Aamir Khan-The master of all dialects

Bollywood movies usually have the dialect which is a mix of Hindi and Urdu. The dialect can be named the "Bollywood dialect" where there is a beautiful mix of these two languages. However, there are instances where Bollywood movies have adapted a particular dialect for the movie as per the movie subject or for a particular movie character. Actors who are trained before coming into the movie field are hardly trained in the dialects. They are usually exposed to the common Bollywood dialect or they could be well versed in any of their own regional dialect if they come from the particular region. There have been only a handful of Bollywood actors who have donned characters which required them to speak in a particular dialect and even rare ones like Aamir Khan, who not only learnt the dialect but also perfected them. 

The first tryst for Aamir Khan to try a different dialect came with the sensational Munna in "Rangeela". Till Rangeela, Aamir Khan had also spoken in the usual Bollywood dialect because none of his character demanded a different one. With Ramgopal Varma's Rangeela, Aamir Khan got to play a Mumbai Tapori character named Munna. Well, a Tapori is usually referred to as the one who is a street thug or a vagabond. They are not rowdies, but they do possess traits of them. They are usually the ones who come from the lower middle class or the lesser privileged class and have a unique style of talking which is named the "Tapori" language. The tapori's also have a unique sense of dressing. They hardly care for the fashions. They wear flashy clothes, add any kind of accessory to their clothing and are absolutely carefree. Aamir Khan learnt the tapori language and also their style of dressing, their style of walking, talking and immersed himself beautifully in the character of Munna. You could hardly believe he was acting. 

The tapori language is usually blessed with words such as "APUN" which means "Me". "Bhailog" means "People" , "Lafda" meaning "fight". Before Rangeela, only Anil Kapoor had played the tapori in a full length role in "Awargi" and also "Tezaab". Aamir Khan made Munna memorable. He spoke the tapori dialect so well and with such a delicious attitude, that he makes Munna lovable even when he has an unnecessary tiff. Another important aspect is the hand movements. Every dialect has a unique hand movement just to emphasise a particular word or statement. For example, watch out for the scene where Aamir Khan is seen selling tickets in black and a constable comes up to him and says "Haath uthao", to which Aamir Khan humorously replies "Kya sahab, apun aap pe kaise haath utha sakta hain". There is an innate humour in the Tapori language and the way Aamir Khan lifts his right hand with a closed fist is the kind of hand movement that most taporis use. These kind of nuances can be only understood if you spend a good amount of time with the taporis of Mumbai, live with them observe them and be a part of their lives. The shirt which was not tucked in but folded above the waist, the dotted baniyan inside the shirt and a leather cap with a kerchief wrapped around his neck.  He never put a wrong foot as far the tapori dialect goes in Rangeela. He even bettered the tapori acts of Anil Kapoor. Nobody, absolutely nobody has spoken the tapori dialect and accent better than Aamir Khan. If any actor plays the tapori character again, he is bound to be compared with Munna.Aamir Khan also gave a humane touch to Munna. There is a line in the movie when Reema Lagoo says "Munna achha hain, warna to aaj kal ke tapori poora hi bigdele hote hain". Deep down, Munna has a heart of gold. Only great actors can bring this to the table. Aamir Khan is the ultimate Tapori.

Aamir Khan played the Tapori again in Ghulam, however he made sure that there was a marked difference in his get up and also his dialect in Ghulam from Rangeela. This is because in Rangeela, we do not know the back story of Munna. However, in Ghulam, we are made to know that Siddharth Marathe had a childhood where he listened to inspiring stories from his father, however circumstances made him into a Tapori. So, keeping this in mind, Aamir Khan mixed a bit of Bollywood Hindi along with the Tapori dialect in Ghulam. He also added delicious but words which are used by the taporis like "Chingum" meaning "Chewing Gum". Aamir Khan also changed the get up from Rangeela. The Ghulam look was a bit more polished Tapori look than Rangeela, because here Sidharth Marathe has a home, an elderly brother to take care of his expenses. He always wears a leather jacket, has a knucke duster on his first and also he has a well built body than in Rangeela because the character demanded it, he was also doing boxing in the movie. So the lines in Ghulam when he says "Lehron ke saath to koi bhi teer leta hain" have a touch of Bollywood dialect and a slightly tapori touch. Aamir Khan achieved the impossible. He played the tapori again , yet made the tapori of Ghulam look different from the tapori of Rangeela. Its difficult to chose the better Tapori!

With Lagaan, Aamir Khan brought another dialect to his filmography. It was Awadhi. Awadhi, is a dialect of Hindi, originated from the state of Uttar Pradesh. Though the movie was based in Bhuj, Gujrat, Awadhi was chosen to cater to the largely hindi speaking audience. The awadhi language was spoken by actors before in Bollywood, the best example that comes to mind is Dilip Kumar in the cult classic "Gunga Jamuna". Though the awadhi dialect might sound simple, its a difficult one. Again, the dialect needs to be perfected along with the hand movements, mannerisms to make it look real. Aamir Khan once again worked really hard on the character of Bhuvan, his village look, his dressing and of course the Awadhi language. Words such as "Kaahe" which means "Why" and "Jaanat hain" meaning "I know", "OO Taraf" means " That side". These are few of the examples in Awadhi language that makes it different from Hindi. You can also observe that its difficult to grasp some of the dialogues spoken by Raghuvir Yadav in Lagaan as he speaks awadhi because his character demanded him to speak it quickly.

