Aamir wanted to be a filmmaker, never an actor!

'A friend in need is a friend indeed'. This thought goes down well with two friends - Aamir Khan and Amol Gupte. It may sound as though we are contradicting the ongoing controversy about the rift between two friends, but this is ironically true in Aamir and Amol's case.

Very few people know that Amol and Aamir are friends since their college days. Amol wanted to be an actor and shared screen space with Aamir in Ketan Mehta's film Holi . After that producer Nasir Hussain wanted to introduce Amol as an actor in his son Mansoor Khan's directorial debut Qyamat Se Qyamat Tak . They shot five rolls and realized that Amol couldn't act. Mansoor wanted a new face for his film and that's how Aamir Khan, the then assistant director to Mansoor, became Raj of QSQT.

However, Aamir never wanted to be an actor as he was highly inclined towards directing movies. But QSQT made him a 'star' and also earned him the Filmfare Best Debut Award. Meanwhile Amol who failed to become an actor became a writer and wrote scripts for more than 100 short films. He assisted Ketan Mehta on his film Mirch Masala in 1985. He wrote a film on a dyslexic child. Amol who wanted to be a director got this opportunity through his own script. After approaching several producers, it was finally Aamir who agreed to back the film.

A close friend of Aamir says, "Aamir is emotionally attached to this movie that deals with a young child, who suffers from dyslexia which is a specific form of learning disability that manifests primarily as a difficulty with reading and spelling." He continues, "Aamir will be seen playing the father to a young dyslexic child. In real life his son Junaid and daughter Aira suffer from the same disease. That's why this project is so dear to Aamir's heart."

Aamir's friend further explains that the film was earlier titled High Jump and was later changed to Tare Zameen Par as it was more apt for the film. Reportedly, Amol shot five rolls of the film, but as the result wasn't too impressive, Aamir took charge of direction. This, we hear, may have caused some friction between Aamir and Amol. But Aamir's friend clarifies, "Even after 'creative differences' between the two, Aamir Khan and Amol Gupte remain good friends. Amol who was supposed to direct the film has been credited as 'writer and creative director' of the movie and doesn't seem visibly upset at least."