"Waise bhi perfection ko improve karna mushkil hota hain," (It's hard to improve on perfection).
Perhaps when Aamir Khan delivered this dialogue in Dil Chahta Hai, he had no idea that when he will turn 55, this one moment from the film might turn out to be his brand name for the rest of his career. There were three stars in the film Dil Chahta Hai, each of them with a talent of their own, along with a strong family connection rooted in the realm of the film industry and for Akshaye Khanna in the realm of politics as well. Yet, it was Aamir Khan who managed to carve his own niche without having to rely on the daddy tag of a toddler or an otherwise talented star child actor who couldn't make it big enough.
When you think of Aamir Khan, (over the ages) you fail to find one kind of stereotype. Shah Rukh Khan has an arm-spreading pose, Salman Khan rubs the outer layer of his nose with his thumb but what would you use as a gesture in a game of dum-charades when you have to refer to Aamir Khan? It can be a lighted matchstick, a dance step from 'Koi Kahein Kehta Rahein,' the hairstyle of Ghajini or the popular 'Mitwa' dance steps from Lagaan. To describe the presence of Aamir, this actor has many gestures, and in years to come, he may develop more.
Aamir Khan is not one of the superstars of the 90s who is able to hold is stardom in place based on the image he had back in a separate decade. He has grabbed the logic 'time and tide waits for no one', and moved on with his content and skills. He is well aware that if acts like the popular Aamar Manohar (Andaz Apna Apna) in a 2020 based film it will only be a hit if the film acts as a tribute to that era.
(A pattern which in recent times, Ayushmann Khurrana seemed to have understood well enough, but still requires improvisation.)
When its the age of actors, he drops his stardom, increases his weight and dedicates himself to the project that requires his presence. His birthday will be special this year since he will be seen again in Lal Singh Chaddha. Secretly what we really want to know is if this film can live up to the financial record which was created by Dangal, which had almost made him the Ambani of the Hindi film industry while also gaining a lot of wows from serious critics.
Every alternate year, he is a perfectionist. Anyone who has closely observed the pattern of Aamir would probably notice that this Khan over the years alternatively picks a powerful entertainment with a well thought out social message, expecting to create a revolution with the idea, which had otherwise been silently lingering in the minds of the socially oppressed.
Socially, at some point we were well-aware that each individual had its own fair share of capacities; while some are good at Math, others are more brilliant in capturing time on frames. In 2009, 3 Idiots arrived and some of us found the best movie to justify the subject which we are studying (have studied) in our respective colleges. Even when the most modern minds believed that girls can't physically defeat a boy in a game of wrestling, Dangal (which was based on real-life events) just made a point. On the whole, be it about dyslexia, beating the British at their own game, feminism, religion, Aamir Khan has managed to make his point, develop his fanbase. Since his model of filmmaking has worked, you can forgive him for a Dhoom 3 or Thugs Of Hindostan every alternate year.
Although Aamir Khan has repeatedly gone on record to state that he never interferes with the work of the director, you can't help but wonder if that is something he should even feel guilty about since what comes out later are cheers, tears, and chuckles in the real form. Also, does he pull the stardom completely on himself? No. Instead, he lets the protagonist shine, tell his/her story, while he remains the silent viewer, just like any of us. Think of Taare Zameen Par, Secret Superstar, or Dangal for that matter.
He allows the younger characters to be the protagonist, take up more screen-space and does not make a film completely about his stardom, which is sadly the situation in the films of other Khans. When Salman Khan decides to take a Pakistani girl to her mother in the neighbouring country, you know that it will happen because Salman Khan said so. But when Rancho decides to make an influence on his friends to follow their own passion, you are unsure if they would be able to do so, because the narration has already established the Indian education system and stubborn parents. It took one attempted suicide, and uncomfortable confrontation with strict parents to make Aamir Khan his point.
He has been perpetually bankable in his work, setting standards high while reaching the audience of all strata of society. But it is yet to be known if Aamir Khan is a mind-reader or if he just develops a sixth sense about demands.
