Hollybollywood

Aamir, says the who’s-the-badshah game doesn’t matter – he’s just his audience’s ghulam "I don't have any recipe (for success). Lot of us often forget that the business we are in by definition is basically selling stories we have to be different each time. I have to reinvent myself, I have to be different - that's the demand of my job. It's not something that I am thinking and doing," Aamir said.

What about your own memories from school days...
When in school, kneeling down in front of the principal's office was a regular feature. I have also been caned a couple of times. It is strange that when you get caned, you don't realise the pain instantly, but after two seconds it shoots so badly... It's awful. I used to be more interested in sports and hence used to always forget doing my homework. Also, poor marks used to create problems for me. I used to get scolded very often.

Whose idea was this trans-India journey of anonymity?
It was completely my idea.

You went only to the ‘B-towns’.
I went within, deeper into our own society. There is a massive audience that we don’t even touch. I know that the A-town multiplex audience has bought into the brand equity of Aamir Khan and Raju Hirani and the like. But what beyond? Somewhere we have forgotten that there is an audience beyond. You will be shocked at the number of people who have switched from watching Hindi movies to Bhojpuri movies. In my own way, I was trying to connect to those towns, those audiences – not just as a promotion but also as an attempt to understand them, to connect to them. On the one level it is a marketing exercise, but on the second level it was a journey of personal enrichment and growth for me, even if I don’t use it in any practical way later.

At the premiere, we saw pictures of Salman glaring at SRK, Aamir stepping in, standing between them, smiling, clearly defusing the tension – a sense of déjà vu?
Arre...! Let it be na! Let me just say I was very happy that so many of my friends from the industry came there, yaar. Almost everybody was there.

Bachchan saab...
He texted me, saying main aa nahi paaonga, since he had to travel somewhere suddenly. He was meant to come. Those who couldn’t make it sent their best wishes.

So, after TZP, Ghajini, 3 Idiots, who is the current Badshah?
Yaar, kyun wahaan ja rahe ho..! I am only competing with myself. I have said this earlier, I will repeat myself. I genuinely don’t compete with anyone. I want to learn from my previous work and do better than it each time, bas. I am most happy when I see good work happening. When I see a superb film, no matter who the star and who the director is, I am thrilled. When I saw Munna Bhai, I hugged Sanju, I said, yaar, kya kaam kiya hai!

Yeh number one, number two, these are very chichora things, not to be taken seriously. As far as the pack of cards goes, I am neither the badshah nor the ikka. I am the ghulam – of my audience. My job is to please my audience. To make sure that when you have bought a ticket, you must have a good time. Baaki sab, yeh faltu chhota stuff hai. Each star has a different relationship with his audience, and that is to be respected – it can’t be compared!

Next film?
Peepli Life. It’s written and directed by a Delhi girl, Anusha Rizvi. It is her first film. I am producing the film. It’s already been selected at Sundance, which is a first for Indian cinema.

Been a long journey, fresh faced boy in QSQT, crooning away Papa Kehte Hain, wondering what to do after college, to today, anchoring the biggest grosser in Indian cinema, talking about what actually to do after college...
Yeah... I was 20, 20 years ago, when QSQT released.... And now I am 21!