There was an unprecedented buzz around Hyderabad’s financial district on Sunday. A normally quiet afternoon had, within moments, transformed into an eventful one as one of India’s biggest superstars came to town. A bespectacled Aamir Khan arrived wearing a casual t-shirt and a warm smile, along with director Nitesh Tiwary and actress Fatima Sana Shaikh - to promote their upcoming sports drama Dangal.The film is a biographical story based on the life of Mahavir Singh Phobat, who taught wrestling to his daughters Geeta Phobat and Babita Kumari - who went on to win medals at the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
“I hope this film reaches out to the people and inspires more young girls to take up sports like wrestling,” shared Aamir.Much of the film’s pre-release buzz has been dominated by Aamir’s weight, where the actor put on a lot of weight to look fat for his role in the film and then lost it all in just five months. Insisting that he did not use any substances and that it was just workout and hard work behind his transformed look, Aamir said, “I don’t use substances. Soon after PK released, I had to put on a lot of weight for this role. In 90 per cent of Dangal, I am fat. But then I had to lose it all in five months. It was hard work and I paced myself out with my workout - initially losing four pounds a week, and then gradually slowing down to about two pounds a week. It took me 20 weeks to lose all the weight.”
The actor, who had come in for stiff criticism from fitness experts for gaining and losing weight in such a short span of time, clarified that he had done it in a phased and thoughtful manner. “See, even when I was fat, I was working out every single day. I was doing weight training and keeping the muscles strong. People think that I lost all the weight after five months of workout but in reality, I have been working out for two years now,” the actor explains.
Having earned the tag Mr. Perfectionist for the kind of roles he chooses, Aamir has often been lauded for his selection of films - from Rang De Basanti to 3 Idiots. Describing his thought-process behind choosing scripts, the actor says he feels blessed to have filmmakers who approach him with such content.
“These concepts are not mine. I’m just fortunate enough to get scripts written by these wonderful writers. When I’m listening to a script, I look at myself as a part of the audience. If the script moves me, and attracts me, I take it up,” the PK star explains.
And yet, Aamir Khan the actor has not appeared on the silver screen for more two years, having admitted to being choosy with the kind of films he does. “One of the complaints I often hear is that I do movies only once in two years. This time I’m trying to address that complaint, my next film Secret Superstar is releasing in eight months time,” he smiles.
Aamir Khan shares screen space with three other women in Dangal, including Sakshi Tanwar, who plays his wife, Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh, who play his daughters Geeta and Babita.
“I learnt a lot from the girls. I have been in the industry for 27 years but I think these girls are 10 steps ahead of me as actors and as creative people,” he humbly adds. Dangal is slated to hit screens on December 23.