THROWBACK: When Aamir Khan vowed to never become producer or work in films: ‘Acting was far remote from my thoughts’

In an interview Aamir Khan gave to Movie Magazine in 1988, he shared the reason behind him not wanting to be associated with films. Read on!

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In the past decades, Aamir Khan has managed to impress the audience with his acting skills and established himself as one of the most acclaimed actors in the industry. He has delivered some remarkable performances which earned him multiple accolades including four National Film Awards. Today, Aamir Khan is known as Mr. Perfectionist for all the right reasons. But did you know that he once vowed to never work in films? Read on to know more.

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Aamir Khan once vowed to not work in the film industry

Aamir Khan’s association with the film industry started when he was eight years old and acted in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat, back in 1973 and then in Madhosh the next year. Nearly a decade later, he worked in Manzil Manzil as an assistant director and then stepped into the industry as an adult actor with a brief role in the 1984 feature film Holi. However, according to an interview he gave to Movie Magazine in 1988, after the release of his first commercial film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, he had once thought of never getting into the industry.

In the excerpt of the interview shared on Reddit, the Dangal actor was seen sharing the reason behind his decision when he was asked if he always wanted to be an actor. Aamir was quoted as saying, “As a child, I was shy, high-strung, goofy, and awkward (words that seem to bear no connection to the self-possessed man that he is). Acting was far remote from my thoughts, my 'filmi' connections disillusioned me further. My dad (Tahir Hussain) being a producer, paid the directors and artists; yet, he had to regularly chase them, as they would play musical chairs with him before completing his films. Seeing these unfavorable conditions, I vowed that I would never become a producer or have anything to do with films.”

Aamir Khan says acting happened to him by accident

But despite being so firm in his decision, he ended up in the acting realm. Sharing what changed his mind, the PK actor said that acting was merely by accident. He added, “When I was in the XII standard, Aditya Bhattacharya approached me for his short film, which he desired to send for the festival and I said 'Yes' just for the fun of it. I enjoyed the experience and it gradually grew on me making me confident of the fact that I could act,” he divulged adding that it was then that he made up his mind to take up acting as a profession.

He further went on to share how his family reacted to his decision to become an actor. “There were no problems at home when I decided to become an actor, but I did get the message from them that perhaps acting wasn't so sensible a decision,” he stated in the interview. But soon after high school, he joined his uncle Nasir Hussain as an assistant director. Khan also did a couple of documentaries and that is when filmmaker Ketan Mehta saw him and cast him in Holi. At the time when the old interview was published, Khan was done with QSQT and was filming Aditya Bhattacharya’s Raakh.

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Currently, the actor is filming for his upcoming project Sitaare Zameen Par which will revolve around Down Syndrome and is expected to be released by Christmas this year.

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With more than five years of experience in journalism and an MA degree in Mass Communication & Journalism, Loveleen

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Credits: Movie Magazine interview on Reddit
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