7 Unknown Facts About Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan  is  known to be  a  perfectionist. There are stories attached to every  film that he has  done so far. Here are some that you may or may  not  know, depending on how far his very active marketing team  has penetrated.

1.     Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Aamir Khan’s debut as a leading man in 1988 was shot with two endings,   a happy  and a  tragic one. Director Mansoor Khan(Aamir’s first-cousin)  test-ran  both the versions with selected audiences all across the country.  Ultimately the tragic ending where  both Aamir Khan and Juhi’s characters  die  was retained.

2.     To this  day Aamir Khan has  maintained the tradition of test-runs.Unlike many  directors and stars who like to hide their  films from preview audiences as  much as possible, Aamir Khan believes  healthy criticism to be the key to sustained success. The  main reason Thugs Of Hindostan  bombed so badly  is  because it was  a Yash Raj  film and Aamir Khan had no control over its pre-release  exposure.

3.     Speaking  of  Thugs  Of Hindostan, this was  he first time   Aamir Khan came  face to face with the mighty Bachchan . In his 32-year career the closest Aamir came  to sharing  the  screen  with the mighty  Bachchan before TOH   was when the latter  did the  voiceover in Aamir’s Lagaan. I once  raised  the  topic  with Mr  Bachchan and  his sardonic  reply was , “Ask him why we haven’t done any films together.” For the record, I didn’t.

4.     Aamir  had a  huge chip on his shoulder about Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black .When Aamir directed  Taare Zameen Par he wanted  to ensure he didn’t make  the same mistakes that  Bhansali did  while  showing childcare. When I  met AamirKhan after the release  of  Taare Zameen Par he spent one and a  half hours telling me why he hated Black for the  way  the  child  was physically abused in  the film.

5.     Fanaa with  Kajol almost  didn’t happen. Aamir’s experience  of working with  Kajol in Indra Kumar’s Ishq  was far from happy. He told me in  an interview that Kajol was badly behaved.Well, I  guess he  changed his opinion .In Fanaa Aamir played a terrorist. Given the current  scenario he  would never agree to playing the same role if it was  offered to him today.

6.     Lagaan is  perhaps Aamir’s single-most  successful film to date. And to think  Aamir  might  not have done this  film at all! Ashutosh Gowariker  had first offered  Lagaan to Abhishek Bachchan. For nearly two years Gowariker pursued Abhishek. Finally gave up,then approached  Shah Rukh Khan . Aamir  heard  to script and immediately agreed. His only concern was , would he be accepted in a  dhoti?

7.     Aamir Khan has done some really  awful films in  the early  part  of his career, like Awwal Number, Tum Mere  Ho, Deewaana Mujhsa Nahin,  Issika Naam Zindagi, Afsana Pyar Ka and Daulat Ki Jung. But do you know which film he considers  the  worst  of his career?  Subhash  Ghai’s Love Love Love.He  told me this. But it was long before Thugs Of  Hindostan.