'I GET TOO INVOLVED IN MY FILMS'
Mr Perfectionist tells how he became a onefilm a year actor
He marks three decades in Bollywood this year, and Aamir Khan still throws surprises at viewers on a regular basis. Raj-era rebel; patriotic college boy, alien in search of God, wrestling coach, eccentric singer and talent scout... what role has Aamir not played to perfection? And that’s what has got the actor the tag that everyone knows him by — Mr Perfectionist.
Despite being a mainstream star, Aamir made off-beat film choices early on his career, long before his Bollywood contemporaries thought of putting content before commerce. Interestingly, Aamir is also among the most commercially bankable Indian actors of all time.
The 53-year-old actor, who made his debut with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak in 1988, talks about a defining moment in his career: “Things changed when I did Lagaan (2001). It was the first film I had produced, and that was also when I began doing one film at a time. The experience of working on two or three films simultaneously cannot match the process of doing one film at a time. I told my directors and producers for years to do a film at a time and do sync sound, and no other film in between. None of them agreed, for various reasons. But I hated that style of working.”
TURNING POINT
Aamir says that he could make that decision only when he turned producer. “When Lagaan was made, we made it at one go. A lot of colleagues, who were concerned for me, told me, ‘You’re doing one project and that too sync sound; you’re taking a lot of panga.’ But I knew what I was doing. And so I began doing one film at a time. I’m able to enjoy the process a lot more. I can even physically transform myself for each part, which adds to my performance,” says the Dangal (2016) and Secret Superstar (2017) actor.
About the Mr Perfectionist tag, he says, “I hope that has only contributed positively to my films. But the fact is that’s the way I am. I just love my work, and it’s not really work for me. I do get really involved in my films, irrespective of whether I’m acting [in it] or producing it. I give it everything, no matter how I am attached to a project.”
Aamir has also mentored a lot of people and given aspiring artistes a break in the field of acting, including Zaira Wasim, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra (all in Dangal).
However, he has a different perspective: “I want to say that I’m not really giving anyone a break. I’m actually casting or selecting a crew based on what their contribution to the film can be. For instance, if Zaira is in Dangal or Secret Superstar, in my head I’m not giving her a break or doing her a favour. For me, she’s contributing positively to my film. On the contrary, they’re adding to my career and my body of work. And I’m thankful for that.”
HIS INFLUENCES
Aamir says that two people have been instrumental in shaping his career. “My uncle Nasir Hussain is the person under whom I worked for four years as an assistant director. He was also the producer of my first film. The other person is Mansoor (Khan), who directed Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak,” he says. “These are the two people to whom I owe everything. They had faith in me.”