 Its almost impossible for a foreigner to understand it as the character of Elizabeth finds out. Along with the dialect, Aamir Khan also worked really hard on the hand movements and his expressions. Watch out for the scene when Aamir Khan talks with Rachel Shelly and nods his head unable to understand a single word uttered by her, he sounds like an absolute villager who is subjected to English language and can barely understand a word. With the typical "gamcha" that the villagers wear  around their head, he also took care of the naunces in the costumes. The hand movements that are used in Lagaan could probably be the most that Aamir Khan has incorporated for any movie. Even when Bhuvan bowls and runs up to bowl, he does not look like a polished bowler. There is a rustic charm to it, like a typical villager who is new to the game. Awadhi language also does not use the sound "SH". The reason why Bhuvan says "Sarat manzoor hain" which usually would be "Shart Manzoor hain".  After Dilip Kumar, if there has been any actor who has perfected Awadhi, it has to be Aamir Khan hands down. Lagaan is arguably one of the greatest movies ever made in India and Bhuvan with his Awadhi, also made it one of the greatest ever performances in Indian cinema. He took on the challenge and came out with distinction marks. As per the making book of Lagaan, Aamir Khan thought he was not well prepared for Awadhi as he also had to double as a producer for the movie. This made him work harder on the language and the dialect. In typical Bhuvan style, when the challenge was thrown at Aamir Khan , he said "Sarat Manzoor hain". Bhuvan's dialect in Lagaan is a masterclass in Awadhi.

In Rang De Basanti, Aamir Khan moved on to the Punjabi Dialect. The character of DJ, who hails from Punjab, a careless college goer who has completed his college and yet refuses to leave college, hangs around with his friends required Aamir Khan to utter Punjabi dialect. However, its not heavy Punjabi dialect in Rang De Basanti. Its peppered with Punjabi dialect. The Punjabi dialogues like "Behen di takki" (some might consider it an expletive but is a common term for Punjabi youth). He speaks in typical Punjabi dialect with his mother in the movie, however when with friends, he peppers with with few words from Punjabi such as "Soni kudi" means "beautiful girl", "Chaldi" meaning "walking", "Duniya de Jhamele" meaning "problems of life"  Aamir Khan also took of his costumes which are mostly youthful clothes with a bike driving gloves in hand and fluttered hair. Coming to hand movements and expressions, watch the memorable scene when he tells Sue how life is so different in college and outside college, he mostly used head movements to convey his point as he ends every dialogue with the line "Tim lak lak de" making the character of DJ lovable and jolly. DJ on the surface is a very jolly character, however inside lies a vulnerability, a sense of fear inside DJ, the fear that most college goers face. Also, watch out for his dialect and scene when he breaks down into tears before Sue on the dining table. This scene has a lot of head movements of Aamir Khan with occasional hand movements to convey the right amount of emotion. DJ is one of the best characters ever written and Aamir Khan played the Punjabi speaking, free spirited DJ like no one could have. Even during the final scenes of the movie, Aamir Khan makes us all cry and laugh at the same time as speaks in the typical Punjabi peppered Hindi language "Behen Di Takki Dil mein bas gayee yaar, bas ek hi chinta hain, bachhe gore honge ya Kaale". DJ left the world at the end of the movie, however his dialect, his performance and his lines will always remain imprinted in the hearts of the movie goers.

Aamir Khan moved to a neighbour language "Haryanvi" in Dangal. Haryanvi is the local language of Haryana which is an adjacent state of Punjab. Haryanvi dialect was previously used in Bollywood in movies of yesteryear and also of late by Kangana Ranaut in "Tanu weds Manu Returns". Aamir Khan who plays a boxer in Dangal who fulfils his unfulfilled dream of a gold medal for India through his daughters had to speak Haryanvi, however he had to also take care of the dialect as his character graph sees a lot of difference in age, look. Words "Manne" means "Me" and also "Mhaaro" meaning "Mine", "Tanne" meaning "You" and one of the most typical word used in Haryanvi language "Chori" meaning "Girl". The character in Dangal, Mahavir Phogat is very upright, extremely disciplined and foccused. Keeping this in mind, you can see the Haryanvi accent spoken by Aamir is with a very heavy voice. Aamir Khan had once said that he used to dub early in the mornings for Sarfarosh as the character was that of a cop and needed a heavy voice. I think he would have followed the same for the dialect during dubbing of Dangal. Dangal also had the story of an emotional father and daughter. The best hand movements used in Dangal along with the dialect in Dangal can be seen when Aamir is seen sitting in the crowd and reacting to his daughters moves in Wrestling during the match.

 Watch out for his hand movements when he just uses his left hand to tell her to keep going, the way he suddenly jumps up from his seat and again uses both the hands in celebration. Watch out the heart breaking song "Naina" where he beautifully uses the hand and head movements to convey the minor emotional aspects of a father, when a lonely father standing up from his balcony sees his daughter going away in rickshaw, a lonely father folding his hands alone in the fields, the way he stands on the terrace and his second daughter looks at him from behind, Aamir Khan with folded hands, such a common trait with most fathers.  Brilliant. Absolutely Brilliant! Diction alone cannot drive a performance. During the shoot, Aamir felt that Sakshi Tanwar, Zaira and Suhani were speaking better Haryanvi. He worked harder to perfect the dialect as he always sets the standards high. Aamir Khan knows it. There are so many other factors that add to the dialect. Aamir Khan participated in this Dangal of the Haryanvi dialect and emerged a winner with a Gold medal.

Aamir Khan entered the Bhojpuri territory with the Raj Kumari Hirani starrer "PK". The Bhojpuri language finds its origin in the state of Bihar. The dialect has been spoken previously in Bollywood movies by Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and even Govinda. However, here Aamir Khan was not playing a typical Bhojpuri character. He was playing an Alien who learns Bhojpuri. So, his bhojpuri dialect in PK is a bit different. Raj Kumar Hirani offered him some typical Bhojpuri words such as 'Tukur Tukur' meaning "staring" and some humorous words such as "Gola" meaning "Planet". Now, this word "Gola" is not a typical Bhojpuri word, however the character of PK being an alien, it was used in the movie in Bhojpuri style. Raj Kumar Hirani first wanted to use the Rajasthani dialect in PK, however it was Aamir's suggestion to use Bhojpuri. 

