There has been talk about your new film, ‘Taare Zameen Par’, being autobiographical. Is there any truth in this?
Aamir Khan: It is a script that was sent to me. It is written by Amol Gupte, who
has actually spent a lot of time with children. He has been closely involved with kids, and has been working with them for a good five to seven years. The script emerged out of his experiences with them.There has been controversy surrounding the direction of the movie. Wasn’t Amol originally the director?
AK: Yes, Amol was to direct the film. A week into the shooting, however, he and I had some creative differences, so we talked about it and I offered to step down as producer and actor, and he could make the film with somebody else. He thought about it and decided he preferred me to stay on as producer and actor. Although he was the writer, he also was the creative director.
So it has been an amicable settlement?
AK: Well, I can’t say it is been amicable because it is an uncomfortable situation, but both of us did the best we could, under the circumstances. He has supported me throughout the shooting of the film. In fact, I would go so far as to say that although I have worked with lot of directors, I got a lot of very important cues from Amol, while I was acting. He would suggest different ways of looking at a scene, which helped the film.
You take a lot of time to select a script or a film, and a lot of time to prepare for the role. Is that why there is such a large gap between your films?
AK: Yes, I do take time. Usually one film a year is probably my average. Last year, I had two films, I had ‘Rang de Basanti’ and ‘Faana’, and after ‘Faana’ it will be about a year-and-a-half before ‘Taare Zameen Par’ releases.
What do you say when people criticise you for wanting to hog camera time?
AK: That’s not true. If you see ‘RDB’, I am part of the group; if you see ‘Laagan’ I am part of the group; in ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, there are three of us together. In fact, in this film, if you notice, the child is in the foreground and I am in the background.
Tell me about ‘Taare Zaamen Par’, is it one of those activist films; does it have a social message?
AK: No, it’s definitely not an activist film. That would be too strong a term. Does it have a message? Yes, it does. Is it an unusual script, and the first of its kind that I have come across, but then so was ‘Rang de Basanti’, ‘Laagan, Dil Chahta Hai’ and ‘Sarfarosh’. These are all films, which cannot be described as typically mainstream, but the kind of success they got was mainstream.
Beyond the roles, you went ahead and lit a candle for Jessica Lal?
AK: No, I didn’t. There were a lot of people who did that, but I was not there on that day.
But you did extend support for Medha Patkar, and you were critical of Narendra Modi. Does this reflect some kind of political ambition, or is this just your social conscience speaking out?
AK: I have no political ambition whatsoever. I am very clear that films is where I want to be.
You seem to be a very private person, but personal issues just seem to keep cropping up every now and again...
AK: I don’t think any family is free of issue and conflict. Since I am a celebrity, it becomes public and gets published and talked about. I guess that is the price I have to pay for being a celebrity. And there is nothing I can do about it.
Most of the media at this point in time, needs sensation, and this is pretty much what they want. I also feel that they haven’t reached a level of maturity where they can decide what is news. Someone’s personal problems - be it a celebrity or not - is certainly not national news.
You mentioned creative differences. The perception is that this is pretty much the case with Aamir, the actor and many directors...Ram Gopal Varma for instance. Is that because you are very intense?
AK: No, it is not true at all actually. Ramu and I had no creative differences at all. I was, and am, happy with the way ‘Rangeela’ turned out. I work how the director wants me to work. Post ‘Rangeela’, he made a lot of statements, which in my opinion were untrue. But he is entitled to his opinion.
So you are a director’s actor, and not someone who would say ‘this is the way I must do it’?
AK: Yes, I am a director’s actor. In fact, now that I have mentioned Ramu, let me add that the entire ‘sur’ of the role of Munna in ‘Rangeela’, I got from Ramu himself. I am very particular about choosing a director, so unless I am happy with the director, I really don’t move forward on a project.
Why don’t you dance at private functions?
AK: I don’t dance at private functions because I am not comfortable doing that. I have done shows before live audiences and I really enjoy doing them, even though it has been almost six years since I have done one. But it is for my audience, where each person buys and ticket and comes in and I entertain them. Regarding awards, there is no award function in India that I value.
Why is that?
