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Actor, filmmaker, philanthropist and the much used word ‘Perfectionist’ all stand synonymous with the aura of Aamir Khan. As the much acclaimed and successful actor begins the 49th year of his life, Koimoi handpicks for you the lesser heard before Trivias about the actor and his gem of films.
1) Way before the relatively known Ketan Mehta’s Holi and well known Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Aamir was first noticed in a role opposite Neena Gupta and Victor Banerjee for Aditya Bhattacharya’s Paranoia. Aditya who was Aamir’s friend from school, is the son of filmmaker Basu Bhattacharya who had acted in Shyam Benegal’s Mandi too. That one role got Aamir determined on acting.
2) Today critics can’t stop singing praises of him. But when the actor debuted with Ketan Mehta’s Holi in 1984, a popular international leading daily dismissed his work stating that it lacked the required luster which creates a star calling the film a melodramatic affair.
3) Aamir was more inclined towards cinema than being just a Superstar. He did take up filmmaking with Taare Zameen Par after being dissatisfied with Amol Gupte’s work on the film, but the actor wrote his first screenplay way back in 1993 for Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke where he was also cast as the main lead opposite Juhi Chawla. Buzz also suggest that since Mahesh Bhatt often did not turn up on sets, he ghost directed a considerable part of the film.
4) Aamir Khan starrer Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin was based on Hollywood flick It Happened One Night. Funnily Bhatt wasn’t the first to remake the film. Earlier a classic Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer Chori Chori was made out of the same film. Chori Chori is remembered more because it was the last of Raj-Nargis’ pairing following which they never came together. So twice copied Mr Perfectionist!
5) Over the years, much has been spoken about the lack of box office success for the Aamir-Salman starrer Andaz Apna Apna. Well, the mainreason for the film’s downfall was that it got stuck in shooting for a long time. The film’s music was out over a year before its release. The film was released out of the blue and hence the required buzz needed to make it a hit had already fizzed out.
6) Dil Chahta Hai might be one of your favorite films ever but very few know that it was based out of the diaries Farhan Akhtar maintained from his trips to Goa. Akhtar had originally offered the role of Sid to Aamir but Aamir decided that it would be more apt if he plays Akash. Abhishek Bachchan rejected Sid’s role before Akshay Khanna finally bagged it. The Shakespearean Comedy Much Ado About Nothing had also loosely inspired the film.
7) Ashutosh Gowarikar had initially offered Lagaan to Shah Rukh Khan who could not take it up citing date issues probably and hence he recommended Aamir Khan to Gowarikar. Aamir later slipped into the producer’s role for the film that late veteran film critic called entertaining and engaging.
8) Aamir Khan’s involvement with Rang De Basanti was crucial in getting UTV as the film’s producer. Since Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra had dismissed the idea of making its English Version Paint It Yellow, one of its producers pulled out 2 months before the shoot began. Mehra sold it on the unusual script and Aamir’s bankable name.
9) Taare Zameen Par was to be called High Jump initially based on Gupte’s story. Not only did Aamir make Amole rewrite the film’s conclusion, he changed the name to render a positive feel to the film.
10) In 2007, Aamir was approached by Madam Tussaud’s to admit his Wax Statue which he declined stating that he should be known by his repertoire of films.
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