Bollywood superstar reveals why he secretly quit films

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is known for some of India’s most popular films, including Lagaan and 3 Idiots.

His charm is so great that he can barely walk down the street without being molested by fans.

What is less known is that he had secretly quit films during the coronavirus pandemic to spend more time with his loved ones.

“I told my family I was done with acting and movies,” he told BBC News.

“I didn’t want to produce, direct, or act. I just wanted to be with my family.”

One might imagine that a huge star like Khan’s decision to retire from the film industry would have sent shockwaves across India, a country obsessed with movies.

However, he explains that his decision went unnoticed because there were very few films being made at the time due to the pandemic.

“No one knew about it,” he says.

However, fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Khan didn’t quit for long. And now, he is back and promoting the film ‘Laapataa Ladies’ or ‘Lost Ladies’ which he produced. The film has been officially selected for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in India.

Khan says it was his children who convinced him to return to work.

“They were like, ‘But I can’t spend 24 hours with you, so let’s get serious and get a life.'” So they gently pulled me back into the movie world. “I gave it to you,” he says.

Khan, 59, has worked as an actor, director and producer for 30 years.

He is known as one of the three ‘Khans of Bollywood’, the other three being fellow megastars Shah Rukh and Salman.

Known for tackling social issues, Aamir’s films have not only broken box office records but also received widespread acclaim.

He’s also no stranger to the Oscars. Lagaan, a film about cricket set during the British Empire in the 19th century, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002.

Khan is now looking to create history with Laapata Ladies. If successful, it will become the first Indian film to win the coveted international award. He will find out on Tuesday whether it has made it to the shortlist.

Khan said he was “not sure how seriously to take” the award. “Movies are very subjective,” he says.

But he admits the victory means a lot to India.

“I think Indians are very into movies and we’ve always wanted an Indian film to win an Academy Award, but it hasn’t happened until now. So this country will be furious. “They would just be furious,” he says.

“So I would be really happy if we could win this award for the people of our country and for our country.”

Set in rural India, Laapataa Ladies is the story of a young man who brings home the wrong bride. Meanwhile, his wife gets lost and has to fend for herself.

This is a satire that examines the treatment of women, including touching on the sensitive topic of domestic violence.

Kahn describes the plot as “a little Shakespearean”, with its focus on humor and mistaken identity.

But, he added, it “says a lot of important things about women’s issues, women’s independence and their right to decide for themselves what they want to do.”

It was these issues, he explains, that drew him to the film in the first place.

“As creative people, we sometimes get the opportunity to really sensitize people about certain issues that we face in society,” he says.

“Women all over the world are exposed to a lot of hardships in their lives. Women have things that are difficult in their lives, and I felt like this story really brought that out in a great way. That’s why I wanted to produce it. ”

Khan was also “very keen” for his ex-wife Kiran Rao to direct the film.

The two, who married in 2005, announced their separation in 2021, but remain close in both their public and private lives.

“I think the reason I chose Kiran was because I knew she would be very honest with me and that’s what I wanted,” he says.

“We are very close, we really love each other and we respect each other.

“Our relationship may have changed a little bit, but that doesn’t mean our feelings for each other have cooled or anything.”

However, not everything was smooth sailing.

Khan admitted that there was an altercation on set.

“You can’t make a film without discussion, so we discuss every point and have strong opinions,” he says.

“But our sensibilities are very similar. We’re not talking about the basics. We’re just trying to convince the other person sometimes of a better way to say something. .”

Bollywood produces hundreds of films every year and has a huge following among Indians around the world.

It’s hard to overstate the impact that movies and stars have on their fans’ imaginations.

It has also had recent success at the Academy Awards, with RRR’s Naatu Naatu winning Best Original Song and The Elephant Whisperers winning Best Short Documentary.

However, it has not been able to win in the international film category so far, which Khan attributes to competition.

“India has been making really great films over the years. Sometimes the right films are not sent to us, or the best films are not sent to us,” he says.

“But if you don’t, we have to understand the movies you’re competing with. You’re not competing with five or six movies, you’re competing with almost 80, 90 of the best in the world. We’re competing with movies.”

As for whether a Bollywood film could one day win the overall film award, Khan says, “It’s possible.”

But Indian filmmakers will first have to start making films for the global market, he added.

“I’ve never seriously seen an overseas audience,” he says. “We have such a large audience that it’s unthinkable.

“That will only happen when Indians start making films for a global audience. I don’t think we have the luxury for that right now.”

For now, Khan is focusing on various projects alongside ‘Laapataa Ladies’, including his next film ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’ which is slated to release in 2025.

Looking further into the future, he hopes to make one film a year, while his “dream project” is to be based on the ancient Indian epic Mahabharat.

However, he has not retired from the film industry and is determined to do things differently. Again, this was influenced by his children.

“My son said, ‘You’re an extreme person,'” he says.

“He said, ‘You’re like a pendulum. You were just doing movies, movies, movies. And now you’ve swung to the other side and you’re not in movies. , I want to be with my family, my family, my family. There’s a middle ground.’

Khan said her son told her to “try to bring balance” into her life.

“And I thought he was right. So ever since then, I’ve been trying to do that. Living a balanced life and working hard. In fact, I’ve been trying to do this. I’m working a lot more than I used to, but I don’t work after 6 o’clock anymore.”

Khan said she also started therapy in recent years, inspired by her daughter Ira, who works in the mental health field.

“I think that’s what really helped me. It really helped me understand myself better.

“Actually, I’m finding a balance between work and my personal life. So I feel like I’ve reached that balance now.”

Watch Aamir Khan: The Interview on BBC News Channel and BBC iPlayer.