Aamir Khan:The Lost Perfectionist

A tale of creativity amidst the noisy success of numbers, a story wrapped up in a single line – one that truly defines the legend of cinema , Aamir Khan. The journey of the superstar is understood through several diverse phases. The Chocolate Boy Era {1988-2000} The actor announced his arrival with his debut film ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ released in year 1988 which turned to be a massive commercial success starring him as the lead actor and Juhi Chawla as the lead actress resulting him becoming a star overnight and gaining the title of ‘Chocolate Boy’. The very next year Raakh got released in which Aamir showed his diverse range for the first time by playing a dark, intense and emotionally disturbed character which gained him critical acclaim. However then followed a string of flops accompanied by massive criticism from critics. Movies like Awaal Number , Love Love Love were box office debacles until Dil got released. Indra Kumar directed movie turned to be a life saver for Aamir. His romantic chemistry with the ‘dhak dhak girl’ Madhuri Dixit gained massive eyeballs from the masses. Then movies like Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke made him a youth icon and a household name. Soon he delivered two absolute comic bangers Andaz Apna Apna and Ishq in years 1994 and 1997 respectively with a multi-starrer cast. However his perception got changed in the audience with Rangeela in which he played a lovable tapori from Mumbai. He later got transitioned into mature roles in movies like Akele Hum Akele Tum, Ghulam, Mann, Earth and Raja Hindustani all resulting in box-office success. His role of a cop in Sarfarosh gained massive praise from critics as the film paid massive attention to detail on a sensitive issue like cross-border terrorism. The star then disappointed the audience with a atrocious film like Mela in year 2000 which truly worked as a sour thumb in his otherwise diverse filmography. The Birth Of Perfectionist [2001-2010]- ‘Man of the Year’ stated by Bombay Times in year 2001 was a true reflection of Aamir’s path breaking filmography. In the year he delivered two movies Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai. In Dil Chahta Hai the directorial debut of Farhan Akhtar he played the character of an arrogant yet sweet man Akash. The refreshing colour theme, stylized clothes, glamorous locations and the friendly comical bond of Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna and Aamir Khan turned out to be the USP of the film resulting in gaining popularity among urban and semi-urban audience. However Lagaan changed Indian cinema forever released in the same year. Lagaan : A period drama in which villagers play a cricket match against the British Empire in order to get rid of taxes. This absurd was the storyline of lagaan with a requirement of massive cast, a movie to be shoot in villages and a guarantee box-office disaster at the time of announcement but as the destiny says lagaan turned out to be a huge success at the box- office. Not just at the box-office it became the first Indian film till date to be nominated in the ‘Best Foreign Film’ category for the Oscars. Aamir made his debut as the producer with lagaan only and brought industry- changing movies like sync sound and full movie to be shoot in a single schedule. Aamir then took an informal break for 3 years and returned in year 2005 with Mangal Pandey an average box-office grosser. However the next 5 years were nothing less than any dream run. Rang De Basanti which redefined the patriotism towards the nation while raising serious concerns at the same time. Fanna an intense captive portrayal of love. Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots challenged the flaws of Indian Education System and changed the way of parenting in India. Both the movies are one of the most iconic movies of Indian cinema. Then came Ghajini an unexpected physical transformation accompanied by the most heartbreaking ending. Ghajini was a true phenomena . The Peak Era {2011-2020} Aamir Khan as a producer took a massive risk by investing his money into Delhi Belly which got released in the year 2011. A movie which was completely absurd for its time, filled with foul languages and many more elements which were never seen before. The USP of Delhi Belly was that it was impossible to define the movie. It was that absurd. Then came Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, a movie that talks about loss, a movie that talks about how to accept loss. Personally, it was the best performance of Aamir Khan. The movie may not be a box-office blockbuster, but it was a true masterpiece in its own sense. Then came Dhoom 3, a franchise movie and a massy entertainer. Aamir delivered a ₹300 crore box-office success and proved his dominance in commercial cinema. After creating history with the ₹100 crore club through Ghajini, Aamir continued his dream run at the box-office. Then came PK, again the most controversial movie of Aamir Khan’s career. From the Shiva scene to the naked poster of Aamir Khan, the movie created massive discussions among the audience. The movie challenged fake beliefs and questioned the fake godsmen that exist in this country. Then came Dangal in 2016, the highest-grossing movie of Indian cinema till date. Aamir Khan made a physical transformation that nobody expected. He firstly gained weight up to 125 kgs and then got chiselled into six abs. Aamir played the role of Mahavir Phogat at a time where most of the actors of his age were playing roles of romancing actresses half of their age. Aamir chose to play the role of a father and delivered one of the finest performances of his career. Then came Secret Superstar, again a movie on female empowerment and a movie highlighting the social impact of Aamir Khan. The movie carried forward Aamir’s vision of bringing meaningful cinema to the audience. Then came Thugs of Hindostan, the massive failure of Aamir Khan after almost 17 years. The expectations were massive as Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan were joining hands for the first time. However, the movie turned out to be a massive disaster. It got heavily criticised and Aamir in interviews also said that he himself did not like Thugs of Hindostan. The Fall Of The Star {2020-Present} Laal Singh Chaddha released in the year 2022 and became one of the biggest setbacks of Aamir Khan’s career. The movie was an official adaptation of the legendary Hollywood film Forrest Gump. However, the movie turned out to be a massive box-office disaster. The performance of Aamir Khan was heavily criticised for his hammy portrayal of the character. Aamir himself in his interviews has been very vocal about his performance and admitted that he felt he failed to deliver the character, which eventually affected the overall outcome of the movie. The failure of Laal Singh Chaddha had a massive impact on Aamir Khan personally. The actor went through a difficult phase and revealed that the failure pushed him into a state of mental struggle and forced him to take a break from cinema. Then came Sitaare Zameen Par in the year 2025, a spiritual sequel to Taare Zameen Par. The movie resulted in a mini comeback for Aamir Khan as he finally delivered a hit after a difficult phase. The movie again discussed an important social issue, highlighting the struggles faced by children who are slightly different from others and the challenges they face in society. The success of Sitaare Zameen Par was unexpected as the pre-bookings of the movie were not good initially. However, positive reviews from the audience and appreciation for the film helped it gain momentum. Aamir Khan’s performance was appreciated, although it was considered good rather than one of his greatest performances. Currently, there has been no official announcement regarding Aamir Khan’s next projects. However, it is known that he is working on Lalkaar and 3 Idiots 2. His next movie as a producer is Batwara 1947. There has been no final confirmation or official announcement regarding these projects yet except Batwara 1947 which is set to get released on 14th August. It seems like the perfectionist has lost his perfection. The times have changed and Aamir Khan is currently facing a difficult phase professionally. However, it would be great to see the old Aamir Khan back with different character roles and different methods of storytelling. The world watches whenever Aamir Khan displays his work.