INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES
After having maintained a fair distance from the media till recently, aamir khan has decided to open up. in a freewheeling chat about his career and the upcoming 'Peepli Live', which he is producing, neha sarin tries to find out if the man measures up to his 'perfect' reputation
As a
creative person, working in the Indian film industry has always been an uphill task and I have been swimming against the tide for most of the way
You played a college kid in 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' and in '3 Idiots'.
What were the different challenges playing a college kid in these two different films?
Well, the biggest challenge when I was doing '3 Idiots' was my age as I was not of that age anymore. It was a big challenge, not only physically to look that age but also mentally to get into that age and feel young and react in every moment that I am in front of the camera like a 20 year old; that was difficult.
So what did you say to yourself to overcome that?
(Laughs) Well, I got a lot from the writing and the way it was written and'I don't know'I do things instinctively and intuitively. I don't know if I can verbalise it as often I am not able to verbalise things or how I do things. It's a lot by what I feel like doing at that point in time I think in the case of '3 Idiots', I kind of perceived Rancho as a person who has a lot of buzz and has a lot of things going on in his head, so he is never still and physically also he is constantly moving, he is quick in his responses.
After a film is over and done with, how long does it take the character to finally wear off?
(Laughs) That's not easy to say, sometimes it stays longer. I don't become the character in real life really' the character stays with me, his characteristics and mannerisms stay with me for a long time. Often, it's up till I start with my next film.
You have worked with actresses from Juhi Chawla to Kareena Kapoor and from Supriya Pathak to Asin. With whom did you feel you shared the best on-screen and off-screen chemistry with?
Well, Juhi was great to work with, she is a really wonderful person and a great actress. I really enjoyed working with her. Rani is another one, who I think is a great actress and someone I enjoyed working with. I really had a good time with Kareena when I did '3 Idiots' with her. Again, someone who is great to work with and a very good actress. So yeah, there are a number of them. Also, Kajol during 'Fanaa'.
All these years you've stayed away from the media and very recently you have started opening up to them. What caused this change?
Well, I guess, I was not happy with the fact that I am cutting myself off from my audience and the media is a key link between me and my audience. So it was not something I was happy doing. During 'Rang de Basanti' and 'Fanaa', I was not speaking to anyone in the media. And then I did 'Taare Zameen Par', which actually also changed me a lot as a person.
In what way did TZP change you?
It kind of made me more aware of other people and how all of us as human beings have different qualities. Each one of us is unique and different and that's how I should receive people, instead of just assuming that all of us are of a particular kind.
So what made you withdraw from the media, in the first place?
I didn't know how to deal with the media, I just kind of withdrew.
Did the controversies that the media created bother you?
Not the controversies, so much. It's more the intrusion and the intrusive nature of the media as we see it.
Does the constant comparison and the media's crazy desire to put a number on you, bother you? Is it possible to live a real life being a movie star?
No, it doesn't bother me. I don't even take all these numbers seriously. I am actually quite lost in my work and most of the time, I am not even aware of what's being written about me and what's coming out. A lot is written about and its really impossible for me to keep tabs on everything and usually when I am in the film, I am quite lost in that, so I don't know what all is written. So, no it doesn't bother me (grins).
What according to you is the future of cinema and entertainment?
Well, I think cinema, at its core, will always be storytelling and that's what it is' and there'd be newer techniques and newer platforms which will keep coming in and affecting it in different ways but it will always remain a medium for storytelling and I think with technology getting easier to use in so many different ways, to make a film is much more accessible to a common man. He just needs a video camera which everyone has an access to, a computer with a software where one can edit a film and the Internet where you can actually show it. So, all you need is an idea and a story to tell.
You have been around for over two decades and you are still giving newcomers a run for their money. What has kept you well grounded and involved in cinema?
Hmmm'I think I enjoy doing what I am doing and that's how I work'for me, cinema is my life and each film takes at least a year or two years of my time, so it's very important for me to do work that makes me happy, that I enjoy doing, so the process is as important to me as the end result and that's how I work. I've had a great journey and I've had the opportunity of working with a lot of very talented people and I've learnt a lot. I think I like to learn new things and grow as a creative person and that's what keeps me going.
Is that the reason why we saw you play drums at the "Peepli Live" music launch?
Oh! That is something I used to do long back. As a kid, I learnt the drums a little bit and Indian Ocean got to know about it and forced me to join them, it was just a fun thing.
You have been an integral part of the transition cinema, and it has been undergoing transition for so many decades. Where do you think it stands today?
Well, I think for me, as a creative person working in the Indian film industry has always been an uphill task and I have been swimming against the tide for most of the way because the kind of films that I have enjoyed doing and believed in were not considered mainstream by the market till they released and they did well. So, all along I have done films that the market doesn't have much faith in. But it's after the film releases and the audience likes it that it gets the kind of support that the market is a little surprised by. So, I've just done stuff that I like and I believe in. I haven't ever considered changing things as I am willing to take the risks, if there are any.
Like you said, you always swam against the tide, but it's not easy. In the beginning, how badly were you run down and did you ever consider caving in?
