‘I was very scared of my father’: Aamir Khan reveals the only two films he signed without reading script

The two films Aamir Khan signed blindly

Aamir revealed that early in his career, he took on two films without knowing their stories—both at the insistence of his father, filmmaker Tahir Hussain.

“There are only two films in my career that I did without knowing the script—Awwal Number and Tum Mere Ho,” he said.

Recalling how he landed Awwal Number, Aamir said, “My father called me and said Dev Anand wants to meet you for Awwal Number, and I’ve already said yes on your behalf. I told him, ‘No, I’ll first hear the script and then decide.’ But he said, ‘You won’t do any of that. You won’t ask for the story—you’ll just go and say yes.’ I was very scared of my father. So I just agreed. I had no idea what the story was.”

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“The second film is Tum Mere Ho, which was made by my father. I tried asking my father about the story, but he said, ‘We’ve been making films for 30 years and you’re asking me for the story?’ I got a three-hour lecture. After that, I said, ‘Okay, I don’t need to hear the story—you just make the film.’”

“For other films you’ve seen and didn’t like, you can blame me completely. But these two films—I did without knowing the script,” Aamir said jokingly.

Aamir noted that, more often than not, trusting his instincts has paid off. Speaking about Taare Zameen Par, Aamir recalled how people questioned the subject.

“When I decided to produce Taare Zameen Par, everyone said, ‘Why are you making this? It’s about dyslexia, about a child—who will watch it?’ But I loved the story, so I went ahead.”

Awwal Number is Ranbir Kapoor’s favourite film

Interestingly, Awwal Number holds a special place for Ranbir Kapoor, who counts it among his favourite films. In an earlier interview with BBC Asian Network, Aamir Khan spoke about Ranbir’s admiration for the film.

Aamir said, “Ranbir is a huge fan of Awwal Number. I have been a great fan of Dev sahab, but I am not very happy with that film. But at first, I thought that Ranbir is pulling my leg. I said, ‘Come on, don’t pull my leg.’ But then he started narrating each scene and each and every dialogue of the film to me. He said, ‘You don’t understand, I was a small kid when I was watching this film. In my eyes, this film is one of my favourite films’. I was like, ‘Okay, what can I say?’”

About Awwal Number and Tum Mere Ho

Awwal Number (1990), directed by Dev Anand, was a sports drama set against the backdrop of international cricket, with Aamir Khan playing a young cricketer. It also starred Aditya Pancholi, Ekta and Dev Anand. The film failed to connect with audiences.

In the same year, Tum Mere Ho, produced by his father Tahir Hussain and co-starring Juhi Chawla, explored a fantasy-driven love story involving snake-charming traditions and supernatural elements tied to revenge. The film too struggled at the box office.