5 Qualities That Set Aamir Khan Apart

Mar 28th, 2012 by Mrigank Dhaniwala

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Aamir Khan has been variously dubbed by the media as Mr. Perfectionist and The Man With
The Golden Touch. The Bollywood actor-producer-director is known to make sure that his films
get made in the best possible manner and in a way in which they appeal to the target audience.
Aamirs track record in the last three years is enough to prove this point. When director
Rajkumar Hirani approached Aamir for 3 Idiots, in which the actor was required to essay a
character 20 years younger than him, Aamir took many days to decide if he wanted to do the
role. Finally, he went with the directors gut instinct. But not before he did everything that he
could to look like the college-going boy, Rancho.
Yes, while shooting for 3 Idiots at IIM Ahmedabad, Aamir made it a practice to play badminton
every time before shooting so that his face would look flushed and younger. When the audience
accepted Rajus film and Aamirs likeable character with open arms, making 3 Idiots the biggest
blockbuster in Bollywood history, Aamirs conviction and efforts paid off.
So why does Aamir think twice before choosing to do a film? Why does he take the extra effort
to edit and re-edit his own productions? How has he achieved the high success rate with his films
and maintained his status as the intelligent viewers hero even after doing so few films? Heres a
lowdown

#5 Aamir Khans Single-Minded Dedication

When Aamir finally decided to make his television debut, many years after his contemporaries
like Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, with an issue based show called Satyamev Jayate
Aamir made sure that he co-produced the show so that he would have creative control over it.
Not just that, the actor also personally toured many remote parts of India talking to people about
their problems, ensuring that these stories were told in his show.

Aamir Khan
So much is Aamir focused on the TV show that he did not think twice about postponing two
releases in order to devote his full energy for the show. Which other Bollywood star would do
such a thing?
To be sure, Aamirs film producers are confident that the actor will give his single-minded
attention to their films when he is done with the TV show. Hence, they readily agreed. Aamirs
focus to one thing at a time is very unlike many other Bollywood actors who juggle not just
multiple projects at once but also keep themselves busy in handling different business ventures
and charities.

#4 Aamir Khans Impeccable Judgment

When newbie director Abhinay Deo locked the final edit of the Hinglish film, Delhi Belly, Aamir
wasnt very happy. The fact that the film had content, the kind of which had never been seen in
Indian films for the longest time, made the producer nervous. But instead of going with the
directors edit, Aamir put the film on hold for the longest time. Because he knew what the film
could be, if it was edited the way he thought it should be.

Imran Khan, Aamir Khan

But instead of firing the director and taking on the reigns himself, Aamir took his team into
confidence and asked them to rework the film, as he paid his attention to releasing his two other
home productions, Peepli Live and Dhobi Ghat. When Aamir finally got around to Delhi Belly,
he made sure that it turned out to be a project that would click with the target audience.

#3 Aamir Khans Marketing Genius

So how did Aamir make Delhi Belly, a film with hundreds of four-lettered words and no big star
cast to speak of, into an overnight sensation? Marketing. What Aamir did with Delhi Belly almost
makes for a case study in movie promotions.
Realizing that there was little meat that he could show in the TV promos of Delhi Belly as TV
promos in India have to be U or UA certified Aamir thought up a brilliant strategy music.
Aamir went ahead and included as many as six songs in what was basically a song-less, two-hour
movie. Along with maverick music director Ram Sampath and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya,
Aamir create DK Bose, a song that almost became the Indian youths national anthem.

One cannot forget that the lyrics of DK Bose referred to one of the most-commonly used
expletives in the Hindi language. So how did Aamir really convince the audience youth and
otherwise to come and watch an expletive-laden film?

#2 Aamir Khans Dont Lie To The Viewer Attitude

We all know that advertising, for the most part, is lying. But when Aamir realized that he was
producing and releasing the kinds of films Peepli Live, Delhi Belly and Dhobi Ghat which
did not have the elements of a typical Aamir Khan film, the actor made sure that he told the
public the truth. He did not, like the rest of the industry, go ahead and promote the film brazenly
anyway.
With Delhi Belly, he released an almost apologetic, but humorous, promo of how the film
contained abusive language and references to sex. For Peepli Live, he used a promo to criticize
himself as a producer who was making a film which would not be accepted by the audience. And
during the promotions of Dhobi Ghat, in which Aamir acted as well, he made sure that the
moviegoer did not come into the theatres expecting a masala Bollywood entertainer.

One way or the other, he made sure that his fans knew what to expect, so that they did not feel
cheated when they saw the films. If it takes guts to make unconventional films, it takes even
more to market them as they are.

#1 Aamir Khan Knows His Audience

This is legendary. When Aamir is in a script session, which usually goes on for many hours at a
time, he is known to react to the script like a lay viewer would he laughs and cries, applauds
and raises his brows in a question just like the average Indian spectator would. He reacts to the
script. And he agrees to do a film only when he knows that his fans would love it too, and not
just because he likes a meaty role or because he is partial to a certain producer.

Aamir Khan
This is the star-actors biggest asset; he might be a celebrity, but he does not forget who watches
his films.
So, when people complain that Aamir does too few films, and that when he does them, he
interferes and takes a lot of time and effort, they must appreciate the fact that it is his singleminded focus that has stood him in good stead over the years. And we hope that that is
something Aamir Khan will not let go of for the years to come.