Today, Aamir Khan is an actor to reckon with in Bollywood, but, the stardom didn’t come overnight. His journey to the top was a difficult one with lots of ups and downs. However, braving all odds, the actor has stuck around for many years, well, 30 to be exact. This year, his debut film, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) completes 30 years, marking Aamir’s own journey in B-Town.
Talking about completing 30 years in the industry, Aamir says, “Well, it’s been an exciting journey which has gone by in a flash. When I think about the 30 years gone past, I feel ‘Itni jaldi 30 saal guzar gaye...lekin sabse bade lessons iss jouney mein mere career ki shruvat mein hua’ (30 years have gone by so fast, but I learnt my biggest lessons at the start of my career)... which in many ways have made me what I am today.”
Although the Aamir-Juhi starrer attained stupendous success at the box office, Aamir says, “Even after the success of my debut film QSQT, it was not like I had a huge number of films lined up for me. I was written off by the media, who gave me the tag of ‘one film wonder hero’.”
Although the actor did sign a few films after his debut hit, all of them did poorly at the box office. He says, “Since all my films were flopping one after the other, I knew that my career was sinking. It was like I was stuck in quicksand and was unable to come out.”
But, it was at this low point that he realised the importance of being uncompromising. “I decided that I would not compromise on my work and do a film I did not like. From then, I have always given importance to the script of a movie,” he said.
It is this realisation that led him to turn down Mahesh Bhatt’s offer, even though the latter was a well-known director in the industry. A year later, however, the duo worked together in Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, a script Aamir liked, and the movie did wonders at the box office.
Summing up his biggest lesson, Aamir says, “When you are at your lowest and weakest, it is very difficult to refuse a script you don’t like. But, if you can refuse an offer in such a moment, you will only turn stronger.”
