INTRODUCTION:
My first impression of Aamir Khan was that of a very good looking, sweet, romantic chocolate hero.I was in the second standard then and ?Dil? has just been released(1990).I really was stunned by the smart looks,and soon this great actor became my idol.I was so impressed that I thought of looking like him when I grow up!Soon I made it a point to watch ?Dil? everytime,it was shown on our cable video channel.
Again,in 1991 ?Afsana Pyar Ka? was released and once again,Aamir Khan confirmed his position in my mind and brain as my dream personality.I liked the song ?tip tip tip tip barish?,especially the last part because the actor looked great in a black t-shirt and white denim trouser with a red jacket thrown in for looking even better,in a fabulous location.However,my parents didn?t approve the idea of me watching hindi films and hence my ?Aamir Khanism? came to an end there.But I ran to the television set whenever I heard any song of ?Dil?and even stayed at my cousins? home for a long time during the pujas in 1991 because their cable list in that month promised to air three Aamir Khan films!
LOOKS:
Aamir Khan?s looks have changed with time and with the characters he portrayed in films.Gone is the look I loved,instead there is a very serious actor who looks drastically different.In a sense,he has improved a lot but I still prefer his original look.Aamir Khan has a very good face,characterized by prominent chin and nose sections,which make him look pretty sharp and determined.Brown eyes add to the appeal of his face,so does his hairstyle(the original one).He looks the perfect romantic actor. His face looks good from all sides and has a perfect sweet loverboy type air around.Not surprisingly,majority of his films saw him playing a romantic college student.This was also proved to be a hit formula in the 1990s.
Incidentally,Aamir Khan wore a spectacle in his first stint with Madhuri Dixit in?Deewana Mujhsa Nahin?(1990),which made him look even more fantastic,albeit a little childish.He did the role of a fashion photographer who fell in love with his model(Madhuri Dixit).But he changed his hairstyle totally for the character,of a very upper class youth (Aakash) in?Dil Chahta Hai? and for me it was a huge disappointment.Aamir looked like a very ordinary guy. Hairstyle for a person is really important for his personality and Aamir proved it!Earlier,he was a slim young guy,but later it was evident from his films(?Ghulam?),that he worked on his body,and though he doesn?t shout about it from rooftops (another Khan does),his current physique is okay.
ACTING SKILL:
Here,this great actor is in a league of his own.The romantic college student Raj in ?Afsana Pyar Ka?,the tough taxi driver in ?Raja Hindustani?,the sincere and dedicated cop ACP Rathore in?Sarfarosh? or the simple farmer Bhuvan in ?Lagaan?----Aamir Khan has done all kinds of roles which are drastically different from each other.And really,I cannot even think that this man did the role of that happy,?yes sir? ,?smile please?type of photographer in Deewana Mujhsa Nahin when I watch Sarfarosh and vice versa.You simply cannot think of the actor on screen in front of you as Aamir Khan,when you watch him performing. Invariably, you relate to him by his character name.
Such is Aamir Khan?s power of convincing the audience, which has skyrocketed the number of his fans. Especially,when in 2001 Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai were released within days of each other where the actor played roles as different as chalk and cheese,people confirmed him as the greatest Bollywood superstar next to the legend of our times,Amitabh Bachhan. Both of these films were brilliant in their own accords and won a lot of awards, whose list will take this entire review.In 1995 ?Rangeela? had him playing a roadside romeo(or ?tapori) which drew rave reviews from film critics.It was said that no other actor could have done that role with such ease and confidence.
Everything about Aamir isn?t about seriousness.There is a lighter side also.Consider ?Andaz Apna Apna? (1994) or ?Ishq? (1997) and you get two great Aamir Khan comedy films,which are different in concepts.Especially the latter has a serious background during the second half itself,which transformed Aamir?s character from the simple fun loving light ?Raja? to an intense man fighting for his rights (in a single film!)as well as to protect the lady(Kajol) who happens to be the love interest of his once-upon-a-time friend ?Ajay?(Ajay Devgan).Even ?Akele Hum Akele Tum?, a Mansoor Khan flick,a straight lift from?Kramer vs Kramer? had its share of lighter moments to balance the overall ambience of the film which was otherwise pretty serious.
So a single actor who played a)college student,b)journalist,c)an ordinary working man d)a roadside romeo e)a taxi driver f)a fun loving light character g)a playboy h)an ice cream seller i)a truck driver j) a farmer k)an upper class guy l) a photographer, seems to be the greatest actor of all times.And his forthcoming film?1857-The Rising? promises to be more intense,enough to justify the 4-year old gap with his last release-Dil Chahta Hai. Interestingly,Aamir Khan refuses to accept awards given by popular Indian film magazines or the media.He feels that these are not genuine and there are a lot of bad practices that go on to declare the winner.So you cannot catch a glimpse of this actor on the stage of a grand event held by a popular film/enterainment media(in which other Khans are there).However,he came to Calcutta to promote his great fil,?Lagaan? in 2001.
CO STARS:
Aamir Khan?s heroines weren?t always that popular compared to the actor himself apart from Juhi Chawla,Madhuri Dixit,Kajol and Preity Zinta.Another ?leading lady ? is Rani Mukherjee.Other actresses include: Farah Khan,Madhuri Dixit,Neelam,Ayesha Jhulka,Mamta Kulkarni,Urmila Matondkar,Manisha Koirala,Karishma Kapoor,Kajol,Raveena Tandon,Sonali Bendre,Nandita Das,Twinkle Khanna,Gracy Singh and Preity Zinta.His forthcoming release has Amisha Patel playing one of the characters alongwith Rani Mukherjee.
Male costars include:Saif Ali Khan,Salman Khan,Ajay Devgan,Akshaye Khanna,Rahul Khanna,Anil Kapoor and Ayub Khan.It is a rumoured that Shahrukh Khan is working with him in an yet untitled film directed by Raj Kumar Santoshi.
Aamir Khan is the first actor to be featured in a Pepsi ad alongwith Aishwarya Rai in 1991,when the latter wasn?t known too much.Later they were featured again in a Coca Cola ad (arch rival of Pepsi) in 1999.Aamir and Aishwarya happens to be two professionals to have worked in ad films but not in movies!Though ?Mela? had Ash in the last scene,but not with Aamir.
FILMS:
Following are the ?Aamir Khan? movies: Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak,Raakh,Aatank Hi Aatank,Dil,Deewana Mujhsa Nahin,Isi Ka Naam Zindagi,Jawani Zindabad,Daulat Ki Jung,Awwal Number,Afsana Pyar Ka,Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar,Baazi,Parampara,Andaz Apna Apna,Akele Hum Akele Tum,Rangeela,Raja Hindustani,Ishq,Ghulam,Sarfarosh,Mann,1947-Earth,Mela,Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai.
MY RATING:
He is my favourite hero and occupies the first position in my list as the greatest actor in Bollywood during his era. And wish he goes back to his original looks!
