I should not have been a star, I broke all rules and made everything impractical: Aamir Khan
Panaji (PTI): I don't know how I became a star, says actor Aamir Khan, stressing that in his career of over 30 years, he did everything that broke the many "rules" of stardom.
Speaking at a session during the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the 60-year-old actor said his filmography comprises of films that were "impractical".
"I don't know how I became a star. By all logic, I should not have been a star. I broke all the rules and I made everything impractical. So, I feel grateful that I received so much respect and success. Otherwise, practically speaking, none of the steps I took were from the point of view of achieving success," Aamir said.
Whether it was "Sarfarosh", "Lagaan", "Ghajini", "Taare Zameen Par", or his latest "Sitaare Zameen Par", the actor said all of them were experimental and shouldn't have worked at the box office.
"In fact, almost every film I used to pick, I used to be like, 'I don't know whether this is going to work.' Like 'Sarfarosh' and 'Lagaan', when we were releasing the film, we had no idea if people are going to like it or not.
"Then 'Lagaan', there was even 'Dil Chahta Hai' which was very unusual for its time and now 'Sitaare Zameen Par', all these films that I have picked, they were not meant to be successful," he added.
During the session, titled "The Narrative Architect of Social Transformation", Aamir said he likes to "surprise my audience and myself" as an actor.
"I don't want to do the same thing again and again. It's just out of how I am as a personality that I have picked different scripts. And I have always gone with what excites me, personally."
Aamir said these days a lot of film people tend to try and second guess the audience.
"They are like, 'What is it that I should make today?' The obvious answer is what people are watching and what are the films running nowadays in the market. So, you try and make that genre.
"If it's action, you make action. If it's comedy, you try and pick up a comedy film. But I have never thought that way. I have not been able to think that way. I pick films based on my own personal excitement towards the story. And most often, that goes against what is the norm at that time."
Aamir said when he did "Ghajini" in 2008, action films were not being made in the industry.
"Everyone told me that, 'Man, you are doing action now. Action films are not running nowadays.' So, 'Ghajini' came in and with it, action came in to fashion," he said.
Aamir's last release was "Sitaare Zameen Par", which released in theatres in June, followed by its digital release on YouTube under pay per view model.
Directed by R S Prasanna, the movie featured Aamir as Gulshan, an assistant coach of a major basketball team. After being fired from his job, he is ordered to either go to jail or do 90 days of community service as the coach of a team of specially-abled basketball players.
Aamir said he was surprised by the success of the film, which earned over Rs 250 crore at the box office.
"The audience has proved everyone wrong in the way the film got a reaction. The kind of love and respect the film got was unprecedented. So, I am really happy that audiences don't only want to watch one kind of film.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what genre you are making it, what genre you are working in, but every film that you make has to be really hitting on the right notes. So, even if you are making an action film, at the end of the day, you need a good story for that."
Aamir's films have often been praised for providing entertainment with a dose of message, whether it was "Sitaare Zameen Par", which spoke about neurodivergent children or his earlier films like "Taare Zameen Par", "Dangal" and "3 Idiots".
The actor, however, stressed that he is not someone who picks up social causes actively.
"I am not an activist and nor am I someone who is interested in actively taking up issues. That's not me. What is me is storytelling, what is me is films. That's my world. And I am very sharply aware that when a person comes to a cinema hall, he or she is not coming there for a lesson in sociology. For that, they would go to a college," he said.
His first and primary responsibility is to entertain audiences and Aamir said he is aware of that.
"But the word entertain is not just make you laugh. I can make you cry also and entertain you. Basically, I want to engage you in one way or the other. I can scare you by making a horror film. I can make a suspense thriller. I can make a family drama. I can make different genres."
The actor said he is now looking for his next film.
"I am deciding which one to do. So, I am not thinking and have never thought that which is the next social topic I should pick up. That does not occur to me at all. So, the first attraction for me is the great script. And if that great script is also telling us something which is socially relevant, it's all the better. But I am not trying to look for social themes," Aamir said.
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Karnataka issues nutrition advisory for govt events; recommends millets, healthier options
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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Monday issued a nutrition advisory recommending healthier food and beverage options at meetings, functions, and other official gatherings held in the state.
The advisory has been issued by the Department of Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Services to promote healthy dietary and nutritional habits among officials and staff, noting that food, refreshments and beverages served in government offices and official programmes are "often not aligned with nutrition standards."
The advisory recommends serving snacks such as millet-based, low-fat and low-sugar foods, fresh fruits, vegetable salads, sprouts, roasted nuts and seeds during in-house office meetings and breaks.
Beverages such as green tea, low-fat buttermilk, and locally filtered or boiled water served in glass bottles or steel flasks have also been suggested.
According to the advisory, for larger government events, conferences and exhibitions, departments have been advised to include at least one millet-based item during snacks and a minimum of two millet dishes in meals, along with local cuisine and at least one regional recipe.
It also recommends the use of brown rice instead of white rice, freshly prepared vegetable salads, and fresh fruits or low-sugar fruit juices.
If non-vegetarian food is served, it should consist of well-cooked lean or white meat, the advisory stated.
In eateries operating within government office campuses, the department has recommended millet-based foods, fresh vegetable salads, boiled pulses such as horse gram or chickpeas, and low-fat beverages.
It suggests serving food using reusable metal plates and glasses.
The advisory also recommends avoiding microwave-heated food, industrially processed food, fried snacks, high-fat or heavily spiced dishes, carbonated drinks, high-sugar fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages.
It further discourages serving milk-based tea or coffee and plastic-bottled water during official events.
“Overall, hygiene and cleanliness should be maintained while serving food and water. Local cottage industries, self-help groups, prison kitchens, nutri-gardens and others should be preferred for placing food and beverage orders,” the advisory added.
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