Aamir Khan keeps going back to school. He played the truant college boy in Rang De Basanti and the school teacher in Tare Zameen Par,now the 44-year-old Khan morphs into a goofy engineering student in Rajkumar Hiranis Three Idiots,which hits the screen on December 25.
He teams up with RDB co-stars Madhavan and Sharman Joshi in the new venture. Since we have worked on an earlier project we get along spontaneously on screen and know what the other person is thinking, says Khan,sporting his college student look as part of the promotion exercise for his film in Delhi. Madhavan and Joshi,also dressed like their on-screen characters,however,kept a low profile and left the spotlight free for Khan.
Khan plays a boy in his twenties,an irony that wasnt lost on the actor. I am playing someone less than half my age. Unfortunately,I missed out on college life as I was thrust into work soon after Class XII. But when I went to IIM Bangalore to shoot this film,I interacted with the students and gota taste of college life, says Khan.
Three Idiots,loosely based on Chetan Bhagats Five Point Someone,is a coming-of-age story of three friends Rancho (Khan),Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan) and Raju (Joshi). We have defined idiots as someone who follows his heart and does not conform with societys norms. People think he is wrong but he actually turns out to be more successful than his peers, explains Khan. The character of the unconventional boy is close to Khans heart. I have defied stereotypes all my life. I was written off when I entered the industry but I followed my heart to get where I am, he adds.
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Though the film deals with engineering students,Khan says its message is universal. This film asks if we are happy as individuals,and explains that success should not be the only goal in life. I dont believe marks are all that important, he says,emphasising on the need to build a childs personality. Khan himself was never the studious sorts,choosing instead to spend his time in sports and dramatics. I would sneak out of class to rehearse for plays or athletics. When the time came to get my parents signature on the exam paper,I would slyly ask mom for her signature early in the morning when she was half-asleep, he laughs.
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