Happy Birthday Aamir Khan: The Perfectionist turns 50
We know him as the Raj of ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, Bhuvan of ‘Lagaan’ and Ram Shankar Nikumbh of ‘Taare Zameen Par’, but what we fail to realise is that Aamir is the only actor who has achieved the rare feat of acting in almost all possible genres of Indian Cinema and excelling in them as well.
Once Rex Reed remarked about Audrey Hepburn – “In a cruel and imperfect world, she was living proof that God could still create perfection.” And if there’s one filmstar from the Indian Cinema who can be described with these superlatives, it’s Aamir Khan.
(PHOTOS: Aamir Khan’s early 50th birthday celebrations: cuts cake with media, fans)
We know him as the Raj of ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’, Bhuvan of ‘Lagaan’ and Ram Shankar Nikumbh of ‘Taare Zameen Par’, but what we fail to realise is that Aamir is the only actor who has achieved the rare feat of acting in almost all possible genres of Indian Cinema and excelling in them as well.
(Read: Aamir Khan clueless about 50th birthday plans, says Kiran is planning for it)
The ‘thinking’ superstar has always managed to charm and mesmerise the audiences and critics with his career moves. You section him as a romantic hero, he does a ‘Munna’ and changes your notion. You categorise him as ‘class’, he awes you with the ‘mass’y appeal.
(Also Read: Aamir Khan weighs 90 kg for his next film ‘Dangal’)
On his 50th birthday, we bring to you some of these various facets of Mr Perfectionist:
Aamir Khan – The Romantic Hero:
Like many others in the business, Aamir started as the chocolate boy in ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. With looks to die for, he became the ultimate dream man of every teenage girl.
He went on to do a couple of movies with the same theme – Love, separation and the subsequent reunion, like ‘Dil’, ‘Love Love Love’, ‘Dil Hai Ki Maanta Nahin’, ‘Raja Hindustani’ among others and excelled in every one of them.
Aamir Khan – The Action Hero:
So, can a lover boy guise into a revenge-seeking-angry-young-man? Why not? ‘Mangal Pandey’ or ‘Ghajini’ are proofs. The superstar, who certainly outlines the difference between acting and good acting, dons this hat perfectly too.
The freedom fighter in ‘Mangal Pandey’, the hero in ‘Baazi’, the messed up victim in ‘Ghajini’ or the patriot in ‘Sarfarosh’, Aamir Khan nailed every role to perfection.
Aamir Khan – The Comedy King:
This is a genre very few actors have the guts to experiment with. For years, it was the duty of special character artists to play comedians in the movies, but Aamir Khan was one among the very few actors who gambled with the prospect of doing comedy in a movie. And he succeeded with flying colours.
His ‘Amar’ in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ is a role still remembered and aspired by the young actors to play. Also, a certain aspect in Aamir’s role in ‘Ishq’ had comic variations and he did them with utmost sincerity.
Aamir Khan – The Tapori:
‘Rangeela’ was a real deal breaker for Aamir Khan, where he played the role of a ‘tapori’, which was a far cry from the kind of roles he had been doing in the past. The swagger and the ‘Rangeeley’ clothes added the zing to his portrayal.
And can you forget the ‘Aati Kya Khandala’ sung by Aamir himself from ‘Ghulam’?
Aamir Khan – The village boy:
Bollywood lover, or a cricket lover, ‘Lagaan’ became the anthem for all of them. The official entry to Oscars for the year 2000, not only did the movie become a cult, but also established Aamir Khan as the most versatile actor of his time.
Aamir Khan – The Stud:
And if Aamir Khan can play a village lad with conviction, he can portray a city stud with equal impact. His role of a carefree yet responsible adolescent in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Rang De Basanti’ bear a testimony to this.
Aamir Khan – The Answer-seeker:
As much as he is a sorted man from within, he can play a messed up character with elan. An emotionally conflicted police officer in ‘Talash’ or a good-gone-bad terrorist in ‘Fanaa’ could not be played better by anyone but Aamir.