Bhojpuri, again like the Tapori is an entertaining dialect. It has an innate humour and an innocence in it. You can see the character of PK walking around in the village of Rajasthan in the movie, however he learns Bhojpuri by holding hands of a Bhojpuri woman. Also, watch out how Aamir brilliantly used the "Paan" in the movie. When Aamir Khan meets the prostitute and holds her hand to grasp Bhojpuri language, it is the first time he eats Paan as she offers him. From here on, the character of PK speaks Bhojpuri chewing the "Paan". Again, this was the brilliant idea of the genius Khan. This added so much difference to the bhojpuri dialect and it looked different from the other actors who had spoken it in Bollywood. You utter any word and then utter the same word chewing a Paan. You can find a world of difference in the dialect and also the manner in which its spoken. This was an innovative and masterful decision by Aamir Khan. As usual along with the dialect, watch out for the body and hand movements of Aamir Khan. The way he says "Achha" in the police lock up is memorable. The same word is uttered differently and Aamir conveys it beautifully using his facial expressions and hand movements. PK amazingly explained the same word "Achha" could convey so many different meaning just by changing the expressions. So true. "Achha" means "Good", however the expressions can change its meaning as "question" or " shocking reaction".  PK was an Alien who came to Earth giving a message of love and unity, however Aamir Khan proved once again that he is no Alien to the Bhojpuri language. He owned it, he innovated it and he enjoyed it. Aamir Khan gave a new life to Bhojpuri and left us all yearning for more.

URDU has always been an integral part of Bollywood movies and its songs. Bollywood movies popularly also known as Hindi movies have never been without the Urdu language. Urdu language originated from Persian language. It is also known a persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. Every star in Bollywood has spoken Urdu. Surprisingly, only a few seems to spoken it correctly. Yes, you read it right. I am talking of Chaste Urdu. Urdu is a language which is very accurate in pronunciation and it takes into account almost every sound. You cannot even one miss one sound in the Urdu dialect. It is the very reason Urdu is almost a compulsory for a lyric writer or a music composer in Bollywood. 

Of the few actors who spoke chaste and correct Urdu in Bollywood include the great Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Naseer Uddin Shah, Rekha,  Farookh Sheikh. Aamir Khan joined the elite brigade. To judge if an actor is speaking Urdu in the right dialect, the simple test is to check how he utters a Shayari. A Shayari is a poem or a couplet in Urdu. Also, Urdu might require you to do an Aadab using the right hand, the most common form of Salaam (greeting).

 It would have been easier for Aamir Khan as he would be accustomed to do it at home, however he surely must have worked hard on the other aspects. Aamir Khan spoke absolutely pitch perfect Urdu when he delivered Shayari in "Sarfarosh". He Spoke it during the scenes with Naseer Uddin Shah and also with Sonali Bendre. He also used Urdu Shayari's in " Fanaa". In the character of Rehan, Fanaa gave Aamir Khan ample scope to display his brilliance at Urdu. Just look at how he utters the beautiful lines in Fanaa, you can clealry hear each and every word, each and every sound with absolutely pitch perfect Urdu pronunciation. "Adhoori Saans thi, Dhadkan Adhoori Thi, Adhure the Hum, par Ab chaand poora hain falak pe, aur poore hain ham" meaning " My breathe was incomplete, my heart beat was, so was I, but now the moon is complete and so am I". Beautiful lines expressed even more beautifully in Urdu by the genius Khan. Aamir Khan made us all drool with his Urdu. Who would not like to be "Fanaa" on the genius Aamir Khan?

Aamir Khan has portrayed different characters, done different movies and given memorable performances. However, what makes him different and a notch above the rest is the use of dialect, his body movements and facial expressions. They add so much to the performance. It is what differentiates a great performance from a very good performance. We are certainly going to see Aamir Khan try different dialects in future and I am sure he would come out with flying colours in each of it. Aamir Khan is the king of dialects, the king of expressions. He paints each dialect and language with love, perfects it like a surgeon and takes care of it like his child. He is certainly God's chosen one. More Power to him!!

PS: Aamir Khan writes the words phonetically which also helps him to get the accent right. A trick which I guess no other actor would have tried ever in Bollywood.

Suraiyya song Teaser-Thugs of Hindostan

Suraiyya song video teaser from Thugs of Hindostan is released. The song which has fabulous beats by music director Ajay Atul and sung by Vishal Dadlani and the melodius Shreya Ghoshal. The lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. 




The song teaser is an absolute teaser for the audience. The song opens with lines by Katrina Kaif in her husky voice and then we are introduced to her sizzling dance movies. Watch out for the catchy beats of Ajay Atul. The song seems to be in a situation where Katrina is seen performing in front of the army of the British and Aamir Khan is in the East India Company officer get up. "Suraiyya Jaan Legi Kya" goes the song Lyrics. True to its lyrics, the sizzling moves by Katrina Kaif are sure to steal everyone's hearts. This is a "Seeti Maar" song as we call it in the Indian single screen theatres. The dance moves choreographed by Prabhu Deva have been beautifully performed by Katrina Kaif who also looks stunning as Suraiyya. And of course, do not miss the genius Aamir Khan in the song. He just seems to be having a blast and giving a damn to everyone, slapping anyone who looks at Suriayya. Aamir Khan in this movie really seems to be enjoying the dances and songs and he looks in a different zone altogether. You cannot be a good dancer unless you enjoy the song. That is exactly what Aamir Khan seems to be doing. And of course, Katrina Kaif is arguably the best dancer in Bollywood now when it comes to actresses. The song also ends on the best note for any teaser video with the line "Watch the full video in theatres". Now, that's what you call a teaser.


