I respect Shahrukh as a star: Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan upclose and personal on 3 idiots, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan!




PLAYING 22 YR OLD AT 44

An offer at 44 to act 22… and you took it up?
[Starts laughing] Very valid question. I have been asking myself that. Audacious step… in keeping with all my mad decisions in the past. After four films on Bhagat Singh, for instance, we went and made the fifth one, Rang De Basanti. Or when people were making films in Switzerland wearing DKNY, we went and shot Lagaan in dhoti in a small village.

In 3 Idiots, age was the challenge. I told Raju [director, Rajkumar Hirani], ‘Why waste time on me when you can use a 22-year-old?’ He said, ‘Rancho is what you are in real life… unconventional, always goes against the tide, breaks rules.’ He wanted that belief to come through.

What did you have to do to physically overcome the age barrier?
I had to get rid of all the muscle I had built for Ghajini. I had to become smaller. Stopped training, went on a strict diet, drank lots of water, did cardio, played badminton 1-2 hours every day before shooting. When you sweat it out, your face looks fresher, younger.

So, I’d text poor IIM-Bangalore [3 Idiots was being shot on campus] students to come at 3 am or 4 am to play badminton. [Chuckles] I destroyed their sleep pattern.

Mentally?
That’s the difficult part. Every pore needs to feel you are 22. It’s difficult to bring back the innocence. To unlearn. You have gone through so much experience that your response is automatically different.

ON FRIENDSHIP WITH SALMAN AND SHAHRUKH

Apparently there was a time many years ago when Shah Rukh, Salman and you used to meet as a trio, hang out together. What happened?
Yes, we used to hang out together. Over the years, Salman and I have come closer. We have grown fond of each other. We have respect and regard for each other. We enjoy each other’s company. In fact, we hang out more than we used to earlier. Not daily, but often.

Shah Rukh and I have, over the years, not hung out together so much. We meet every now and then. Again, I have a lot of respect for Shah Rukh as a star, and find his films entertaining.

What’s your favourite Shah Rukh movie?
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. My clear favourite.