One always expects an Aamir Khan film to be good. The Bollywood star likes to experiment with stories that are different and he is known to be a perfectionist who immerses himself completely into a role.
So, expectations were extremely high when he announced that he would also direct his next film Taare Zameen Par. And Aamir Khan did not disappoint.
Taare Zameen Par is a beautiful story about children with a powerful message for adults. Aamir's directorial debut is a flawless film with amazing performances from a cast comprising mostly children. The actor was in Dubai for the premiere of his film organised by Star Middle East and UTV.
Excerpts from an interview:
What appealed to you about this role?
The script is moving, heart warming and uplifting. I think I am a good father but this story sensitised me even more to my children and made me look at them in sharper focus. It affected me so positively that I wanted to share this with everyone. This is an extremely important film for all parents and youth who will be parents some day. It is also a great watch for children because it is about their feelings, their dreams and their world.
Why did you decide to direct it?
Initially, I was only the producer and actor. But after I saw the first rushes I had creative differences with the writer and director Amol Gupte and offered to step away from the film. But Gupte asked me to stay on because he wanted his script to have the platform that my presence could give it.
We did discuss other directors but finally I decided to jump in because getting another person familiarised with the story would have delayed the project by several months, by which time Darsheel would have grown up.
This film could not be made unless we had a really good child actor for the lead role and I believed Darsheel was perfect and did not want to risk losing him.
You did auditions around the country. What did you see in Darsheel?
His eyes are extremely expressive and he has a natural, intuitive sense of timing that is very right.
What was it like to direct children and yourself?
Children are spontaneous and filmmaking is not suited to that because it takes time to set up lights, and shots need several retakes or are spread over several days. We tried to have everything in place before calling the kids for the shot and we had to be quick around them so that the camera could capture their energy and spontaneity.
It was not easy but we were fortunate to have very bright kids and a hugely talented actor like Darsheel.
Directing myself was not difficult because I have been an actor for many years and I am pretty clear about how I want to do something.
Why did you launch the music at Shammi Kapoor's residence?
I did not want a big launch. I trained as an assistant with my uncle Nasir Hussain and I know that had he been alive he would have been happy to see my directorial debut. So I shared this joy with Shammi uncle, who was a close friend of my uncle. I wanted him to hear the music and get his blessings.
You have mentioned in your blog that you had butterflies in your stomach before the launch.
Yes I did. When you do something with a lot of love, there is an anxiety about how people will react to it.
After all these years, I still get nervous before the release of a film. I hope that this film affects people the way it affected me. I hope it brings them closer to their children and makes them value their children more.
How do you react to comments that your social activism is timed with the release of your films?
That is nonsense (laughs).
Why do you shun awards and award functions?
I value the reaction of the audience for whom I make my films and that is my real award.
Why did you decline the chance to have your wax figure at Madame Tussaud's?
These are futile things that don't interest me.
You don't do any of the things that other stars do. What does stardom mean to you?
That is how I am and I don't want to change that. But I am happy to be a star. I am grateful for the success and love I have received and value it because it gives me the strength to do the kind of films I want to do and believe in - films that may seem suicidal like Taare Zameen Par that has no heroine or romance.
My definition of a star is someone who, irrespective of the director and other cast of the film, is able to fill seats on the opening weekend.
When the audience likes a film and it becomes a hit, that is the success of the director. The strength of a star should be measured not by his hits but by how much money his flops make.
You change your appearance for every film. How does that affect you in real life?
Not at all. The physical look is important because it contributes to the character, but I am not the kind of person who becomes the character. That happens only when I am in front of the camera, otherwise I am myself.
After immersing yourself so totally in a role, how do you deal with the failure of a film like The Rising?
I am happy with the response to the film and proud of it. Some people may not be satisfied with it but a large portion of my audience liked it and it was a huge commercial success.
Where do you see Bollywood films in the global context?
From the many foreigners on my blog I can see that the audience for Indian cinema is growing. Our films have the ability to entertain all audiences and we should not change our musical format because music is an important part of our lives and our culture. I am proud of our cinema and the way we tell our stories.
We have still not arrived in mainstream cinema across the world because Indian filmmakers already have a large and healthy audience for their films. We love this audience and do not have the time or bandwidth to think beyond it or distract ourselves by making films for another audience or marketing them abroad.
But I am producing a film called Delhi Belly that targets an international audience. It is an action comedy in English written by a US-educated Indian and directed by a Swede. It is about Indians with an Indian cast but I have put together an international crew because I want to be honest to the script. I plan to sell it in the international market and release it in India like an international film.