Ummm'No, I never considered caving in, it just made me stronger. I was very clear that I wanted to work in a particular way and do a certain kind of films that I believe in and made me happy and I was very clear that if it meant that I don't have a place in the industry, that's okay but I still want to do the stuff that I want to do. So, it was tough in the beginning as I had to prove myself again and again each time. But, I guess that's part of the journey, part of the fun and part of the challenge. And sometimes when I look back at my career, I feel that I'm very fortunate and someone up there is looking out for me because a lot of decisions I took were not very practical, and a lot of them had huge risks involved. So I'm really glad and I feel blessed with the kind of love and support I've received right through my career. So, I am glad it worked out well!
And you also provide these opportunities to newcomers. So what about the story of 'Peepli Live' touched you?
I thought it was very funny and humorous and at the same time, very heartbreaking and thought provoking- so it moved me and touched me and made me laugh and made me think and so that's what attracted me about it. Anusha is a very fine creative mind, someone who has a very unique voice of her own. I felt that if she has something to say and express in her own way, I'd be happy to try and support her.
Is it a sign of success or failure to know that you have people who'd be happy to see you fail?
Neither. I don't think it reflects either of these because it depends what you mean by success or failure and for me, success is a combination of a number of things, one of them being that when we set out to make a film, when I see the film once it's complete. Do I feel we have achieved what we set out to do? That's the first hurdle that we have to cross. If I feel that we have achieved what we set out to do, then I feel that's the first step of success for me, in my own heart and in my own mind and then, I wait to see how the audiences react as its them that I've made it for. It's once when both of these get a tick that I feel we have been successful.
How did Aamir Khan's blog start?
Oh! That happened a few years ago, when the DVD of 'Lagaan' was being released and it was released six years after the film had released in the theatre which is unusually long. So, the distributors of the DVD requested me to start to blog which was originally called 'the Lagaan DVD blog'. That's what it was called in the beginning and I began blogging on that platform but after the first few posts, I realised that I had much more to say than 'Lagaan' or the DVD and it became something else. Then I even converted the name to my own website.
And did that give people an opportunity to know the real Aamir khan?
Well, yeah, that is one of the ways and the other way, of course, is through interviews with someone like you because you are the person, who is actually experiencing me as we speak. And then you would write about and share your experiences of your conversation with me, with so many thousands and millions of readers. So through the media, it is a very important link.
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After having maintained a fair distance from the media till recently, aamir khan has decided to open up. in a freewheeling chat about his career and the upcoming 'Peepli Live', which he is producing, neha sarin tries to find out if the man measures up to his 'perfect' reputation
As a
creative person, working in the Indian film industry has always been an uphill task and I have been swimming against the tide for most of the wayYou played a college kid in 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' and in '3 Idiots'.
What were the different challenges playing a college kid in these two different films?
Well, the biggest challenge when I was doing '3 Idiots' was my age as I was not of that age anymore. It was a big challenge, not only physically to look that age but also mentally to get into that age and feel young and react in every moment that I am in front of the camera like a 20 year old; that was difficult.
So what did you say to yourself to overcome that?
(Laughs) Well, I got a lot from the writing and the way it was written and'I don't know'I do things instinctively and intuitively. I don't know if I can verbalise it as often I am not able to verbalise things or how I do things. It's a lot by what I feel like doing at that point in time I think in the case of '3 Idiots', I kind of perceived Rancho as a person who has a lot of buzz and has a lot of things going on in his head, so he is never still and physically also he is constantly moving, he is quick in his responses.
After a film is over and done with, how long does it take the character to finally wear off?
(Laughs) That's not easy to say, sometimes it stays longer. I don't become the character in real life really' the character stays with me, his characteristics and mannerisms stay with me for a long time. Often, it's up till I start with my next film.
You have worked with actresses from Juhi Chawla to Kareena Kapoor and from Supriya Pathak to Asin. With whom did you feel you shared the best on-screen and off-screen chemistry with?
Well, Juhi was great to work with, she is a really wonderful person and a great actress. I really enjoyed working with her. Rani is another one, who I think is a great actress and someone I enjoyed working with. I really had a good time with Kareena when I did '3 Idiots' with her. Again, someone who is great to work with and a very good actress. So yeah, there are a number of them. Also, Kajol during 'Fanaa'.
All these years you've stayed away from the media and very recently you have started opening up to them. What caused this change?
Well, I guess, I was not happy with the fact that I am cutting myself off from my audience and the media is a key link between me and my audience. So it was not something I was happy doing. During 'Rang de Basanti' and 'Fanaa', I was not speaking to anyone in the media. And then I did 'Taare Zameen Par', which actually also changed me a lot as a person.
In what way did TZP change you?
It kind of made me more aware of other people and how all of us as human beings have different qualities. Each one of us is unique and different and that's how I should receive people, instead of just assuming that all of us are of a particular kind.
So what made you withdraw from the media, in the first place?
I didn't know how to deal with the media, I just kind of withdrew.
Did the controversies that the media created bother you?
