Aamir
Khan
the
actor
acts
in
order
to
lose
himself,
I'm
sure
you'd
agree
with
me
on
this.
Over
the
past
20
years,
Aamir,
the
most
charismatic
Indian
star
of
his
generation,
has
perfected
the
art
of
the
vanishing
act.
He
doesn't
make
too
many
public
appearances
and
he
comes
out
with
one
release
every
year.
In
person,
he
seems
little,
unmistakable:
he
takes
your
questions
in
and
talks
with
utmost
ease,
gesticulating
passionately;
he
walks
with
a
laid-back
stride.
Yet
on
screen
so
radically
does
this
small
man
act
with
confidence
so
tall
that
it
seems
almost
unreachable
for
many
of
his
and
today's
generation
of
actors.
When
I
meet
Aamir
Khan
in
his
Bandra
apartment,
I
am
a
witness
to
a
wiry,
45-year-old
Indian
who
transforms
himself
from
one
film
to
the
next
so
fluently
that
it
can
be
hard
to
identify
him
as
the
same
man.
All
his
parts
in
all
his
films,
big
or
small,
demand
a
titanic
trans-formative
performance,
and
boy
he
sinks
deep
in
them.
Kiran
Rao's
Dhobi
Ghat
is
just
one
of
his
rare
non
author
backed
role
where
he
plays
a
grey
haired
painter
who
lacks
inspiration,
and
knowing
Mr
Khan's
inspirational
characters,
I
won't
be
surprised
if
he
paints
the
town
red
once
again.
In
part
one
of
this
two
part
exclusive,
correspondent
meets
India's
finest
there
is,
there
was
and
the
finest
there
ever
will
be
-
Aamir
Khan.
Were
you
aware
of
the
fact
that
Dhobi
Ghat
wasn't
your
usual
author
backed
roles
you've
been
a
part
of?
I
was
aware
of
the
fact
that
my
role
in
Dhobi
Ghat
wasn't
the
author
backed
role.
When
I
read
the
script,
I
really
liked
the
character
of
Prateik
Babbar
called
'Munna'
and
there
was
no
way
I
could've
done
it
because
he
plays
an
eighteen
year
old
kid
and
I
don't
look
that
age
(laughs).
But
as
an
emotional
thing,
I
still
wanted
to
be
a
part
of
Kiran's
first
film
as
an
actor.
I
liked
the
script
too.
While
it
is
unusual
for
me
not
to
be
doing
an
author
backed
role,
it
is
also
unusual
for
an
audience.
The
audiences
will
take
time
to
come
to
the
terms
with
Aamir
Khan
not
being
the
central
guy
in
the
film.
After
Imran
Khan's
launch,
aren't
you
trying
too
hard
to
launch
Prateik?
Why
not?
I
am
so
proud
of
Prateik.
He
is
such
a
talented
boy,
committed,
passionate
and
still
laid
back.
As
a
producer,
I
found
him
to
be
an
ideal
actor
for
Dhobi
Ghat.
He
has
got
acting
in
his
genes.
The
camera
loves
him.
I
am
a
big
fan
of
his
mother
who
was
a
yesteryear
actress,
Smita
Patil.
This
is
the
twenty
fifth
year
of
her
passing
away
and
I
want
to
do
everything
that
I
can
to
give
Prateik
a
great
launch
so
Smitaji
feels
happy
wherever
she
is.
What
was
your
reaction
after
seeing
the
first
cut
of
Dhobi
Ghat?
When
I
saw
the
first
cut
of
the
film,
what
hit
me
was
that
all
three
of
them,
Monica
Dogra,
Kriti
Malhotra
and
Prateik
Babbar
were
all
first
time
actors,
even
though
Prateik
was
there
in
Jaane
Tu...
Ya
Jaane
Na
in
a
small
role.
Their
performances
are
so
raw,
natural
and
yet
at
the
same
time
so
effective.
I
realised
that
youngsters
today
do
not
come
with
a
baggage
of
what
acting
is
like
or
what
it
should
be
like.
But
a
lot
of
the
credit
goes
to
Kiran
Rao
for
extracting
such
performances.
For
sure,
all
three
are
better
than
me.
Your
'salt
n
pepper'
hair
for
the
first
time
in
a
Hindi
film.
Feels
good?
(Laughs)
It
was
my
idea
to
have
the
salt
and
pepper
look
for
the
role
I
play
of
Arun.
It
adds
to
my
character
and
the
appeal
of
Arun
I
think.
I
play
a
very
cloistered
character
in
Dhobi
Ghat.
Yes,
I
play
a
painter
in
the
film
who
doesn't
communicate
with
people.
He
doesn't
want
people
to
come
too
close
to
him.
The
role
I
play
of
Arun
is
emotionally
very
brittle
and
has
a
past
and
because
of
that
he
doesn't
allow
himself
to
open
up
to
anyone.
Arun
has
got
rough
edges
and
he
isn't
quite
nice
to
people
sometimes.
Don't
you
think
as
story
tellers
of
our
industry,
we
are
feeding
the
same
kind
of
food
to
our
audiences
and
that's
why
they
are
afraid
of
change?
I've
always
believed
that
we
are
in
the
field
of
storytelling
and
if
I
tell
you
the
same
story
again
and
again,
you
are
going
to
get
bored.
So
yes,
filmmakers
should
tell
a
different
story
each
time
irrespective
of
the
genre
they
are
making.
This
field
requires
telling
a
different
story
each
time.
I've
always
tried
that
in
my
own
career
as
an
actor
and
as
a
producer.
I've
only
directed
one
film
so
far.
But
I
want
to
surprise
my
audience
each
time
and
that's
what
I've
followed.
It
has
worked
for
me.
I
also
want
to
work
with
new
talent.
That's
why
you
see
I've
been
working
with
new
actors
and
directors.
It's
also
my
way
of
giving
back
to
our
fraternity
and
society.
I
must
use
my
strength
to
be
a
platform
for
newer
talent
to
come
in.
And
it's
important
to
have
a
young
crew
too,
right?
Brimming
with
ideas?
Apart
from
the
three
actors
who
are
newcomers
and
my
wife
who
has
directed
her
first
film
Dhobi
Ghat,
the
rest
of
the
crew
was
also
first
timers
and
young,
fresh
with
brimming
ideas.
Whether
it
was
Tusshar
the
DOP,
or
Nishant
the
editor
or
Ayush
the
sound
designer
or
Manisha
the
production
designer
or
Advait
the
first
assistant
director,
they
were
by
and
large
a
very
young
team
who
were
passionate
and
committed
towards
cinema.
They
have
such
a
great
sense
of
cinema.
I
could
really
gel
well
with
them
and
vice
versa.
We
were
all
on
the
same
page
and
I
didn't
think
I
was
working
with
new
comers.