Interesting Facts and Figures: Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan (born Aamir Hussain Khan on March 14, 1965) is an Indian film actor, director and producer. 

Khan worked in a number of commercially successful films and has established himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema, delivering a number of highly acclaimed performances.

He is also the founder-owner of Aamir Khan Productions.

Appearing as a child actor in his uncle Nasir Hussain’s film Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973), Khan began his professional career eleven years later, with the film, Holi (1984). 

He received his first commercial success with his cousin Mansoor Khan’s film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance in the film. 

After seven previous nominations during the 1980s and 1990s, Khan received his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Raja Hindustani (1996), his biggest commercial success so far.

In 2001, he made his debut as a film producer with the Academy Award-nominated Lagaan. Khan also played the lead role in the film and earned his second Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance.

After a four-year break from acting, Khan made his comeback with Ketan Mehta’s The Rising (2005), and later won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for his role in Rang De Basanti (2006). 

In 2007, he made his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par, for which he received a Filmfare Best Director Award.

Khan was born in Bandra’s Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, India, to a Muslim family that has been actively involved in the Indian motion picture industry for several decades. 

His father, Tahir Hussain, is a film producer while his deceased uncle, Nasir Hussain, was a film producer as well as a director.

He is a descendant of the Muslim scholar and politician Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

He is also a descendant of former President of India Dr. Zakir Hussain and a second cousin to former Chairperson of Rajya Sabha Dr Najma Heptullah.

In 2001 Khan set up a production company knownn as Aamir Khan Productions. Its first film was Lagaan. The movie was released in 2001, starring Khan as the lead actor. 

Laagan was selected as India’s official entry to the 74th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It was eventually chosen and nominated in that category but lost to No Man’s Land. 

In 2007 he produced the drama Taare Zameen Par which marked his directorial debut. 

In 2008, Khan launched his nephew Imran Khan’s debut in the film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na under his production house. 

During the years of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Khan married Reena Dutta. His parents did not approve of their marriage because of her not being a Muslim. As a result, Khan’s marriage stayed a secret both from his parents and the media for a while. 

Dutta made a brief appearance in the popular song sequence Papa Kehte Hain in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. 

The story of Khan’s marriage garnered major public attention when it was first revealed. 

Even so, Reena Dutta maintained a low profile and continued her job at a travel agency. 

They had two children, a son named Junaid and a daughter, Ira, and led a quiet family life away from the public eye. 

Reena was involved, briefly, in Khan’s career when she worked as a producer for Lagaan. In December 2002, Khan filed for divorce, ending the 15-year marriage, with Reena taking the custody of both their children. 

On December 28, 2005, he married Kiran Rao who had been an assistant director to Ashutosh Gowariker during the filming of Lagaan.

Though nominated many times, Khan doesn’t attend any Indian film award ceremony as he feels "Indian film awards lack credibility".

In 2007, his brother Faisal caused a media scandal by accusing Khan of mistreating him and forcing him to take medication. Faisal has been said to be mentally unstable. On October 31, 2007, the Bombay high court granted temporary custody of Faisal to their father, Tahir Hussain. Khan’s family came out in a public statement, supporting him on all counts in this matter. The statement was also signed by his former wife, Reena Dutta.

In 2007, Khan was invited to have a wax imitation of himself put on display at Madame Tussauds in London. However, Khan politely declined stating that, "It’s not important to me… people will see my films if they want to.

When asked about his role model, he stated that, "Gandhiji is one person who inspires me."

- SAMPURN