Aamir Khan (pronounced [ɑːmɪr xɑːn]; Devanāgarī: आमिर हुसेन ख़ान, Nastaliq: عامر حسین خان) (born March 14, 1965 as Aamir Hussain Khan) in Mumbai, India, is a highly acclaimed and a prominent Indian film actor, producer, director and writer.[1][2] He also owns and operates Aamir Khan Productions.
Appearing as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain's film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Khan's career started eleven years later with the film, Holi (1984). He received his first commercial success with his cousin Mansoor Khan's film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance in the film. After eight previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, he received his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Raja Hindustani (1996), his biggest commercial success so far.[3] He won acclaim for his role in the Academy Award nominated Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), and received his second Best Actor award at the Filmfare ceremony as well as numerous other awards. Taking a four year break from acting, Khan made his comeback with Ketan Mehta's The Rising (2005).
Being a part of several commercially successful movies and delivering highly acclaimed performances, he has established himself as one of the top and leading actors of Hindi cinema.[4]
Family background
Aamir Khan was born in Mumbai into a Muslim family that has been actively involved in the Indian film-industry. His roots are connected to the city of Herat in Afghanistan due to him being a descendant of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He is also a descendant of Late President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain and a second cousin of Former Chair Person of Rajya Sabha in Parliament Dr Nagma Hebdulla. [5] His father Tahir Hussain is a producer; his uncle Nasir Hussain was a director. He has acted in a few films directed by his cousin Mansoor Khan. His brother Faisal Khan is an actor, and they have co-starred in Mela. His cousin Tariq was an actor in the 1970s who notably appeared in Yaadon Ki Baraat (Aamir played him as a child in the film) and Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin.
Career
Aamir began his career as a child actor with the films produced and/or directed by his family members: Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973) and Madhosh (1974). Eleven years later, he made his debut as an adult actor by playing a supporting role in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984).
Aamir's first leading role came in 1988 with the film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak which was a huge success at the box office and effectively launched his career. He went on to appear in several other films in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which did rather poorly at the box office. Notable exceptions included Dil (1990), which became the highest grossing film of that year,[6] and the movies Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993) and Rangeela (1995), which were both critical and commercial successes.[7][8][9]
Khan's first and only release in 1996 was the Dharmesh Darshan blockbuster Raja Hindustani where he was paired opposite Karisma Kapoor. The film earned him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award after eight previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, and went on to become the biggest hit of the year, as well as the third highest grossing Indian film of the 1990's.[10] Khan's career seemed to have hit a plateau at this point, and most of the films to follow for the next few years were only semi-successful. In 1997, he stared in the movie |Ishq, and then in 1998, in the moderately successful Ghulam, for which he also did playback singing.[11] John Mathew Matthan's Sarfarosh (1999) was Khan's first release in 1999 which was also moderately successful gaining an above average box office verdict. His role as a dedicated cop engaged in fighting border terrorism won him critical acclaim, as did his role in Deepa Mehta's art house film Earth. His first release for the new millennium was the box-office failure Mela where he acted alongside his real-life brother Faisal Khan.[12]
In 2001 his first release was Lagaan, which was also Khan's first production with Aamir Khan Productions. The film was a major critical and commercial success,[13] and became the third Hindi language film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film additionally gathered critical acclaim at several international film festivals, apart from winning numerous Bollywood awards, including National Film Awards and National Film Awards. Khan himself, won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. After No Man's Land won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language film, there was widespread disappointment in India. Aamir Khan said, "Certainly we were disappointed. But the thing that really kept us in our spirits was that the entire country was behind us".
The success of Lagaan was followed by another success, Dil Chahta Hai later that year. According to critics, it broke new ground by showing urban Indian youth as they really are today. The characters depicted were suave and cosmopolitan, and the film was a success mostly in urban cities.[13]
Khan then took a 3 year break and returned in 2005 with the title role in Mangal Pandey: The Rising. Mangal Pandey was a Sepoy who helped spark the Indian rebellion of 1857. Subsequently the mutiny was called "The Sepoy Mutiny" or "The Sepoy Rebellion" by most of the English-speaking world, while Indians referred to it as the "First War of Independence".
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's award winning Rang De Basanti was Aamir's first release in 2006. His role was critically acclaimed,[14] earning him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance and various nominations for Best Actor. The film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of the year,[15] and was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars. Although the film was not shortlisted as a nominee, it received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the BAFTA Awards in England. Khan's work in his next movie, Fanaa (2006) was also appreciated[16] and the film went on to become one of the highest grossing Indian films of 2006.[15]
His 2007, Taare Zameen Par (the second film from Aamir Khan Productions) also marked his directorial debut. It opened to excellent responses from critics and audiences alike. His work won him two awards at the Filmfare, the Best Movie and the Best Director awards, and established his status as a competent director.
Personal life
Khan fell in love and married Reena Dutta, however his parents did not approve either of her or his marriage primarily because she was a non-muslim. As a result, Khan's marriage stayed a secret both from his parents and the media for a while. Dutta made a brief appearance in the popular song sequence Papa Kehte Hain from Khan's first film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, despite the fact that she was not a professional actress and was already married to him at that time. The story of Khan's marriage garnered a lot of public attention when it was first revealed. However, Reena Dutta maintained a very low profile and continued her job working at a travel agency. They had two children (son: Junaid and daughter: Aira) and led a quiet family life away from the public eye. Reena was involved, briefly, in Khan's career when she worked as a producer for Lagaan. In December 2002, Aamir filed for divorce ending the 15-year marriage. Reena took custody of both the children.
On December 28, 2005, Aamir married Kiran Rao, who had been an assistant to director Ashutosh Gowariker during the filming of Lagaan.[17] Recently, his brother Faisal caused a media scandal by accusing Khan of mistreating him and forcing him to take medication. Faisal has been said to be mentally unstable. On 31 October, 2007, the Bombay high court granted temporary custody of Faisal to their father, Tahir Hussain. Khan's family came out in a public statement supporting him on all counts in this matter. The statement was also signed by his former wife and the mother of his children, Reena Dutta.[18]
Khan rarely attends Indian award functions and says that he does not believe in the authenticity of the selection and winning process. He made an exception when he attended the Oscars for the nomination of Lagaan. In 2007, Khan was invited to have a wax imitation of himself put on display at Madame Tussauds in London.[19] However, Khan politely declined stating that, "It's not important to me... people will see my films if they want to. Also, I cannot deal with so many things, I have bandwidth only for that much. "[20]
Awards and Nominations
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Filmography
Writer/Director
See also
