Launching your nephew Imran Khan is quite an emotional gesture.
(Smiles) I don't think I am launching Imran¢ at least it didn't start that way. But yes, there is certainly an emotional connect. I actually trained under chachajaan for four years as an assistant. Then he produced Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, my launch film. Now, 20 years later, Imran is acting and I am producing the film. So it has kind of come a full circle. Chachajaan would have been very happy today had he been alive. Which is why I have dedicated the film to him.
That sounds like an emotional person speaking.
I guess I am. I was very close to chachajaan since we lived close togetherâ my dad and him. Chachajaan was next door, so I have spent half my life at chachajaan's house. He was wonderful human being, extremely talented, and loving with a great sense of humour. He used to keep us in splits.
So it was the professional Aamir and not the emotional one in act.
When I was producing the film?
Yes.
Yes, it was. I'm always there for him. But I think professionally, I can't be dishonest to myself or to my audience. Only if the person deserves to be in the film, then he will be. As an emotional person, I will do whatever I can for that person in every which way. For example, Ashu is a friend of mine but I didn't produce Lagaan because he is a friend; I produced it because I liked the script. I wasn't doing him a favour.
Okay, so how did you manage to get your cousin Mansoor Khan back from oblivion?
(Laughs) Some smooth emotional blackmail. Mansoor has moved away from filmmaking. When I took over Jaane Tu as a producer I clearly didn't have the time to shoulder my responsibility. I had to get someone who could, and Mansoor is someone I trust completely. The tough task was convincing him. As it turned out, it wasn't so tough. (Laughs) Mansoor responded spontaneously. He said, 'Okay I will come over and help'. That was nice of him.
Is the decision to pitch Imran against another newcomer on the 4th of July a conscious one?
When a film is good, it doesn't matter which film it's coming with. And when a film is not good, it doesn't matter which film it's coming out with. Our marketing team felt this was the right date to release the movie. In fact, at this time of the year, with so many films coming out, I don't think any film can come out in an open week. There have been so many examples of films coming out together and doing well Gadar and Lagaan and, as recently, TZP and Welcome. So this is not a fear I have.
If you are talking about Harry Baweja, then well, he is a friend and I have only the best wishes for him and his son Harman. I have seen the promos and they look good. I find Harman extremely confident and he dances well. It seems like he has a bright future. So I don't think there is any need for them to worry or for us to worry.
But Harry Baweja called you?
He did... he did call up. And I did try it took me a week to change the date.
So you did consider changing the date?
I did. Obviously what he was saying made sense. Ideally the films should not release on the same day. I tried to see if Jaane Tu could come on some other day but I realised the dates weren't working for us. So it took me a week to let him know that 'Harry it's not possible for us to shift the date'. (Pauses) And if it really disturbs someone than they can also shift, you know. It's a free country. They can decide what they want to do. (Adding quickly) I am not asking them to shift.
On AR Rahman getting royalty for Jaane Tu.. (interrupts)
As far as my understanding with AR or the other people I work with goes, I don't discuss their remuneration publicly. That's not right.
It's not about remunerations. It's about a music composer getting royalties for a film for the first time in the industry.
You are assuming we are giving him royalties.
You are saying you are not?
No, I am not saying I am not. I am saying I don't discuss what transactions have happened with my colleagues. It's not ethical.
But you did write on Shah Rukh on your blog? Was that ethical?
Shah Rukh and I have a relationship above all this. In fact I am happy that we share a relationship where he feels okay about cracking a joke on me on a public platform. He knows I won't get upset. In fact, I would probably laugh about it and vise versa. Both of us have that kind of a relationship. We can enjoy the fact that we are comfortable with each other and won't get hurt. I have spoken to him and he is not at all upset with what I have said, just like I haven't been upset about what he has said in the past.
That means you have a sense of humour.
I would like to think I am a funny guy. I don't know what others think. When people have the ability to laugh at themselves or even during tough situation even when you are in trouble, that's a great quality to have.
Just like your perfectionist quality.
That I actually learnt from a college I went to... (Laughs)
Okay, so tell us why are you doing a remake film Gajini?
Because I liked the original so I felt like doing it.
Will it be frame to frame similar?
It's 90 per cent as per the original except those parts were the director (AR Murugadoss) felt that he wanted to improve certain things. Since he is getting a second chance he wanted to make some changes in the script. Around 80 to 90 per cent is original. About 10-15 per cent script is changed.
The hairstyle isn't
Well, this hairstyle I absolutely take no credit for. As you know this film was made in Tamil. Surya was acting in it and this is the hairstyle he has in the film. So, I would say Murugadoss and Surya have designed this look for the original. I am using the same look. Even the scar and all that is there in the original. This is one film that I can't take any credit for.
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