Some people might criticise the song as an "item song". Some might call the song as a move to only add some commercial value to the movie. I guess its a vague argument. Songs have been and will continue to be an integral part of Indian commercial movies. Right from the days when sound was introduced into Indian movies, songs have been like the soul of our movies. The term "item song" is actually a misleading term. More so when it comes to Thugs of Hindostan. Katrina Kaif is already playing a character in the movie and the song is on her character. The biggest commercial hits of Bollywood have had such songs right from "Monica O my darling" from Caravan to "Mehbooba" from Sholay. Will we call them item songs? If yes, then there is no harm in calling this one an item song too. And we cannot shy from the fact that songs such as these have been great crowd pullers. I have heard stories from various Bollywood newspapers that people in yesteryear used to throng to the theatres to watch the songs of Helen. Years passed by, yet commercial Bollywood movies continue to have songs which have been popularly called as "item songs". Its unfair to the actresses or actors who are part of such songs to term it as an item song because a lot of effort goes into the making of such songs. The dance moves are tough, usually shot in a crowd of people and they need to add grace to the song without making it look vulgar.

Katrina Kaif has always been an amazing dancer and fighter. She looks stunning in the song, dances like like a dream. The critics might always try to pin point her limited acting skills, but then she never made a statement about her acting skills. She plays to her strengths. She has made it big in Bollywood on her own and has a huge fan following. Her name on a poster adds huge commercial value to the movie. A Katrina Kaif song is good enough reason for her fans to make a visit to the theatre. Her chemistry with Aamir Khan in the movie also will be amazing, they did show glimpses of their 


Suraiyya Jaan legi kya. Of Course, Suraiyya has already taken half of our lives through the video teaser. The rest half of it will be snatched by her this Diwali. Till then, Suraiyya will just continue to tease us. May the tease continue....

The Aamir Khan of China, Aamir's latest visit

Aamir Khan has once again visited China and this time it was a surprise visit. He was invited to the World Cultural Forum in Taihu where film makers from across the world would discuss on the power of cinema and intercultural communication amongst countries.

 

Cinema and Sports are a great means of binding two nations. In a cinema frenzy nation like India and a nation like China which would in a couple of years become the biggest movie market in the world, the contribution of cinema towards building a healthy society could be of enormous proportions. Aamir Khan has always believed in the power of cinema to bring about a change to the society, to influence the minds of the movie goers in such a way that they can bring a positive change in their lives. For Aamir, cinema apart from being simply a medium to entertain has also been a medium to enrich, a medium to influence and a medium to propagate love.

I remember Indian politician and author Shashi Tharoor had once tweeted" India's secret superstar might bring us closer to China. The extra ordinary popularity of Aamir in China could help bridge the cultural and political divide". He is absolutely right. Aamir Khan popularity in China is the kind of unheard of for any actor ever from India in any foreign land. The people of China are simply in awe of the genius Khan. He entered into their hearts through 3 idiots and their love and admiration for Aamir just keeps growing. Crazy Fan clubs of Aamir in China, he is the Indian with the maximum number of followers on Weibo in China, his movies do unreal business in China. Keeping all these factors aside, what I noticed with my interaction with few of his Chinese fans is that what connected them with Aamir was his good nature and his humility. His movies always convey a message of love, compassion, humility and to dream. 

Aamir Khan has interacted with many dignitaries in his recent visit to China where he also spoke of the power of cinema. He looked dapper with that spectacles and his new looks, looking younger then ever before. No actor from Indian cinema could be well versed to bridge the gap between the two nations. Not only because of his immense popularity and fan following in the China Mainland, however also because of his cinematic knowledge and the way he contributes to the society. The Chinese also have loved his show 'Satyameva Jayate' and they even translated it in Chinese language. The issues raised in the show touched everyone's heart. When you have Aamir Khan, there is certainly content available and substance attached to it.

Of course, Aamir Khan also did not disappoint his Chinese fans. He chatted with them on Weibo, even spelling Chinese tongue twisters, singing his cult song "Aati Kya Khandala" to the joy of his Chinese fans. The Chinese fans just cannot get enough of Aamir Khan, who they fondly call as "Uncle Mi"

The visit gave us many memorable snaps of Aamir Khan and also emphasised the importance of cinema and arts. War has never been a solution to any problem in the world. Love is the only way out. No better love than the love of Cinema between two countries where Cinema thankfully is a religion. Aamir Khan can certainly act as the ambassador of love and harmony between the two nations. When he talks, people listen, people believe and people follow. The country with the highest population in the world China is obsessed with Aamir Khan. The country with the second highest population India has been in awe of him since thirty years. 

VASHMALLE SONG AND ITS MAKING

Vashmalle, the first song from the magnum opus THUGS OF HINDOSTAN is now released. The makers along with the song also released the making video of the song in a few hours. The video song which was just a short clip of the song has grabbed everyone's attention. The song shows us Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan getting drunk and then grooving to the number composed by Ajay Atul and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani. 




"Vashmalle" is actually a Baloch word which could have been originated from Afghanistan. It means "To sing and dance in happiness". Exactly what we do see in the song. Amitabh Bachchan and especially Aamir Khan seems to be having a blast in the song. Watch out how Aamir Khan seems to be just enjoying himself in the songs. His expressions of naughtiness mixed with the right amount of quirk seem to be complementing the subdued and assured Big B. Composed by the south dancing sensation Prabhu Deva, the song seems to have very groovy music and steps which are easy to catch. The instrumental music in the song is lilting. Also, watch out for the amazing lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya with some delicious lines such as " Haal se malangi hain, Chaal se Firangi, Shaitan se Lugaai raat hain". He deserves a pat for innovative lyrics. Sukhwinder Singha and Vishal Dadlangi have sung the song with the right amount of spirit and tempo required. 


