When you think of
Aamir Khan, you think of an actor who never shied away from reinventing himself. From chocolate-boy loverboys to messy heroes, from righteous lovers to deeply flawed men, his career has been a journey through varied shades of human emotion. In this exclusive conversation with ETimes, Aamir reflects on his iconic characters—Munna from 'Rangeela' and Raja from 'Raja Hindustani'—and talks about the thin line between performance, audience perception, and political correctness in today’s times.
Rangeela came after you played a series of privileged loverboys?The character Munna was very different and economically placed in a completely different bracket. He was more of a mass hero. That was the first time I actually did something like that. Later, I played a somewhat similar character in 'Raja Hindustani'.
So Munna and Raja were like cousins?Correct. But Raja is much more of a hardcore, average Indian male, full of righteousness and a good guy at heart. Munna likes to take pangas; Raja doesn’t—unless you mess with him. He’s gentler but also very protective of his woman. He doesn’t want her to wear short dresses; he’s possessive and wants to own her.
That makes Raja a slightly problematic character, doesn’t it?Yes, I agree. But I wouldn’t call it problematic; I’d call it layered. For me as an actor, it’s about bringing those shades to life. Raja is conservative and proud of his beliefs and ethos. That was his character.
But if you played Raja today, you’d be questioned endlessly for such conservatism?Why? I’m playing a character. I’m not saying it’s correct; I’m saying that’s who he is. If the character has a problem with short dresses, then that’s his truth in the film. That doesn’t mean it’s my truth. I’m not like Gulshan in 'Taare Zameen Par' or Shakti Kumar in 'Secret Superstar.' Shakti Kumar is downright sleazy, but people know I’m playing a role.
Do you think audiences still separate the actor from the character?I believe they do. If you play a serial killer, people may hate you in the film, but nobody is going to assume you’re like that in real life. Earlier too, people hated Pran and thought he was evil, but they understood it was a performance.
But you once said audiences are becoming more emotional, not more mature?Yes, that’s my personal opinion. Sometimes people conflate performance with the person. Take 'Laal Singh Chaddha'—I think 20–25% of the audience loved and understood it, but the majority didn’t connect with the film or my performance. That’s fine. The audience is fair. They pay for a ticket; they expect a good time. If they don’t like something, they have every right to criticize.
If you played Munna in 'Rangeela' today, would you still buy clothes off the street to stay authentic?If I could, at this age, that would be a huge achievement. But innocence and energy change as you grow older. I’m 60 now—to play a 24-year-old with the same freshness is difficult. Life moves on, and you have to move with it.
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