Sohum Shah credits Aamir Khan’s thumb rule for helping him mount Tumbbad for seven years: ‘Thought my age is passing by’

Originally released in 2018, Tumbbad has done phenomenal business in its re-release, finding a wider audience and stamping a historic box office success.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | September 26, 2024 08:46 PM IST

2 min read

Sohum Shah talks about how Aamir Khan impacted his thought process which helped him mount Tumbbad. Photo: Screengrab, YouTube/Rhea Chakraborty)

For seven years, when actor-producer Sohum Shah was painstakingly mounting his ambitious folk horror epic Tumbbad, he battled several insecurities which made him question his passion for the project, but what kept him grounded was a golden rule of superstar Aamir Khan: Always focus on one project at a time and keep at it no matter what.

Originally released in 2018, Tumbbad has done phenomenal business in its re-release, finding a wider audience and stamping a historic box office success. But the journey to make the film wasn’t easy and Shah relied on Khan’s formula. The superstar is known to do only one film at a time, sticking to it for years and only then moving on to the next.

“There’s a certain structure even when you multi-task, which I have learnt from Aamir Khan, even before I entered films,” Sohum Shah said about the star. “Whatever I have learnt, it has been from the Hindi film industry and within that, Aamir Khan has had a huge impact on me, that is, to do one task at a time but do it well, and success is a by-product. I believe in this thumb rule.”

The actor said if not for the “simple rule” which Aamir kept on “the table for everyone,” he would have gotten entangled in the insecurities which started creeping in as the film battled long production and several re-shoots.

“I could give seven years to Tumbbad because of that rule, which I kept in mind that Aamir had taught, to stick to it and believe it will take you somewhere. As an actor, even I would face many insecurities, that my age is passing, I should do some other films. But back of the mind, this rule did stay and helped me, otherwise I would have created a lot of mess,” he said.

Tumbbad has scripted history by becoming the highest earning film in its re-release, netting over Rs 25 crore. The makers recently announced Tumbbad 2.

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