Shaitaan writer Aamil Keeyan Khan reveals why it's challenging to collaborate with the three Khans on a horror film

Aamil Keeyan Khan, who has worked as a writer on films like ‘Runway 34’, ‘Drishyam 2’ and ‘Bholaa’, is basking compliments for his writing in Shaitaan. The film is galloping toward the Rs 100 crore net India milestone and is enjoying a fantastic run at the Indian box office. In addition to sharing his experiences working with Ajay Devgn on a number of films, Aamil Keeyan Khan also talked about working with the three Khans on a horror film in an interview with Pinkvilla.
Given that the three Khan icons—Salman, Aamir, and Shah Rukh—haven't really ventured into the horror or supernatural thriller genre in their five-decade career, Aamil Keeyan Khan was asked if he would be interested in collaborating with them on a project. To this, he told Pinkvilla, "One is into romance and the other is into action. I feel Aamir Khan has really experimented with genres. Also, I am not sure if their audience is ready to see them in a horror film. To do a horror film, one really needs to be interested in the genre. For instance, Ajay Devgn sir is a huge horror movie buff. He is among the very few who have explored this genre. He did Bhoot and then even Kaal had supernatural elements."
After collaborating with Ajay Devgn on numerous films, Aamil was questioned about whether Ajay offers advice to his writers and directors considering that he is also a director. He said, "Ofcourse he did. Ajay sir has always had very clever inputs, not just on this, but all the films on which I've worked with him. What's nice is that, even though he is a director himself, he never interferes when he's on the sets of another filmmaker as an actor and star. He completely submits to the character he's playing and to the director he's working with. In both Drishyam 2 and now Shaitaan, Abhishek Pathak and Vikas Bahl have made the films they wanted to, and brought their own unique strengths to the project as a director. If Ajay sir is trusting someone to helm a project, then he goes by their intuition completely and even when he does give creative inputs, he's very sensitive and respectful in the way he does it".
As most may know, Shaitaan is an official remake of the Gujarati film ‘Vash’. When asked whether he was skeptical about the film’s response because it's a remake, Aamil Keeyan Khan said right away that he wasn't at all. He revealed that in order to make Vash more family-friendly, the gory elements were reduced and the ending was improvised. The film’s designation as a remake was less of a source of skepticism than how the changes would be welcomed.
Aamil Keeyan Khan also expressed his excitement for ‘Sky Force’, which stars Akshay Kumar and is scheduled for release on October 2, 2024. He revealed that it is based on a true story and is progressing really well. He also mentioned how unique the film is from other aerial-action films of the same genre. In addition, he discussed his other writing endeavours, which include ‘Maar Dhad Samachar’, ‘Jai Hind’ and a sequel to a much-loved comedy.