Aamir Khan - Biography

Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan is an Indian film actor, producer, and director. He has established himself as one of the most well-known and important performers in Indian cinema throughout his 30-year career, earning nine Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, and one AACTA Award. One of his films was also nominated for an Academy Award. In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Shri. He received the Padma Bhushan in 2010.

He has a big global fan following. He has been designated one of the world's 500 most powerful Muslims. Khan is a humanitarian and activist who has fought for various social issues, some of which have sparked political debate.

Early life

On March 14, 1965, he was born in Bombay to Indian film producer and screenwriter Tahir Hussain and Zeenat Hussain. Nasir Hussain, his late paternal uncle, and other relatives worked in Hindi cinema. Aside from the film business, he has a grandmother linked to Abul Kalam Azad. Aamir is the eldest of four siblings, including a brother called Faisal Khan and two sisters named Farhat and Nikhat Khan. Imran Khan, his nephew, is a current Hindi cinema actor. He is also the second cousin of Abul Kalam Azad's granddaughter, Najma Heptulla, a six-time Rajya Sabha member, former Bharatiya Janata Party vice president, and the 16th Governor of Manipur.

Aamir featured in two minor parts as a kid actor. He made his Bollywood debut at eight in Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), the first masala film. He played the younger version of Mahendra Sandhu's role in Madhosh the next year. He began his primary education at J.B. Petit School, then transferred to St. Anne's High School in Bandra till the eighth grade before completing his ninth and tenth years at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim. He competed in state-level tennis competitions and won the title. He stated that he was "far more into athletics than schoolwork." Khan finished his twelfth grade at Mumbai's Narsee Monjee College and characterized his upbringing as "challenging" due to his father's financial difficulties since his father's film projects were largely failures.

Aamir took part in the experimental process of making Paranoia, a 40-minute silent film directed by his former classmate Aditya Bhattacharya when he was sixteen. Director Shriram Lagoo, a friend of Bhattacharya's, gave a few thousand rupees to the film. Because Aamir's parents did not want him to create films and encouraged him to seek a "stable" vocation such as an engineer or doctor, the Paranoia filming schedule was kept a secret. He played an important role in the film with actors Neena Gupta and Victor Banerjee, who assisted Bhattacharya. He said that working on it prompted him to seek a movie career.

Khan afterward joined Avatar's theatrical troupe, where he worked backstage for nearly a year. In the Gujarati play Kesar Bina, he made his Prithvi Theatre debut. He appeared in two of their Hindi films and one English production, Clearing House. After finishing high school, Khan left out and agreed to work as an assistant director for Hussain on the Hindi movies Manzil Manzil and Zabardast.

Acting career

Debut and career challenges

In addition to aiding Hussain, Khan appeared in documentaries created by the Film and Television Institute of India students. Ketan Mehta's director spotted Khan in those films and cast him in the low-budget experimental film Holi. Holi, which featured a rookie ensemble cast, was based on Mahesh Elkunchwar's play on the Indian ragging practice. According to the New York Times, the film was "melodramatic" but "quite well and exuberantly played by nonprofessional performers." Khan played a raucous college student in an "insignificant" role characterized by CNN-IBN as "lacking in subtlety."

Although Holi failed to attract a huge audience, Hussain and his son Mansoor cast Aamir with Juhi Chawla in Mansoor's directorial debut Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). The film portrays a tale of forbidden love and parental disapproval, with Khan as Raj, a "clean-cut, decent boy-next-door". It became a tremendous commercial hit and launched both Khan and Chawla to prominence. It won seven Filmfare Awards, including Best Male Debut for Khan.

Raakh, Bhattacharya's criminal thriller made before the creation of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, was released in 1989. Despite a dismal box office performance, the picture received critical praise. For his performances in both Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Raakh, Khan received a National Film Award - Special Jury Award / Special Mention.

Breakthrough and Global success

He starred in five films in 1990 and three of them were unsuccessful. However, Dil, directed by Indra Kumar and starring Madhuri Dixit, was a huge success, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year. Following this triumph, he co-starred in Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, a film based on the box office hit It Happened One Night.

Aamir appeared in several movies in the 1990s, including Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), and Rangeela (1995). The bulk of these films was financially and critically successful. Other triumphs include Andaz Apna Apna, which received negative reviews at its debut but has since attained cult status. He also acted in Yash Chopra's Parampara in 1993.

Aamir continued to act in only one or two films yearly, which was rare for a popular Hindi film star. His solo film in 1996 was the commercial success Raja Hindustani, directed by Dharmesh Darshan and starring Karisma Kapoor. After seven prior nominations, he won his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the film, becoming the year's greatest blockbuster and the third-highest-grossing Indian film of the 1990s. Aamir's subsequent films were only marginally successful. He appeared in the 1997 film Ishq, which did well at the box office. Khan featured in the modestly successful Ghulam the next year, for which he also provided playback singing.

Sarfarosh, Aamir's debut film in 1999, was also fairly popular and performed more than expected at the box office. Mela, his first film of the 2000s, in which he co-starred with his brother Faisal, was a box, financial and critical flop. He starred in the 2001 film Lagaan, nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 74th Academy Awards. The film was also critically acclaimed in various international film festivals and won multiple Indian honours, including a National Film Award.