Aamir Khan – The Teacher:
One can kill to have a teacher like him – cool, youthful and principled. Aamir Khan as the sensitive teacher in his directorial debut ‘Taare Zaameen Par’ was a delight to watch.
Aamir Khan – The Student:
Aamir Khan was one of the idiots in ‘3 Idiots’ and contrast to the name, played a student brilliantly. The carefree attitude, the swag and the innocence – one can fall short of words to describe ‘Rancho’.
Aamir Khan – The ‘Dhoom’ster:
There was a doom (‘Qayamat’) when Aamir starred in his debut venture in 1988, and a ‘Dhoom’ when he starred in the third edition of YRF’s ‘Dhoom’ series. He played the antagonist for the second time in his career, after ‘Fanaa’ and earned rave reviews for his performance. ‘Dhoom: 3′ went on to break all records at the Box Office by becoming the first Bollywood movie to amass more than Rs 500 cr gross (national and international).
Aamir Khan – The mystery:
Aamir’s character in ‘PK’ was a mystery till the movie released. And when it did get released, people didn’t look for answers; all they vouched for was Aamir Khan – the brilliance. Though the awards for the year have been awept by Shahid Kapoor’s portrayal of ‘Haider’, Aamir’s performance in and as ‘PK’ is something not to be overlooked. Not only were the nuances of the confused but good hearted alien were brought to life by Aamir, but also brought the movie to break all records of collections at the Box Office.
Not to forget is the Bhojpuri accent. Yes, it’s the same person who orates so beautifully, in English and in Hindi, while hosting his TV show ‘Satyamev Jayate’. Perfection, as we say.
Aamir Khan – The “incorrigible” husband:
We have talked about his movies enough, something about Aamir, the husband. The “clean” actor is not very fond of showering and hates to take a bath. The fact has been confirmed by his wife Kiran Rao on Karan Johar’s talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’. Until Aamir has to leave home for an event or work, he prefers to keep away from the shower.
Aamir Khan – Humility Personified:
Such humble is the actor, that Madame Tussauds wax museum, which boasts of almost all the top Bollywood actors under one roof including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Amitabh Bachchan, when approached Aamir to build his wax statue, the superstar declined the offer saying, “It’s not important to me… people will see my films if they want to. Also, I cannot deal with so many things, I have bandwidth only for that much.”
Aamir Khan – The “Money-Machine”:
Enough said about Aamir Khan – the actor and the person. But more than this, he has proved himself to be a ‘Box Office Phenomenon’. So, let’s see what ‘The Aamir Khan’ brings to the Box Office. His last releases –
‘Ghajini’ (2008) – Rs 190 Cr Worldwide
‘3 Idiots’ (2009) – Rs 395 Cr Worldwide
‘Dhoom: 3′ (2013) – Rs 546 Cr Worldwide
‘PK’ (2014) – Rs 650 Cr Worldwide
Thus speaketh the figures. Aamir Khan does churn out blockbusters and Rs 100 cr grossers every year.
Aamir Khan is a sports enthusiast too. The actor was very active in sports during his growing years and was also the state tennis champion from Maharashtra. When he graced the final match of All-India Women’s Open Tennis Tournament last year, Aamir Khan obliged the people by playing a game or two and that too brilliantly.
Also, he would next be seen in the movie ‘Dangal’, based on wrestler Mahavir Phogat’s life, for which he has gained almost 22 kilos to suit the character. Perfection, as we said.
And since change is the only constant, perfection needs improvement too. The superstar has, recently, decided to turn vegan; not in effect of any motivational speeches or to build muscles, but as an aftermath of watching a Youtube video.
Today, when the superstar hits the half century of life, the world looks forward to more of his brilliance. We wish Aamir Khan a very happy birthday and happier times ahead.
Source:: Indian Express
