The more likely Indian film ambassador?. Review on Tips on Great Acting

Assume, that somebody unknown to the Indian Hindi Film Industry, one who has only heard rich tributes about the melodrama and hero worship that these actors command, asks YOU, to select and suggest to them an exceptional actor, a master of his craft who not only enjoys the luxuries of public adoration but truly stands apart from the rest of the performers in his generation…. whom would you recommend? An actor who is very famous and infact likeable out of your personal choice, or an actor whom you may or may not like, but know that he does outstanding work?

Difficult choice, but one has to see the facts- criteria that makes one actor more praiseworthy than the other.  If I were asked to choose and select two such actors, my choices would be one between Shahrukh Khan & Aamir Khan- the former because he has mastered the ‘chocolate-boy’ image, the typical portrayal that makes him so likeable to the masses of hysterical fans, his ability to churn out one hit after another, obviously because he knows the formula that connects with the country, and his image as a nice guy after all.

Aamir Khan for his sheer talent. In merging himself into the characters he portrays; there is no typical Aamir Khan style, he becomes the role so completely that after every movie of his that you watch, you realise that nobody could have done it better. He does offbeat cinema, as well as the commercial formula sort of stories, and they always leave a mark, no matter how they fare at the box office. One would consider him an intelligent actor, who has progressed with time, is in touch with the generation, and most importantly not afraid of reinventing himself and doing something new.  Shahrukh Khan has acted in offbeat cinema like Ashoka and Hey Ram, and done other shades of characters as in Anjaam, Baazigar etc, often the unlikely hero in Swades, Yes Boss, Main Hoon Na etc., but for all his bravado and acting talents, one may not consider him a serious ‘thinker’s’ actor. His capacity to turn the bad or misunderstood characters in his movies into reformed personalities (e.g. Amitabh Bachchan in K3g from an angry father into a more flexible persona), the positive move of doing more mature roles now as he ages himself, and his dictum in doing movies with happy endings, where there is always a right end to the wrong have made him the sought after and revered actor that he is today Aamir Khan on the other hand after having acted in the regular movie hits such as Rangeela, Ghulam, Sarfarosh and Lagaan even, was already an established star (QSQT 1988, Dil 1990, Dil Hai ki Manta Nahin 1991, JoJeWoSi 1992) before Shahrukh Khan (1992’s movie hit Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman) had his first hit in the movie industry post making it big on TV. Aamir Khan’s move of getting into a more experimental cinema, such as in Earth, Dil Chahtha Hai, The Rising and Rang De Basanti which have not only drawn him a more versatile and literary fan following but has also given him a mode of sending a strong message to the audience. His movies make one think. Ofcourse they do have happy endings or atleast leave the audience in a state of acceptance with the ending, but most importantly, one is left with questions, regarding society, politics, terrorism their own angst and decisions. He might not have the same mass hysteria amongst his fans as Shahrukh, probably as he is largely misunderstood, living life on his own beliefs and not conforming to the archetypal movie hero. He is also known for his obsessive, uncompromising approach in every enterprise that he undertakes, his involvement in his projects and the respect that he commands from his peers.  Therefore we have two leading actors of this generation, men whose every movie is a hit (atleast in some part of the world) and receives considerable critical acclaim, time and time again. They are people whose every venture seems to be a success, purely based on their stronghold / monopoly of the industry.  To select one of these heavyweights to recommend to an outsider, to help that outsider form an opinion on the Indian Film Industry, I would have to recommend Aamir Khan. This so because I feel he has the quality that will not only appeal to a larger audience, but also that he challenges society and does thought provoking work, after proving himself in regular cinema. Added to this the coverage he has received after Lagaan being nominated for an Oscar, deserving or not, proves that he has the ‘IT’ factor necessary to fascinate a bigger, international audience that is largely unaware of the true Indian morality.                  Ofcourse I would also ask that outsider to watch Malayalam, Bengali and old Tamil movies to see the depth and quality in the narration and acting skills of those movies, simply because their cinema is incomparable.  Here with this review, I have not sought to create a controversy between Shahrukh Khan fans and Aamir Khan fans on MS. Both these actors are favourites of mine, but putting into perspective which of them I would prefer for a circumstance such as this, I don’t have a doubt about selecting Aamir Khan!