Delhi Belly

‘Delhi Belly’, 2011 super-hit starring his nephew Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Vir Das scandalized one and all and an adult comedy from Aamir’s banner is what something could have least expected. The superstar drew flak from many of his critics and audiences for coming up with a film that had cuss words from start to finish. Despite being slapped with the onus of misleading the youth of the nation by endorsing expletives in the film, Aamir came out with flying colours and the film’s Box Office results proved testimony to the fact. And who can forget his stint as the retro ‘Disco Fighter’…

Dhobhi Ghat

Aamir has always said that he is a director’s actor, for he is least responsible for his performances as an artist. He completely surrenders to the director to extract the best from him, but his portrayal of Arun in ‘Dhobhi Ghat’ (2011), his wife’s directorial debut failed to impress his critics. Though the film proved to be a critical success, Aamir couldn’t gather much appreciation for his performance. We could however give him that benefit of doubt for the person occupying the director’s chair was his real-life wife Kiran Rao. Maybe he was unable to surrender as an actor to her. Nonetheless, as a producer he pulled of an impressive piece of work on celluloid.

3 Idiots

For a 40 something actor, pulling of a role of a college kid with utmost conviction is never an easy task. The role demands the actor to look like a college goer and also wear an attitude of a ‘not so grown-up’ yet a smart student. Aamir looked extremely convincing as Rancchod Das Chhanchad aka Phunsuk Wangdu in the 2009 blockbuster, directed by Raj Kumar Hirani. Aamir worked hard on his body language and expressions to look like a college student in his late teens. Kudos to him for making us believe he was one among the many college students around!

Ghajini

Aamir teamed up with south Indian filmmaker A Murugadoss in ‘Ghajini’, a remake of a Tamil blockbuster flick. As Sanjay Singhania, a business tycoon, Aamir looked convincing. What was far more impressive was his portrayal of Singhania post a fatal injury on his head. He is shown suffering from anterograde amnesia where he loses his memory every 15 minutes. The actor made his bald look with a streak on his head a fashion statement with many youth going for the haircut during the release of the film. Aamir worked to tone his body and also develop 6 packs for the film.

Taare Zameen Par

This film based on the life of a child suffering from dyslexia was surrounded by controversies prior to its release but turned out to be one of the best films ever made in the history of Indian Cinema. Aamir Khan took over the role of a director from Amol Gupte, the story writer, to captain the film’s ship. Produced and directed by Aamir, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ connected both with the masses and the critics to emerge as a film that talks about the system of education and children’s psyche. Aamir certainly deserves a pat on his back for coming with such a lovely message through this film.

Rang De Basanti

Released on republic Day in 2006, Aamir’s ‘Rang De Basanti’ was one of those youth-centric films that struck an emotional chord with the audiences. The film kept the Box Office ringing and Aamir and his team were busy receiving accolades for their stunning performances. Aamir as Daljit Singh aka DJ looked typically Delhiite with a great command over Delhi’s Hindi dialect. The character was tailor made for him and none could have carried the startlingly contrasting characters of freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad and DJ with élan in the same film.

Mangal Pandey: The Rising

Aamir doesn’t fear experimenting with newer subjects. The actor played the role of Mangal Pandey, the first Indian to have sowed the seeds of revolution against the British Raj. Aamir grew his hair and sported a bushy moustache to resemble the iconic real life character. Though the film proved to be a dud at the Box Office in 2005, Aamir’s courage to come up with such a non-commercial concept is highly appreciable.

Dil Chahta Hai

Released in 2001, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ starring Aamir, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna came as a breath of fresh air. Aamir showed tremendous faith in Farhan Akhtar, then a debutant director and delivered a fabulous film that appealed to all age groups. The actor played Akash Malhotra, a flirty character who eventually turns into a true loverboy. Sporting a goaty and gelled hairdo, Aamir brought life to the character on screen.

Lagaan

Aamir turned a producer with ‘Lagaan’ in 2001 that made its way into the Oscar nominations in the best foreign film category. Aamir played Bhuvan, a villager who acts an inspiration to many in Champaner, a village oppressed by the British Raj. Bhuvan is hell-bent on giving a tough fight to the British officers in a cricket match, a game he and his villagers aren’t acquainted with. The film shows how this rustic character infuses courage and confidence among his co-villagers to drive away the tyrants. Aamir excelled as Bhuvan.

Sarfarosh

Aamir played an honest ACP officer Ajay Singh Rathore in ‘Sarfarosh’ released in 1999. The film saw the actor getting drenched in patriotic colours and delivering pro-national dialogues in a way that could even make the toughest of hearts cry. Aamir’s mature handling of a police officer in the film is commendable and by far one of his best performances.


Here’s wishing our very own ‘Perfectionist’ Khan of Bollywood, a very happy birthday.

By Gayatri Sankar