Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - June 2009 - Index

ker was at a loose end when
Khan came along and bankrolled
Lagaan. Rakeysh Mehra,
too, would have been a lost cause
after Aks, had Khan not trusted
him with Rang De Basanti and
Kunal Kohli owes his career to
Khan for rescuing him from
Mujhse Dosti Karoge with Fanaa.
These were smart moves, the
benefits of which he is reaping
now – Khan enjoys the kind of
goodwill nobody else does.
In order to reach this position,
Khan had to move out of
acting and into making films.
Only that would set him apart
from the two other Khans –
Shah Rukh and Salman – with
whom he is invariably bracketed.
This he has achieved. In
his last production, Jaane Tu…
Ya Jaane Na (nephew Imran
Khan’s launch vehicle), he did
not have to even appear on
screen and yet the film worked.
Being bracketed with other
Khans is what all three – Shah
Rukh, Salman and Aamir – have
had to endure. By a strange quirk
of fate, they not only share the
same surname, they were born in
the same year (1965) and made
their Bollywood debut around
the same time. Shah Rukh did
Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman in 1991
and a year later, Darr and Baazigar.
Salman started out with Biwi Ho
To Aisi in 1988, but could only
establish himself with Maine Pyar
Kiya in 1989. Similarly, Aamir had
done Raakh and Holi, but made
a splash only in 1988 with
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.
The good thing about Aamir
is that from fairly early on, he
had come to terms with his
limitations as a romantic hero
and after superhits like Rangeela,
Raja Hindustani and Ghulam,
switched to appearing in predominantly
non-heroine films.
The bad thing
about him is his overestimation
of himself
as an actor (partly
bolstered by a
fawning media)
which has made
him a highly selfconscious,
stilted and
visibly over-cautious
performer.
The worse part
is that after turning
producer, he has learned much
about the technicalities of filmmaking.
As a result, the natural
spontaneity of emoting and the
fluency in movement which
were the most endearing qualities
of his acting style in the
romantic melodramas of the
past are sadly missing in recent
starrers like Taare Zameen Par
and Ghajini. Most significantly,
he has developed a narrative
style that bears his signature,
even as he may not always be
formally credited as the director.
If only the same could be
said about the actor in him.
Aamir Khan the filmmaker
is, however, a much more
accomplished artiste. In Taare
Zameen Par, he is absolutely sure
of himself, methodical and
driven by conviction.
These are qualities hard to
find in the present generation
of Bollywood directors. Maybe
it has something to do with his
family background – he is the
son of Tahir Husain, nephew
of Nasir Husain and cousin
of Mansoor Khan, all filmmakers
of repute. But more than
creative genes at work, it is
obvious that Aamir knows his
cinema well and keeps himself
constantly abreast with filmmaking
trends across the world.
– DEREK BOSE
June 2009 Desi News 25