The making video gives us an insight how they zeroed in on the word "Vashmalle" to capture the celebration. They used different kinds of "Dhol" for music. The song was to be shot in Thailand, however to be shot at night, the spot would have been very dangerous. The site was said to be infected with as many as 500 snakes. Yes, you read it right. They decided to replicate the set for the safety of the crew. Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan show us the strenous rehearsals that went into the dance. Aamir Khan tells that he didn't want to miss the chance to dance with Amitabh Bachchan and decided to just have a ball. The best part in the making of the song is the bit where just BIG B breaks into the dance spontaneously, joined by Aamir and then Victor too joins them. The screams of "Shahenshah"  from the crew of Thugs of Hindostan truly give a tribute to BIG B, a man who is still dancing at the age of 75 and Aamir Khan, still doing everything that nobody expects him to do. Vashmalle is truly a celebration of the collaboration of these two legends of Indian cinema.





INTERESTING FACT: This is a sad but interesting fact about the Vashmalle Song. Vashmalle song was also used in the movie "Henna" years before. The movie was the last movie of Showman Raj Kapoor. He expired during the filming of the movie and then the movie was completed by Randhir Kapoor and got released. Sadly, he could never see Vashmalle on the Big screen. Few days ago, Krishna Raj Kapoor, the better half of Raj Kapoor passed away. Aamir Khan and Big B greatly respected Krishnaji for the way she lead her life and had been an inspiration. Sadly, she could not see the "Vashmalle" again like Raj Kapoor on the big screen. But I am sure, these two great souls must surely be singing and dancing in happiness somewhere right there in heaven. As Raj Kapoor rightly said "The show must go on".  Vashmalle will also go on forever!

How does Aamir Khan still look so young?

How does Aamir Khan still continue to look so young at 53? Well, this is the first question that arises in everyone's mind anytime any new pic of Aamir comes up. How does he still continue to maintain the boyish charm that he eluded when he first broke into our hearts with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. How does he still continue to run away from age? The answer to these questions could be many, ranging from physical attributes to the attributes of the mind. Let us take a look.





This was the Aamir Khan in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. The boyish charm, the quint in his eyes that could create a flutter in the hearts of many a girl. It was his debut and as years passed by, and the actor in Aamir Khan began taking over the star in Aamir Khan, Aamir Khan had to don various roles, he had to go through many physical transformations of the body, Aamir Khan had to put on weight, lose weight, build his body. Yet, he did this with elan and still continued to look young and age was just a spectator for him.

Here is his look through the 90s when he began to do diverse roles , even did tough roles in movies like Baazi, Sarfarosh, Ghulam etc. Surprisingly, nothing deterred him from looking young. 




This is the Aamir Khan from Sarfarosh, the no nonsense cop ACP Rathod. He looked tough, he looked like a cop, yet he didn't lose the charm and looked amazingly young.


Similar with Ghulam and Rangeela, where he donned the role of a tapori. Tapori is a character usually we associated having a murky look, shabby clothing and roadside swag, Aamir Khan immersed himself into the character of tapori in both the movies. Yet, Aamir Khan looked delightful in the looks and hardly lost the charm on the face.


Time continued to pass, however this man never ceased to age. He continued to do diverse roles, do tougher roles. Aamir Khan, with Ghajini developed the body of a man who seems to have been working all his life in the Gym, the ripped muscles, the bulging biceps. Anyone who does such vigorous body workouts, tend to lose some of their facial charm. Not with Aamir. He once again captured everything perfectly , yet continued to look young and charm us.



After Ghajini, he again completely lost his body weight for 3 idiots and looked really like a college boy. In fact, he looked much younger than the actors Sharman Joshi and Madhavan, who in real life are much younger than him. Nobody could have played the college boy and look convincing. 




He once again put on weight for PK and Dhoom3. Hell, again he looked smashing, he again looked a million dollars. He again looked Young!




He broke all rules of commercial cinema with Dangal and put on the weight of nearly 90kgs for Dangal. He had to look old as the role demand, put on weight and then also lose weight during the process of the movie. There have been many videos released which show his Fat to Fit transformation. It required rigorous discipline of diet, painful workouts and of course the most important thing, the will to do it. Aamir Khan did it and when he turned fit again, he still looked young. He came back to his original avatar of the Khan we know, who never ages.




His new movie release is around the corner, Thugs of Hindostan. The trailer and his posters have once again stunned everyone as to how Aamir Khan can still continue to look young. Continue to defy age. His posters and his ads also seem to be putting everyone into a surprise. Does this man ever age? 




Many studies have revealed that constant body transformations can result in damaging the face or bring in much stress on the face like wrinkles due to the abnormal changes in diet and habits of livelihood. Aamir Khan has undergone the most number of transformations in his career and yet beaten this study. You could have looked at many body-builders in their prime and then they tend to age quickly. The body metabolism changes and results in ageing. Aamir might jump into any transformation, yet never loses his young look on the face and that boyish charm. Science, as they say, sometimes does not have an answer to everything as nature. 

When asked about the secret of his young looks, Aamir Khan candidly replied "I just am content with life and happy with how it it. I guess that is the secret". The answer looks very simple on its surface, however its a very layered and deep thought. Director Ashutosh Gowarikar in his interview had once replied "Aamir Khan is very content as a person unlike other stars. He is not worried about earning more money, building more bungalows etc."

