I was all of two, when I saw him for the first time. It’s been 20 years hence and my eyes have never betrayed me. Hooked once, hooked forever. Those mushy eyes, that chocolate-face and a voice that can melt you and a complementary stethoscope to keep a check on your heart beat incase it skips a beat, is a package called Aamir Khan. A self-made man, Aamir has done several movies post his first release ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ in 1988.
A celebrity for whom public appearances are as less important as are improbable for us, he believes in maintaining a low profile and let his work do the talking. That he is an actor to reckon with was proven right in his maiden movie which he followed up with a spate of hits. And before anyone could realize, he became the most bankable star of tinselville.
Films like Raja Hindustani (1996), Dil (1990), Andaz Apna Apna (1994) saw the best of comic timings and romance that he had to offer. While films like Sarfarosh (1998), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Lagaan (2001) and Rang De Basanti (2006) saw him break away from the chocolate boy image and progress into an actor of substance and sensibility. Yet maintaining the intrinsic charm he was blessed with. Rang De Basanti became a cult movie and Aamir was made to comfortably sit in the driver’s seat. As the charioteer he steered the entire cast and crew and along came the nation showing their belief in D.J. oops, Aamir. With Taare Zameen Pe, he proved that he has still got so much left to offer. As his directorial debut, of which he was an integral part he broke all patterns of existing Bollywood norms by hiring a popular copywriter (Prasoon Joshi)for the soulful lyrics, zeroing down on a new child actor basing his selection on pure instinct and treating dyslexia as a theme. The direction was as perfect as the man and the film scored 10 on 10 with the audience. His award kitty has the following awards in it Filmfare best debut for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Filmfare Best Actor Award for Raja Hindustani, Filmfare Best Director Award for Taare Zameen Pe and many more.
His absence at awards, belief in causes, his second marriage to Lagaan’s aasistant director Kiran Rao have kept him in public news but the audience no matter, no matter how volatile our memory might forget everything else but his realism on-screen. An actor by choice, a no show-off by choice the actor has promises and held on to them. The fact that he is a public figure and affects the lives of others is things that matter to him. A truly wonderful actor and an extremely humble human, Aamir certainly deserves to be there where he is.
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