MUMBAI • Bollywood megastar Aamir Khan will have to shed 20kg to star in a Hindi-language remake of American movie Forrest Gump.

He will portray Laal Singh Chaddha, based on Tom Hanks' character in the 1994 classic.

"I have always loved Forrest Gump as a script.

"It is a life-affirming story. It is a feel-good film. It is a film for the whole family," Khan told reporters on his 54th birthday.

Forrest Gump won six Oscars, including for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Hanks. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on Winston Groom's 1986 novel of the same name. It centres on the life of a dim-witted but kind man whose life mirrors key events in the United States in the 20th century.

Khan, who last appeared in box-office flop Thugs Of Hindostan, said he would have to lose 20kg for the role. "I have to be lean and slim," he explained, adding that shooting would start in October.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE