We caught up with Aamir Khan on his 44th birthday at his Pali Hill residence. Aamir, who has been on a diet for his forthcoming film 3 Idiots, avoided eating his own birthday cake! When queried he said, “I am surviving on milk and few bananas as I have been asked to lose weight for the role.”About the war of words ensued between him and Shahrukh Khan, Aamir clarified, "I only wish the best for him. There is no bad blood between me and him."
On having been slotted in the number one position today the actor cum director said, “I have been plain lucky that God has bestowed me with so much success. I just believe in working sincerely and entertaining my audiences. Actually, I like to do things superbly and success follows later. I believe in excellence and giving the best from what I have. There is nothing that can supersede sincerity and hard work. In fact success will knock at your door when you put your heart and soul into it. One should never run after success. Work with sincerity and success will follow.”
Having reached the top Aamir is also considered the most powerful actor in Bollywood today. “Power is something that every person has. It doesn’t matter how much strength or power you have; what matters is how you use it. I recently went to an awards function where real heroes were honoured. These are unknown people from different walks of life. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary and inspirational work. There is a 70 year old woman who sells vegetables but at the same time she is running a medical clinic for free. Just imagine how she does it. They are ordinary people who are not famous or rich but they are contributing to society and helping people. That is amazing and that is true power. I am a rich man with a lot of fame but I am only using it to my own advantage and not helping anyone; so my power is of no use. Power makes sense when you help other people and contribute to society.” Aamir added.
On missing the Oscars for his Taare Zameen Par the actor said, “I feel the international audiences have a different thought process. The movies they cater to also have a different flavour. It is nice that they have liked Slumdog Millionaire the film has allured their perception. It is fine with me because Taare Zameen Par was appreciated by the audiences here as well by the international audience. My award is the love of my audiences. They have liked my film and that’s more than enough for me. Awards are not the ultimate. I wish to do a good and variety of films. I only do the things that make me happy. I think that has worked for me. Because I am happy doing what I do, I do it to the best of my ability. I want to continue walking on this road of happiness and make other people happy through my films and work.”
Finally when asked what keeps him going, Aamir with an impish smile said, “Love. It is that one thing in my life which is keeping me go. Health, care and love are three things, which everyone should crave for. We all know wealth cannot buy health. So, I care for my health. Also I pray to the almighty for the good health of one all. I eat well and my diet is balanced and most importantly I drink a lot of water. I try to be happy.”
