Aamir Khan is perhaps the most interesting and exciting of the Khan trinity in Bollywood. A career spanning more than 34 years, he has been part of some of the gems of Bollywood and we loved seeing every bit of it. From making us all laugh in movies like 3 Idiots & PK to making us get emotional with Taare Zameen Par & Dangal, he has done it all. But one movie that’s always going to be iconic for all Aamir Khan fans is Lagaan. On the special occasion of Lagaan completing 20 years, Aamir spoke to IWMBuzz about the experience, his personal life hardships & more. Read to find out –
Lagaan is such an iconic movie that till date people get emotional about it. What’s your take on it?
Well, first of all, I want to thank the audience for giving the movie so much love. We create content for you and for me, nothing has ever been more important than the validation of the audience. I am not a firm believer of awards culture since I personally feel that one cannot compare films. Like I will give an example, I made 3 Idiots and I also made Dangal. Both were loved. How do you decide which is better? I don’t think we can because both have an appeal of its own. But yes, the fact that the movie remains relevant in today’s time as it managed to survive the ‘test of time’ is what makes me feel happy.
Are you, somewhere in your heart, still upset because the movie didn’t win the Oscars?
Well, honestly, I don’t think that way. The fact that it was selected for the Oscars and it went so far is how I look at the whole thing. I am not someone who believes in validation from awards but the Oscars are different. Apart from global recognition, it’s also a great marketing and PR tool for films which we always need to ensure they work. Also, I remember a lot of people told me after the screening that it should have won, etc. Looking back, you can’t change much, can you? But the fact that so many people from all over the world liked it despite it having many nuisances that catered to Indian audiences is what I will keep in my heart forever.
How did you decide to become the producer with Lagaan?
So, I will tell you, it’s a funny story. I remember at that point in time, Ashu (Ashutosh Gowarikar) wasn’t having a nice phase in his career. I remember some of my friends from the industry, Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra & others had warned me to be careful since becoming a producer is a big deal. I used to have my own methods. I prefer going forward with the ‘audio sync’ approach and not dubbing since I feel the emotions that one can bring during the actual scene cannot be recreated entirely with dubbing. I remember Karan and others telling me to not go with the ‘sync format’ and instead use dubbing later. Also, I remember them telling me to go forward with multiple schedules and not a single one. Again, that was something I didn’t want. I realized that in order to do all these things the way I want, it would be difficult to have someone else produce it. That’s when I decided that I will produce it. And guess what? Karan and Adi have switched to my way now. They also go with the sync format of shoot. (Laughs). So I never really wanted to be a producer but because I believed in the subject, I thought I should take charge and make it as well. Also, I come from a film family where my father became almost bankrupt. I remember him searching for his graduation certificate in his 40’s one day randomly since he was looking for a job. He was getting calls from investors daily but he was in a fix. He took the money but the actors were not giving him dates and so he was stuck. My family and I were almost bankrupt and on the roads during childhood. My father had humongous debts. We had our financial struggles. So I never wanted to be a producer because I have seen all this. But then again, destiny has funny ways to surprise you.
What about the iconic box office clash between Sunny Deol’s Gadar and Lagaan?
Oh yes, it was a huge thing then. See, as an actor myself, I know that we all work very hard to make a film and hence I will never ever want to see any film fail, be it mine or anyone else’s movie. It’s the output of a lot of hard work and hence it might really hurt if it doesn’t work out. Gadar was a huge hit back then and it was such a lovely film. Sunny was outstanding and even today, you can’t stop enjoying that movie. Technically, nobody wants to clash but sometimes it’s inevitable. But yes, had I known then that Gadar would have been such a blockbuster, probably we would also have been scared to release Lagaan with it. (Laughs)
Lagaan taught us about different aspects like leadership skills & teamwork and these are important even today. Is that why people love it so much?
Umm, I don’t think so. Yes, I agree that it’s a movie from where we can take a lot of learnings but I don’t think that’s exactly the reason why it is still resonating in the minds of all. When we make a film, we don’t really know what the outcome would exactly be. We just have a conviction and go forward with it. Lagaan was one subject which we all believed in and that’s why we went ahead with it. If you see, I might have turned into a producer but in so many years, the number of films I have produced is probably half of what Karan (Karan Johar) or Adi (Aditya Chopra) would have made. When I work on something, I can’t go out of that zone without finishing it. So, the quantity in my case is always less because I believe in quality. Lagaan had the right blend of emotions and that’s why we love it even today. It’s a mixture of a lot of things I would say and not just that.
Lastly, after so many successful years in your career, what continues to remain your goal whenever you act in a film or produce one?
Well, my objective has always been to entertain the fans. I am an actor and an entertainer. I might be giving a serious or interesting message but as a creative artist, I need to always balance and understand how I can put it in an engaging way. Being in the business of entertainment, I can’t bore anyone with ‘gyaan’. So, even if you see movies like 3 Idiots or PK so to say, they all had a message but we also made you all laugh and enjoy it. So, whenever I am involved in a project, the goal is to ensure that we keep the basics right and just simply ‘entertain’.