AK: The bottom-line is, it doesn’t not make sense in attending something I do not believe in. As far as the Oscars are concerned, I had a very good experience. When the film was chosen, I did not have any experience of the Oscars so it would have been very unfair of me to judge them before knowing what they were all about.
One of the main reasons that I went to the Oscars, is that I also wanted, in some way, to use that as a platform to showcase the films coming out of India. Every year, an Indian film gets sent in, but is not nominated. ‘Lagaan’ actually got nominated. Only ‘Mother India’ achieved that, before us. And then RDB was nominated for a BAFTA, and that too was a great experience.
Do you like experimenting as a filmmaker and producer?
AK: I think so. My career would indicate that I don’t follow a set a pattern. So, I guess, you can call that experimenting.
You consistently experiment with your look, is it something to do with getting into character?
AK: I do one film at a time, and it is a conscious decision. Hence, I have the liberty of changing my look for the character that I am playing. Of course, I do it in consultation with the director, the hair-stylist, and the costume designer. The look of a character is an important aspect for me.
You have never been associated with any of the camps within the industry...
AK: I guess I am a sort of a loner. I don’t operate in a way where I have a camp. I feel that, for me, things have to happen organically. The film I am currently shooting is a remake of a South Indian film. I saw the original and I loved it, the director’s work was good: Murgudoss is the director and his producer is Allu Arvind.
They are a great team to work with. The reputation of the director does not affect me at all. I am not concerned about the past work of a person; I am not concerned about whether your last film was a hit or a flop; my concern is what it is that you are going to do with me.
Does the cast of a film influence your decision to sign up?
AK: No. Usually when a film comes to me, I am the first guy approached, so I don’t know who the rest of the cast is. But when I trust a director, I trust his instinct for casting the film well.
Would you chase a good script? , if you thought it was good?
AK: I haven’t done that yet. Once the script comes into my hands and I have read it, and if I love it, then of course I will try my level best to land the role.
Once filming has ended do you brood over the film, prior to its release?
AK: I don’t think I would use a strong word like brood, but I do get butterflies in my stomach. I get very nervous and excited before a release. My new film is just a month away from release, so each time I think of December 21 (the release date), I get nervous.
Is the industry too self-absorbed, can’t laugh at itself?
AK: If you are referring to ‘OSO’, then I can’t comment on it because I haven’t seen the film. But I personally can’t do it because I am extremely uncomfortable doing something that hurts the people I look up to. If someone is really a close friend of mine, then maybe I would take the liberty of making fun of him or her. But, I don’t want to pass judgment on anyone, I can only tell you what kind of a person I am.
You are not the son of a star, but you do have a film background. Is that an advantage?
AK: I personally feel it was an advantage for me because I grew up in a film-making environment. I watched my father and my uncle make films, and I learned, not only about cinema, but also about the other things that are peripheral to cinema.
I have seen my father losing money on films and being in debt, so these things are in my head. Maybe that’s why I don’t want anyone to lose money on my films. I take it as my responsibility to make sure the producer, the distributor and the exhibitor do not lose money. That does not entail creative sacrifices, rather it means proper budgeting. I do want to satisfy my creative urges, but at the same time, I see to it that my film is economically viable. Fortunately I have been lucky that my films have done well.
Has filmmaking become too corporatised?
AK: I think some of the changes are good; actually most of the changes are good. But while there are corporations that have come in, at its heart, this is a creative business. If there is a corporate entity that is extremely harsh in the way it makes films, it will find it difficult in a field like this.
When you are making films there is a lot of human sensitivity involved that cannot be explained on paper. You cannot set a monetary value to it.
What are your other interests, apart from movies?
AK: I love Calvin and Hobbes. I have the entire collection. I feel that without a sense of humour life does not make any sense.
Whatever happens, at the end of the day you have to laugh. I find people with a good sense of humour very exciting. I love reading. I read more books than I watch films. There is not a single day that goes by without me reading. I watch an alarmingly small number of films for someone who is into making films.
Which book has had the biggest impact on you?
AK: There are too many books. I like the Mahabharata very much. I have read the Arthshashtra by Chanakya, which I found very interesting. It is a personal record that he kept on what he felt were the issues that were important to society. When you read the book today, you realise that things haven’t really changed.
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