I guess the answer lies in Aamir Khan being content with his life, however he is never content with his chase for excellence. What you are inside, shows on your face. Aamir Khan is most content about his commerce, never content with the responsibilities as a human. Aamir Khan does not have any property outside India. He leads a simple life, he derives happiness through simple things in life. He likes to give whatever he has through life back to life through his movies and social work. And yes, Life seems to be giving back to Aamir his age. Age seems to be telling to Aamir, you carry on, I will stand by!!

Thugs of Hindostan-Destroying the Ship

Thugs of Hindostan Chapter III is now out. It is the most chilling and emotional of the lot as it takes us through the last phase of the shooting and also how they had to blow one of the ships as per the requirement of the script. The making videos previously gave us an idea the amount of hard work and detailing went into the construction of ships. It was built with so much effort, so much love and then they had to blow it up. Now, that's film making for you.

The video takes us through the emotions of the crew and actors as they had to blow up the ship. Director Vijay Krishna Acharya recounts that it was a difficult decision, but the script demanded it. The effort of nearly 1000 members had to be blown up. The incident also gives an insight how demanding is film making. We see movies on the screen, comment and criticise them at the price of a ticket, however rarely do we realise the efforts of hundreds of members, the pain that went into the making. Yes, movies might fail or pass, however nobody should question the effort of a team. It also makes us realise the reality of life. Movies do make us realise that nothing in this world is permanent. It has to go one day.

The final portions of the video is about the shoot wrap and the director declaring about the conclusion of the shoot and the crew members taking pics on the shooting spot. Its an emotional moment for any film crew. You work with the members to create a dream, you become like a family, however a day comes when you need to say good bye. You need to put an end to it. It would have been a very moving incident for the team of Thugs of Hindostan too and also the people who helped them in Malta. 

Cinema, also takes its lessons from life. We work so hard all through our life without realising that we need to leave everything earned on this Earth one day. All that will remain is the love and good will that we earned through our deeds. Cinema too captures that essence. Movies will come, movies will go, however the ones that touch our hearts stay in our hearts forever long after the curtain falls on the silver screen after the movie ends.

THUGS OF HINDOSTAN MAKING-CHAPTER II

The second making video of Thugs of Hindostan is released and it focussed on the more difficult part after the Ships were constructed. Yes, it was actually shooting on the Ships. There have been many movies across the world that have been previously shot on the Ship, however it is the first time that an Indian movie would be so extensively shot on real Ships. 

The making video shows Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Fatima Sana Sheikh, the director, art director all talking of the rigorous and risky shoot that went into the movie. Aamir Khan rightly points out that the water on the edges of the Ships used to make it even more difficult and slippery for the scenes. It is absolutely difficult to concentrate on the acting when you also need to do a balancing act and perform action scenes and also emote correctly. A huge thumbs up also to the legendary Amitabh Bachchan who fully confided in the director in even such risky stunts on the Ship at this age with all the heavy costume. Fatima Sana Sheikh also recalls how she would be in awe of watching Big B perform in such conditions. Also, the salt water of the sea could cause serious issues if sensitive parts like our eyes are gushed with it. 

Malta, as we are informed really helped in making their job a bit easier and also provided the right kind of infrastructed needed to film this movie and its scenes. There were already divers who were deployed below water in case anyone falls into the water during the shoot. Any movie with such a crew needs to have the necessary precautionary measures deployed to avoid any untoward accidents. In the past, we have heard of tragic incidents happening on the film sets, especially during action scenes. Every life is special and utmost care needs to be taken. The team seems to have taken all the necessary measures to ensure that nobody was harmed. A proper drill was conducted regularly to make them aware of the security measures. Team of doctors always available on the sets. Thumbs up!

In movie making, its a well known fact that filming in sea or water is atleast three times more difficult and expensive than filming on land. If it involves high octane action sequences with the bombs, water gushing on to the ships and hoardes of members performing stunts, it becomes even more difficult. We need to give it to the film production and also the team at Malta for making it such a success.

 Who says that the movie is a success only after release, the process of filming a movie under such extreme conditions and finishing it in style is a big success in itself. The team deserves an applause!!

THUGS OF HINDOSTAN MAKING

Thugs of Hindostan chapter I is now released. It includes the making of one of the most important aspects of the movie i.e. the making of the SHIP. Yes, we are introduced to the making of one of the most important characters in the movie i.e. Ship. The actors including Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and the director Vijay Krishna Acharya take us through the research, detailing and the painful hard work that went into making of this giant ships. They seem to have consulted scores of people who had earlier worked for the construction of ships, anywhere related to the making of ships, took opinions from various engineering experts before zeroing in on the Island of Malta to build two giant Ships for the movie.

Malta, beautiful Islands in the Central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African Coast. The cinematic History of Malta is also intriguing. Malta has been home to many Hollywood classics such as the Midnight express, The Spy who loved me to the Gladiator. So, what makes Malta so special. The island offers cinematic beauty with large water bodies and most importantly for movies involving Ships or water scenes, this is the ideal place to be shot at. The Thugs of Hindostan team seems to have zeroed in on Malta after a tedious research. Malta has an amazing film community that is not associated with such a small country. Malta has the requisite amount of infrastructure that is perfect for the filming of such a movie and making of the Ship. Malta has been there, done it before. The perfect Choice!

The making video informs us that nearly 1000 people worked on making of the Ships. In India, never has been any movie shot with two real organic Ships. There is a village in Malta that only deals with the making of ships and boats. We are then made to take a look about the process that goes into the making of the ships.The production design teams from both Malta and India worked in tandem for the making of Ships for more than a year. That is some achievement! But then, just making of the ships was not enough. The Ships weighed 2 lakh tonnes each. Would the Ships float?

