7/31/2019 First Take 55
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FIRST TAKE>
Jyothi Varma
8CHIPS@
TEENTIME
GULF MADHYAMAM lNo1 IN THE GULF l 2012 JULY 4 VOLUME 2, ISSUE
55
Here isa starwhodoesntbelieve
in stardom. Actor, direc-tor, producer and, yes,
avid blogger, Aamir Khan
is one of those rare actorswho want to make a differ-
ence to society rather thanretreat to the splendid isolation of
a superstar.And, while it can be said that Aamir took quite
a while to establish his niche under the arc lightsof Bollywood,
none can dispute that he hasevolved into one of the finest actors
of this gen-eration who has made a habit of espousing socialcauses
in cinema and in life.
After critiquing the education system in his3 Idiots, Aamir has
now shrunk the size of thescreen to the telly but expanded the
lens-viewto turn the spotlight on the social maladies ofthe nation
in his recently-launched televisionseries Satyamev Jayate. Barely
into its first few
episodes, Satyamev Jayate is already one ofthe most widely
watched, talked-about and, ofcourse, written-about programmes
currently onair. To many, this series is Indias answer to theOprah
Winfrey show on US television.
During the course of his Bollywood rollercoasterride, it was
perhaps self-belief, patience andperseverance that has helped Aamir
scale theheights he has reached today. For instance, therehave been
low points in his career in the 1990s
where a lesser person would have easily meltedinto oblivion.
During this difficult period,
most of his films were either modesthits or duds at the Box
Office.
With Lagaan (2001), whichhe also produced, we got to seethe
first glimpses of Aamir Khan
Version 2.0. It was at this point(which also saw the release
ofthe hit Dil Chahtha Hai) thatAaamir took a four-year break.While
Lagaan was a majorcritical and commercial suc-
cess, bagging a nomination forthe Best Foreign Language Filmat
the 74th Academy Awardsin addition to winning numer-ous Indian
awards, includingthe National Film Awards and asecond Filmfare Best
Actor
Award for Aamir, what fol-lowed in subsequent yearswas a
breathtaking expositionof his artistry in films such as
Mangal Pandey: The Rising(2005), Fanaa, Rang De Bas-anti
(2006)which was Indiasofficial entry at the OscarsTare Zameen Par
(2007 as
director-actor) and 3 Idiots(2009).
A stand-out feature of thesefilms has been the fine blend-ing of
the arty and the com-mercial elements that are oftenseen as
disparate factors inmainstream cinema. Not toforget, Aamir Khan
also starredin the commercial blockbuster
Ghajini in 2008.Not many today can make
a connection between Aamirand the 1973 classic Yaadon-ki
Baaraat. But, that filmproduced by his uncle Nasir
Hussain marked his debut as
an eight-year-old child artiste.He would reappear on the
bigscreen over a decade later inKetan Mehtas Holi (1984).Soon, film
audiences got whatwould turn out to be a mere
curtain-raiser on his prowess inthe roaring hit Qayyamat
seQayyamatTak (1988). Play-ing the character of Raj in
thatromantic
tragedy, Aamir was quite therage incam-pusesof thattimeas
hewaltzedhis wayinto teenhearts
singingPapakehthe-hai...
Con-trast that scene with the imageof Ranchhoddas Shamal-das
Chanchad (Rancho) akaPhunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiotsand you will
realise how farAmir Khan has travelled andhow much he has
reinventedhimself in pursuit of perfection.Isnt he called Mr
Perfectionist,after all?
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