Why Aamir Khan Is in Prahaar’s Credits: Avinash Arun Reveals the Superstar Got Him the Film

Eagle-eyed viewers of Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam spotted a familiar name in the credits — Aamir Khan, listed under “Special Thanks.” Director Avinash Arun has now explained why, and the story turns out to be a small masterclass in how Bollywood mentorship actually works.

“I have thanked him because he got me on board,” Arun told Bollywood Hungama. “He suggested my name to Mr Dinesh Vijan.” According to the director, Aamir told him: “Avinash, I think you’ll do justice to this subject and I think you should consider this project.” That nudge, Arun said, motivated him to take up the film.

The connection goes back a decade. Aamir has followed Arun’s work since his directorial debut Killa (2015), and called him again after Paatal Lok, the acclaimed series on which Arun served as director and cinematographer. Arun, a Film and Television Institute of India graduate, has built a dual career behind the camera, shooting films such as Masaan, Drishyam, Madaari, Hichki and Karwaan, before directing Three Of Us (2023) and series including School Of Lies and Paatal Lok. On Prahaar too, he has doubled as director and cinematographer.

Released on October 16 and produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, Prahaar stars Rajkummar Rao as special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, alongside Wamiqa Gabbi, Lalit Prabhakar, Ashish Vidyarthi and Jaideep Ahlawat. The courtroom drama entered its second week after a steady first run, earning around ₹60 lakh nett on day 8 for an India nett total of about ₹17.75 crore and a worldwide gross near ₹23.76 crore, as per trade reports.

When asked whether a full collaboration with Aamir might follow, Arun kept the door open: “We are discussing a couple of things. So, hopefully, we’ll work together soon!”

Here is the Filmverse take: credits like this are usually treated as trivia, but this one explains something real about how serious films get made. Prahaar needed a director who could handle a courtroom without turning it into a shouting match, and a cinematographer who understood restraint — and Aamir’s recommendation essentially vouched for both halves of Arun in a single phone call. It also reframes the film’s slow-burn box office: this was never a mass opener, but a prestige drama whose reputation will be built by exactly these stories — a superstar’s quiet endorsement, a director’s craft, and an audience discovering it in week two. If the Aamir-Arun collaboration does materialise, this credit will read, in hindsight, as the first page of that chapter.

All box-office figures are trade estimates. Sources: Bollywood Hungama, IWMBuzz (Sacnilk data)

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