Aamir Khan turns 60: Co-stars and directors reflect on Aamir’s lasting impact on the film industry

On his 60th birthday, his co-stars and directors, in an exclusive interview with SCREEN, shared their experiences of working with Aamir Khan and reflected on his profound impact on Hindi cinema.

‘No one like him’

Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who made the iconic film Rang De Basanti, starring Aamir, is proud of his choices till date. “I have worked with many professional actors, but Aamir Khan is on another level. His contribution to cinema is unparalleled. For him, the film is first, it’s not Aamir Khan. He is a person who sacrifices himself completely to the director, no questions asked. He is like an ocean, it depends on you how deep you want to dive to take out the pearls. His talent is unlimited,” he said.

Mehra continued, “It’s only time that teaches us the wisdom of life. I am sure 100 years from today when we look back, we will understand the real meaning of Aamir Khan’s contribution to global cinema.”

ALSO READ | Aamir Khan and his terrible movie mistakes: Bollywood-ised Godfather, cricket with bomb threat and snake charmers indulging in black magic

His 3 Idiots and Laal Singh Chadha co-star Mona Singh agrees that there is no one like him in the industry and his involvement in the shoot of a film speaks for itself. “Whenever I have worked with him, I have seen him multitasking. He knows where the lighting is, he knows what the director’s lens is. He is always 200% involved,” she shared.

Doing fewer films in a year, creating Rs 100 crore club

Aamir Khan is known for doing fewer films in a year, as compared to his contemporaries in the film industry. “Less is more. When you dilute yourself in numbers, you might stay in the eyes of the audience, but you are going to dilute your quality.” reflected Mehra.

Aamir’s Ghajini was the first film to cross the Rs. 100 crore mark at the box office, making him the first actor to reach that benchmark. The filmmaker added, “Aamir has always gone for quality not the number of films, and then profits came with that. It’s not about the number of films you have done, it’s about the impact, the work you have done.”

Filmmaker Nitesh Tiwari and Aamir Khan collaborated on the 2019 sports drama Dangal, which went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film. “The numbers were never his or my focus. That’s the best thing about Aamir sir. He hasn’t created the Rs 100 crore impact by thinking about box office numbers, that happened because he cares about his movies. His passion reflected in Dangal’s quality and its success,” expressed Tiwari.

Making history with Lagaan

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) created history by becoming a box office hit, earning critical acclaim, and being nominated for an Academy Award. The film continues to find takers even after two decades. Talking about its impact, veteran actor Dalip Tahil, who has worked with Aamir in numerous films, said, “Aamir has had a colossal impact on the film industry. He did it with his own film Lagaan – produced and even acted in it. He brought a wave of change in cinema. He made a serious topic such fun to watch. Everyone was thinking why he was making a cricket film in Gujarat, with people in dhotis. It was a master film.”

“Lagaan was a breakthrough film, it changed a lot in the film industry. There were cliches earlier ki yeh vo nahi dikha sakte. He eliminated those beautifully. He showed everyone that content matters at the end,” Tahil added. Tiwari agreed with his view and said, “It crossed the money barrier, everyone shut up after that. Sab baatein honi band hogyi uske baad. Lagaan made its name in history, the impact is beyond imagination if you think about it.”

Inspiration for newer generation

Aamir Khan continues to inspire the newer generation of actors and has set an example for his peers as well. “The best thing about him as an actor is that he works towards the total product, he doesn’t want him to shine, he wants to work to shine. He is an easy person to work with. He inspires every actor. His entire family is like that, they are a very basic Bombay family. There’s so much to learn from him. When it comes to his craft, he taught me so much on the set, it was my first film,” expressed actor Shruti Seth, who has worked with him in Fanaa (2006).

ALSO READ | Dalip Tahil reveals Aamir Khan questioned Inder Kumar about scenes in Ishq: ‘You just do what I am telling you to do…’

To which, Mona Singh added, “When you are that good an actor and when you want to keep challenging yourself and respect the craft, that is the time you take to select the roles you want to do. That is the reason why we see so little of him, only one film every 2-3 years. Kudos to him for choosing such good projects, inspiring us, and setting an example for the youth as well. He has always broken barriers and chosen the tough path. He inspires all of us with his choices.”