The Perfectionist

The Khan trinity rounds off with Aamir Khan, who many people believe is the best actor in India today. One of the most powerful people in the industry, Aamir Khan is notorious for scrutinizing scripts before he agrees to do a film, or demanding perfection from his co-stars and directors. His anal tendencies haven't made him any friends in the industry, but his work speaks for itself. Lagaan, a film he both produced and starred in, was the first film from India in several years to be nominated for an Oscar in 2002 for Best Foreign Film.

What I love about Aamir Khan is that he believes in the potential of Indian cinema without compromising the trademarks of Indian cinema--the masala elements. He's not trying to improve Bollywood by distancing himself from it. Instead, he works within the masala formula to improve Bollywood productions. So while many actors work on multiple films simultaneously, Aamir works one at a time. While most films rely on dubbing the audio post production, Aamir insisted on in synch sound before others began to use it. Love him or hate him, he's fantastic at what he does, and his work makes the industry better.

Lagaan was my first Bollywood film, and I've been a fan of his since. And Aamir is back from a three-year hiatus, which makes me excited. And if the Bollywood gods weren't smiling on me enough, he is starring in Fanaa (2006) alongside my favorite actress, Kajol, who will be making her reappearance in Bollywood with this film, and Tabu (more about her in my next Bollywood blog). SRK might be the King of Bollywood, but Aamir Khan's work will live longer.

My favorite Aamir films:
Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1998)--with Juhi Chawla
Ishq (1997)--with Juhi Chawla, Ajay Devgan, and Kajol
Earth (1998)--with Nandita Das
Lagaan (2001)--with Gracy Singh
Dil Chahta Hai (2001)--with Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, and Akshaye Khanna

Up Next: Tabu