With such heavy magnitude of material put into making of the Ships, they still had to pump in loads of fuel for the Ships to float on water. According to the science, an object will float only if the gravitational force downward is less than the upward force. It is the simple reason why a heavy rock will sink in water while a Ship floats. The rock is heavy, but it displaces only a little water. This is the concept on which Ships float. If the ship weighs less than the maximum volume of water it can displace, it floats. The production team of Thugs of Hindostan would have been praying that their hard work does not go into vain. Thankfully, they were all delighted to see the sight of the two gigantic Ships float on water and was a sight to behold. 

As we are rightly informed during the making of the video,  along with the big stars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in the movie, the Ship too is a star in the movie. Dare we disagree after seeing the amount of hard work that has gone into!!

AAMIR KHAN ARGUABLY THE WORLDS BIGGEST MOVIE STAR

In this post, I would like to throw light on why Aamir Khan is the world's biggest movie star. Aamir Khan's fans and their admiration for him across the globe. Probably the only star from India whose reach penetrates across different countries, each country with a distinct culture of its own, each country with its own reasons for loving Aamir Khan and each country truly and madly in love with the biggest movie star in the world. Let us also take a look how exactly they got connected with Aamir Khan, his movies and that one special movie also which turned the tide in the favour of Mr. Khan. 



                   CHINA LOVES AAMIR KHAN

China, the neighbouring country to India and the country with the highest population in the world got the first glimpse of Aamir Khan through the movie Lagaan which was released there after its theatrical release in India. The film was dubbed in Chinese and premiered in the city of Shanghai and then the capitial Beijing.The movie was also made its way right till the last five films from worldwide category offered the people of China their first glimpse of Aamir Khan on the big screen. The seeds of their love for Aamir Khan had been planted. But then, the release was limited and also the movie market in China during the release of Lagaan was not huge. China suddenly burst on the world movie business in a big way only after 2013. Many years after the release of Lagaan, on the 8th Decemeber, 2011 , saw the release of the blockbuster Aamir Khan movie "3 idiots" in China. The movie which broke every record in the Indian cinema and also Bollywood was lapped up by the Chinese movie goers. The movie, released by the name San Geshagua in China. The movie was a huge success and almost grossed 3 million dollars within a month. Aamir Khan had arrived big time in China. The movie which had Aamir Khan playing Rancho, the fiesty engineering student who fights against the education system made Chinese fall in love with Aamir Khan. Even after the theatrical run for the movie ended, the movie became a huge hit across the DVD and pirated market and was watched by a huge section of the Chinese population. It became the most popular Indian movie ever in the Chinese market. 

It is hard to find any chinese movie goer who has not watched 3 idiots.In fact, on the Chinese movie rating site Douban(an equivalent of the IMDB for the Chinese) , the movie is ranked number 12 in the all time favourite movie list. That is some achievement for an Indian movie and also shows the love people bestowed upon Aamir Khan. This particular movie made Aamir Khan an absolute sensation in China. He became the most popular Indian in China. Fan clubs of Aamir Khan began to grow and they lovingly called him "Uncle Khan". After 3 idiots, every movie of Aamir Khan has released there and been a sensation, the collections just kept growing with each movie. PK grossed 100 crore in China and Dangal just stunned the whole world with a whopping gross of more than 1300 crore in China alone. Even the movie with a cameo of Aamir Khan i.e. Secret Superstar grossed more than 700 crore in China. China is now a tour de force in the world movie market with the largest number of theatres and in a couple of years, it is bound to overtake even the total movie market of North America. With Aamir Khan being such a sensation in China, it is only safe to say that nobody can take the title of "Biggest movie star in the world" from Aamir Khan easily.

Every visit of Aamir Khan in China is a picture in itself. People just throng to the airport, there are scenes of madness everywhere. He is just thronged by the public where ever he goes. The government of China gave him an honorary title in recognition of his growing popularity in China. A leading mobile brand also replaced a popular actor of India with Aamir Khan due to his unmatched popularity in China. When asked about the reason for his immense popularity in China, Aamir Khan simply replied " I have watched my movies with the audiences in China. They reacted to it the same way as the Indians". The answer is simple and yet complex. But one thing is for sure, China simply loves and adores Aamir Khan. Even the President of China admitted that he watched Dangal and is a big fan. The images below do tell a story of their love.

A lot of Chinese goods are popular and sell in India. But, in China, only Aamir Khan sells!!



Taiwan, South Korea, Japan,  Hong kong's favourite Indian star

3 idiots also marked Aamir Khan's entry in to hearts of people of two other nations. Taiwan and Hong Kong. The movie released in Hong Kong on the 1st Sep, 2011 and was absolutely loved. It was the first Indian movie to be screened in Hong Kong and did amazing business. It was the fourteenth highest grossing movie in Hong Kong for the year 2011. Aamir Khan became a sensation in Hong Kong and till date every movie of his has released there and just bettered the business. The cultures in China and Hong Kong could be similar and it could be one of the reasons for their connect with the genius Khan. But then the answer could be different. 


Taiwan also got its first taste of Aamir Khan with 3 idiots. The movie released there in December 2010 and believe it or not, had the longest showing period in cinemas in Taiwan, breaking the record of AVATAR. Taiwan is pretty similar to China in its cultures too and it can argued that the success of Aamir Khan could be attributed to it. But, then the answer here also could be different. Every country though has similar cultures, still has an identity and tastes of its own and its difficult to fathom their common obsession with Aamir Khan.


3 idiots also invited Japan to join the fan club of Aamir Khan. It was released in 2013 and it became the highest grossing Hindi film ever in Japan. Japan had an earlier tryst with Rajnikanth where his movies were lapped up, however Aamir Khan's movies have now done consistently well in Japan and he has added another country in the list where his fans exists and exist madly.