Not the controversies, so much. It's more the intrusion and the intrusive nature of the media as we see it.
Does the constant comparison and the media's crazy desire to put a number on you, bother you? Is it possible to live a real life being a movie star?
No, it doesn't bother me. I don't even take all these numbers seriously. I am actually quite lost in my work and most of the time, I am not even aware of what's being written about me and what's coming out. A lot is written about and its really impossible for me to keep tabs on everything and usually when I am in the film, I am quite lost in that, so I don't know what all is written. So, no it doesn't bother me (grins).
What according to you is the future of cinema and entertainment?
Well, I think cinema, at its core, will always be storytelling and that's what it is' and there'd be newer techniques and newer platforms which will keep coming in and affecting it in different ways but it will always remain a medium for storytelling and I think with technology getting easier to use in so many different ways, to make a film is much more accessible to a common man. He just needs a video camera which everyone has an access to, a computer with a software where one can edit a film and the Internet where you can actually show it. So, all you need is an idea and a story to tell.
You have been around for over two decades and you are still giving newcomers a run for their money. What has kept you well grounded and involved in cinema?
Hmmm'I think I enjoy doing what I am doing and that's how I work'for me, cinema is my life and each film takes at least a year or two years of my time, so it's very important for me to do work that makes me happy, that I enjoy doing, so the process is as important to me as the end result and that's how I work. I've had a great journey and I've had the opportunity of working with a lot of very talented people and I've learnt a lot. I think I like to learn new things and grow as a creative person and that's what keeps me going.
Is that the reason why we saw you play drums at the "Peepli Live" music launch?
Oh! That is something I used to do long back. As a kid, I learnt the drums a little bit and Indian Ocean got to know about it and forced me to join them, it was just a fun thing.
You have been an integral part of the transition cinema, and it has been undergoing transition for so many decades. Where do you think it stands today?
Well, I think for me, as a creative person working in the Indian film industry has always been an uphill task and I have been swimming against the tide for most of the way because the kind of films that I have enjoyed doing and believed in were not considered mainstream by the market till they released and they did well. So, all along I have done films that the market doesn't have much faith in. But it's after the film releases and the audience likes it that it gets the kind of support that the market is a little surprised by. So, I've just done stuff that I like and I believe in. I haven't ever considered changing things as I am willing to take the risks, if there are any.
Like you said, you always swam against the tide, but it's not easy. In the beginning, how badly were you run down and did you ever consider caving in?
Ummm'No, I never considered caving in, it just made me stronger. I was very clear that I wanted to work in a particular way and do a certain kind of films that I believe in and made me happy and I was very clear that if it meant that I don't have a place in the industry, that's okay but I still want to do the stuff that I want to do. So, it was tough in the beginning as I had to prove myself again and again each time. But, I guess that's part of the journey, part of the fun and part of the challenge. And sometimes when I look back at my career, I feel that I'm very fortunate and someone up there is looking out for me because a lot of decisions I took were not very practical, and a lot of them had huge risks involved. So I'm really glad and I feel blessed with the kind of love and support I've received right through my career. So, I am glad it worked out well!
And you also provide these opportunities to newcomers. So what about the story of 'Peepli Live' touched you?
I thought it was very funny and humorous and at the same time, very heartbreaking and thought provoking- so it moved me and touched me and made me laugh and made me think and so that's what attracted me about it. Anusha is a very fine creative mind, someone who has a very unique voice of her own. I felt that if she has something to say and express in her own way, I'd be happy to try and support her.
Is it a sign of success or failure to know that you have people who'd be happy to see you fail?
Neither. I don't think it reflects either of these because it depends what you mean by success or failure and for me, success is a combination of a number of things, one of them being that when we set out to make a film, when I see the film once it's complete. Do I feel we have achieved what we set out to do? That's the first hurdle that we have to cross. If I feel that we have achieved what we set out to do, then I feel that's the first step of success for me, in my own heart and in my own mind and then, I wait to see how the audiences react as its them that I've made it for. It's once when both of these get a tick that I feel we have been successful.
How did Aamir Khan's blog start?
Oh! That happened a few years ago, when the DVD of 'Lagaan' was being released and it was released six years after the film had released in the theatre which is unusually long. So, the distributors of the DVD requested me to start to blog which was originally called 'the Lagaan DVD blog'. That's what it was called in the beginning and I began blogging on that platform but after the first few posts, I realised that I had much more to say than 'Lagaan' or the DVD and it became something else. Then I even converted the name to my own website.
And did that give people an opportunity to know the real Aamir khan?
Well, yeah, that is one of the ways and the other way, of course, is through interviews with someone like you because you are the person, who is actually experiencing me as we speak. And then you would write about and share your experiences of your conversation with me, with so many thousands and millions of readers. So through the media, it is a very important link.
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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When foreign shores beckon
An array of unconventional career options
A language that divides
Best Colleges for Vocational Courses in India
Indian universities and higher education institutes seem to be caught in a time warp teaching things
Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU): Students' Unions can not be banned
The hunt for hostel and paying guest (PG) accommodation for students
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