundation, says of her divorce from Aamir Khan, 'Look, we have separated as husband and wife, not as a family. Even today I, Aamir's first wife Reena, our children live in the same society. Also, we all go to a restaurant every Monday night for dinner. We all take care of each other as family members.