From Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak through his Laal Singh Chaddha and all the myriad of outstanding performances in between, Aamir Khan is considered one of the best in cinema. As an actor, director, and producer, Aamir Khan has brought incredible characters and outstanding movies to the big screen. As Aamir Khan turns 60 this week, Subhash K Jha presents some facts you may not know about The Meticulous Khan.
1. Aamir started his film career as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain’s Yaadon Ki Baraat in 1973. He was part of the gaggle of kids singing the title song by Lata Mangeshkar. Aamir played the childhood version of his cousin Tariq Shah, who was being launched as a hero by his father, Nasir Hussain. Tariq made no headway in his career. Aamir made history.
2. A huge fan of Lataji, Aamir makes sure he listens to her songs each day, no matter how busy. Aamir’s most precious compliment was when Lataji complimented him on his singing in ‘Aati hai khandala’.
3. Aamir didn’t make his debut as a leading man with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. His first film was Ketan Mehta’s Holi, during which Aamir shaved off his dead in protest against an unresponsive girlfriend, and Aditya Chopra’s Raakh—two films about the unstoppable angst of the young and the restless which indicated the way the actor’s career was going to go.
4. The credit for pointing Aamir’s career in the right direction goes to Javed Akhtar. It was Javed Akhtar who told Aamir’s uncle, the distinguished filmmaker Nasir Husain, “Why’s this boy assisting you? He’s out-and-out hero material.” That’s how Aamir Khan’s career as one of India’s most adventurous and relentlessly searching star-actors began.
5. “Papa kehte hain bada naam karega’ became the anthem of the early part of Aamir’s career. Udit Narayan, who sang the song, says it is a milestone for both Aamir and Udit’s careers. “Maine gaaya Aamir ne hit banaya uss gaane ko.”
6. What makes Aamir the most unique and exciting actor of the post-Bachchan generation? It’s his penchant to go against the grain and do what he wants to rather than what the box office dictates. His commitment to seeking out a refined idiom of cinematic expression seldom suffers a setback. This actor knows exactly what he’s doing and where he wants to take his stardom.
7. Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan did not work together until the disastrous Thugs Of Hindostan. Aamir was committed to do a film with Mr Bachchan’s production house years ago. But it never happened. Aamir had a lot to say about Mr Bachchan’s Black, and most of it critical. Mr B responded caustically to this in an interview with Subhash K Jha. “If his is a voice of lone dissent, it’s his right as an individual, living in a free society. And if his comments attract debate, it can only help in drawing attention to the product he now promotes. I think it to be very smart of him to be able to have achieved that. Is there a provision in law or society that states that one cannot be smart?”
Up next for Aamir Khan in the acting role is Sitaare Zameen Par, directed by R. S. Prasanna, and he also is a producer and makes a featured appearance in Rajkummar Santoshi’s Lahore 1947 which stars Preity Zinta and Bobby Deol.
