NEW DELHI – From the 1995 *Rangeela* to the 2016 *Dangal*, it’s no secretthat Aamir Khan is one of Bollywood’s biggest superstars. The actorrecently took a trip down memory lane as he completed 30 years in Indiancinema, revealing how various experiences through the different stages ofhis life have made him what he is today, reported *The Indian Express.link>*
The *Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar* star has been one of the pioneers inintroducing what is now considered as a replacement of yesteryears’‘jubilee weeks’ – the 100 crore club. Speaking about his first day on thesets of the 1988 film *Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak*, Aamir quipped, “It was myfirst day of shooting and we were in Ooty. The scene was where we are lost,and I was lying on the straws. All of a sudden there was so much fog therethat we had to wait the whole day to shoot and I felt that if my first dayof shooting as an actor is a washout, then this isn’t a good omen. I hopedmy career wouldn’t be like that.”
When asked about his acting talent, Amir added, “I’m not a born actor… likeNaseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Dilip Kumar, Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) and Zaira(Wasim). They all are powerhouses. When they give a shot, it comes out verynaturally and effortlessly. I don’t think I have that gift.” He explainedthis referring to a case he observed while shooting for *Dangal*. “When wewere rehearsing for *Dangal*, Zaira got the accent in about a week’s timewhile I took four months to get it right and still on the days we used toshoot I used to struggle with it. So I need to work my way to get it right.I’m not a natural.”
Aamir further explained what works for him as an actor. “The first readingI feel is so bad! During *Lagaan’s* reading, I felt Ashutosh (Gowariker)would drop me from the film with the likes of Raghubir Yadav around. So myfirst reading is pathetic according to me. Post that I start working on itand my biggest strength is that I’m not scared to fail. So even if myrehearsals are bad, I keep doing it, so I figure out what and how Ieventually want to pitch. Also, I have a good sense of performance. Sowhile some are gifted, I know for me I’ve to work and achieve that point.”
The 53-year-old actor feels his interest in human behaviour and psychologyhelps him make his performance more nuanced. “If I am hurt and enact thesame then it isn’t that effective, I feel. But if I’m hurt and don’t showit but the audiences get that feeling of me being hurt, then my performancehas got layers in it. The moment your performance is layered, itautomatically gets richer, otherwise, it all looks superficial.”