Dil Chahta Hai followed Lagaan's triumph later that year. Farhan Akhtar, a debutante at the time, wrote and directed the film, which received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film in 2001. Aamir returned in 2005 as the lead in Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey: The Rising, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti was released in 2006. His performance earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor and nominations for additional Best Actor awards. The film became one of the highest-grossing pictures of the year and was chosen as India's official Oscar submission. Despite not garnering an Oscar nomination, the film was nominated for a British Academy Film Awards BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in English. In his next film, Fanaa (2006), Aamir played a Kashmiri insurgency terrorist, the role provided him with creative opportunities to attempt something new.

Taare Zameen Par, his directorial debut in 2007, was also produced by him. Aamir Khan Productions' second release received favourable reviews from critics and audiences. His acting was well-received, but his direction earned the most praise. He won two Filmfare Awards in 2007 for Best Director and Best Film, as well as a National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. It was India's official Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2009.

Aamir starred in the 2008 film Ghajini. The film was a commercial success, being the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year, and it earned him his fifteenth Filmfare Best Actor nomination. Aamir played Ranchodas Chanchad in 3 Idiots in 2009. The film became the most successful Bollywood film of all time. The film received six Filmfare Awards, three National Picture Awards, and several others.

Aamir next starred in Talaash, a psychological crime thriller. It was directed by Reema Kagti and co-produced by Excel Entertainment and Khan's production firm. It starred two of Khan's regular co-stars, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukerji. Aamir, who had never learned to swim before, had to go through extensive training for this underwater segment. He had three months of training under a professional trainer and was well prepared for the shoot. Talaash: The Answer Lay Within made $895 million net in three weeks, according to Box Office India, and was deemed a "hit."

His next project with Yash Raj Films was Dhoom 3, which he called his most difficult professional role. On December 20, 2013, the film was released globally. Dhoom 3 was proclaimed "the greatest blockbuster of 2013" by Box Office India after two days of release, collecting $2 billion (US$34.13 million) in three days and $4 billion (US$68.26 million) globally in 10 days, making it the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time.

He starred in PK Rajkumar Hirani's comedy-drama in 2014. Critics, including Tamil superstar Vijay, lauded Khan's performance overwhelmingly. He was allegedly astonished by Aamir's excellence and commitment and watched the film with his family on Christmas Eve. "Aamir Khan is superb in PK, developing an irresistibly silly character and portraying him with perfect sincerity," observed Raja Sen of the film. The film earned two Filmfare Awards.

Aamir produced and acted in Dangal in 2016, playing wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat. He weighed 98 kg for the older Phogat before dropping weight for the younger Phogat. The film became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time in the United States. He received one of the largest non-Hollywood actor salaries of $42 million. Dangal has received over 350 million views on Chinese streaming sites. He received two additional Filmfare Awards for the film.

In October 2017, he appeared as a supporting actor in his production Secret Superstar. The film is the highest-earning Indian film with a female protagonist, generating around 876 crores (US$110 million) globally on a budget of approximately 20 crores (US$2.6 million).

In November 2018, he co-starred in the action-adventure film Thugs of Hindostan with Amitabh Bachchan. Critics gave the film unfavourable reviews. It is one of the most costly Bollywood films, with an estimated budget of 300 crores (US$46.07 million). The film earned 335 crores ($48 million) globally and was deemed a box office disappointment.

Personal life

He was married to actress Reena Dutta. Their children are Junaid and Ira. Dutta was briefly active in his career as a producer for Lagaan. In December 2002, Aamir filed for divorce, and Dutta was granted custody of both children.

Aamir married Kiran Rao, an assistant director on the set of Lagaan, on December 28, 2005. They announced the birth of their son, Azad Rao Khan, through a surrogate mother on December 5, 2011. The pair announced their split in July 2021, saying they would raise their son Azad as co-parents.

In 2007, he was denied custody of his younger brother Faisal by his father, Tahir Hussain, who died on February 2, 2010. In 2013, Aamir and his mother, Zeenat, made the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, a religious duty for Muslims. His ex-wife Rao is Hindu. Khan said in March 2015 that she inspired him to quit non-vegetarian meals in favour of a vegan diet.

In the 1980s, he competed professionally in state-level competitions. Before starting a full-time acting career, he was a state-level tennis champion. In 2014, he participated in an International Premier Tennis League exhibition match, playing doubles with Grand Slam champions Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Sania Mirza.

Present

On his 54th birthday in March 2019, Aamir revealed that he would next be featured in Laal Singh Chaddha, an adaption of Forrest Gump. Advait Chandan, who previously directed him in Secret Superstar, directs the film, which stars Aamir as the protagonist. The film began filming in October 2019, was completed in Turkey in September 2020, and was scheduled to be released on Christmas Day 2020, but was delayed until August 11th, 2022, because of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Awards

Civilian awards

2003: Awarded honorary Padma Shri.

2010: Awarded honorary Padma Bhushan.

2017: Awarded  "National Treasure of India", by the Government of China.

National Awards

1988: Special Mention for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak             

1988: Special Mention For Raakh

2001: Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment for Lagaan

2003: Best Exploration/Adventure Film for Madness in the Desert

2007: Best Film on Family Welfare for Taare Zameen Par

Filmfare

1989: Best Male Debut for Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak

1997: Best Actor for Raja Hindustani

2002: Best Film for Lagaan

2007: Best Actor (Critics) for Rang De Basanti

2008: Best Film for Taare Zameen Par   

2008: Best Director for Taare Zameen Par        

2017: Best Film for Dangal