Aamir Khan has once visited Hong Kong, but never has paid a visit to Taiwan , He also made a visit Japan. Leaving you with the images of his visit.








TURKEY IS MAD ABOUT AAMIR KHAN

Turkey, a nation which is alien to the Indian movies and still is, madly loves Aamir Khan. 3 idiots was widely appreciated in Turkey, even though it did not get a theatrical release there. However, my interaction with most of the Turkish fans has revealed that "Fanaa" was the movie which made the Turkish audience, especially the girls fall madly in love with Aamir Khan. Fanaa was an unusual love story which has Aamir Khan playing as a tourist guide in disguise who falls in love with a blind girl played by Kajol. It is a tragic love story and the movie connected so well with the Turkish audience that it is still their favourite Aamir Khan movie for most of them. Right from Fanaa, his every movie has been eagerly watched (though through piracy) and is been loved. Dhoom 3 released in Turkey and did whopping business. Thugs of Hindostan is to be released on the 30th of November in Turkey and the buzz in Turkey for the movie is tremendous and expected to do record business ever for an Indian movie.

The connect with Aamir Khan for Turkey is quite different from that of the East Asian markets. My interactions with the Turkish fans has revealed that they love Aamir Khan because of his handsome looks, his performances, his movies and also Egypt essentially being a Muslim dominated country, they could identify with Aamir Khan. But, then the reason is not so simple again. There are other stars too from India with the surname Khan. The reason goes far beyond it and its difficult to comprehend. Ranveer Singh told in an interview that he visited Turkey during the shoot of one his movie and the people there just recognise Bollywood as Aamir Khan.


There are mad fans of Aamir Khan in Turkey, glimpses of which were seen during his visit to the nation. Girls were seen crying on seeing Aamir Khan, there was a frenzy at the airport and fights to just get a picture clicked with him. Never has any Indian movie star occupied the hearts of the Turkish people as Aamir Khan. Turkey has various fan clubs for Aamir Khan, where they talk about his movies, his performances, his TV show Satyameva Jayate. They discuss everything about him and he is the poster boy of the Turkish girls. 

Check out the video where Turkish girls are seen crying and screaming on seeing Aamir Khan at the airport after he landed in Turkey. Aamir Khan also met the Turksih President. The love for Aamir Khan in Turkey is unparalleled.

(Aamir Khan with the Turkish President)

RUSSIA, BRAZIL ADORE AAMIR KHAN

The cultures in the East Asian countries could be a bit similar to India, however Aamir Khan's connect with Russia and Brazil is beyond comprehension. Russia, years ago had a fascination with Raj Kapoor whose movies did well and he was adored by the Russian audiences. Years later, Mithun Chakraborty swayed the Russian audiences again with "DISCO DANCER" which was a phenomenal hit in Russia. But, after that Indian movies just stopped impressing the audiences there. Hardly are movies released in Russia. Films like 3 idiots, Taare Zameen par were screened at the film festivals in Russia and struck a chord with the Russian audiences. Dhoom 3 released in Russia and did good business. Most of Aamir Khan's movies there have been watched online or through piracy and the people fell in love with this charismatic actor. 

During my interactions with the Russian fans, I have noticed their unconditional love for Aamir Khan. They also fell in love with the humane side of Aamir Khan during the television show "Satyameva Jayate". Russian fans have started the blogs for Aamir Khan, they discuss his movies, even trying to learn Hindi for the love of Aamir Khan. Russian Social networks also have a high amount of views for upcoming Aamir Khan movie Thugs of Hindostan. Again, few of his fans are learning Hindi just for the love of Aamir Khan. They love India because of him!

Brazil, too is an unusual story. Brazil has never been exposed to Indian cinema with the odd exception of a few film festivals. With my interactions with the Brazilian fans of Aamir Khan, I came to know that they probably got to know about Aamir Khan when they watched his movies online as they were highly rated on IMDB. Aamir Khan is the only actor from India who has the top movies from Indian cinema amongst the 250 top rated IMDB movies. It is an achievement in itself. Many were of the opinion that the particular movie which turned them into Aamir fans was Taare Zameen par. The movie, a story of a dyslexic boy who is helped by his teacher, played brilliantly by Aamir Khan is an emotional roller coaster and earned Aamir Khan immense love and fans across the globe. Brazil too fell into the trap of love. Since, then Brazil just waits and waits till and Aamir Khan movie releases here and they can somehow watch it on Netflix and any other source because they have no other choice. Sadly, the release of an Aamir Khan movie puts them into depression, because they cannot watch their favourite star on the big screen when other fans are watching it. It is a sad state of affair and I really hope Aamir Khan's movies find a way to get a release in Brazil. A few of the images of the Russian fans that depict their admiration for Aamir Khan.

(Aamir Khan toys made by Russian fans as gifts)

Lirica saito telles and WanessaTatiani, crazy Aamir Khan fans from Brazil have expressed their unconditional love for Aamir on social media and they long to see his movies release in Brazil. Hope Aamir Khan is listening! 

Philipines also has mad following for Aamir Khan like Turkey and other countries above, unfortunately bollywood movies do not release there and so the fans have to depend on other sources for watching Aamir Khan movies. That does not diminsh the craze for Aamir Khan in Philippines. I really hope Aamir Khan and his film producers do take this into account. They also deserve to see Aamir Khan on the big screen.

Aamir Khan has also has huge fans in Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Middle East, Pakistan, North America, Australia, Germany where he is loved for his performances, movies and social causes. We still do not know about his hidden fan following in other countries and his following is bound to grow with time. 

This is the power of good cinema. It can cut across boundaries and cultures. The language of cinema is universal. Aamir Khan's movie content and his performances just connect with everyone. Aamir Khan is a Universal star. The biggest movie star in the world. We all love him!