After a 12-year hiatus, Faissal Khan, Aamir Khan's younger brother, has signed two films.Excerpts from a chat with the light-eyed Khan on why he went missing in the decade gone by, why he is okay with being called mental and what he did in the interim.

How come you went missing from the movies for over a decade?
I was waiting for something concrete to speak about. I have just completed a film titled Chinar Daastan-e-Ishq, which is produced by Rajesh R Jain under the banner of Shagun Films. Directed by Sharique Minhaj, it's a relationship-based film. Though it is set in Kashmir, there is no terrorism in the backdrop. The characters are grey and it shows the romance in Kashmir from the 70s and 80s. The film is based on a Kashmiri novel titled Jheel Jalti Hai by Farooq Ahmad Renzu. The film's story is very good and it excited me enough to want to do it. The movie is likely to release on October 16. Most of the territories of the film are sold, but negotiations are on with distributors for a couple of key territories.

You were a script doctor at Aamir Khan Productions for the last few years. Why did you shy away from facing the camera?
I need to rewind to the start of my acting career in the 90s. I debuted as a leading man in Madhosh, but the movie flopped. When I saw it, I realised I was a bad actor and I had to learn my craft. That is why I did nine years of theatre with Makarand Deshpande and other directors. The theatre experience helped me tremendously. When I did Mela with Aamir in 2000, I was much better. I could perform with other seasoned actors. People saw me as a decent actor. However, since Madhosh and Mela flopped, things went bad for me. I did a couple of films even after this. Though they did average business, they were not talked about. Later, some of my films didn't even find a release and I stopped getting offers. So I did some work on television. Then I started reading scripts with Aamir. Around this time, we also went through a family problem.

Would you wish to talk about it?
No, I don't want to delve into it. All I want to say is that I won the case. For five years I have been in charge of the script division at Aamir Khan Productions Pvt Ltd. I decided that since my career was not going anywhere and I had almost given up acting, I should keep myself busy. I love movies and when Aamir suggested that I handle the script division at his office, I was more than willing. After reading scripts for Aamir, a director tracked me down. That's when I thought that I should try acting again. I heard several scripts but I rejected all of them. At one stage, I was so fed up that I even told my manager, 'Please don't get acting assignments for me.' I told him he could come over and have tea with me, but he shouldn't bother with getting me acting assignments. I realised doing small films doesn't help because the producers do not even have the infrastructure and resources to release them. All my attempts were futile. Then my manager introduced Sharique Minhaj to me and Chinar happened. I liked the script and my character a lot and I chose Chinar as my comeback movie.

Tell us more about your role in Chinar.
I believe in destiny and hard work. I also have immense faith in God. He helped me through the rough patch. As for Chinar, when Sharique met my manager, he told him there were rumours that Faissal had gone mental and had become fat. However, after he met me, his wrong notions disappeared. A mental person wouldn't be given a peon's job, forget the main lead as a hero. In Chinar, I have done my best work to date. I have grown as an actor. Another reason why Sharique chose me for the role of the Kashmiri in his film is because of my looks. He even joked with me and said, 'Even though you are Aamir's brother, if you were dark, I wouldn't have taken you. You looked the role, so I have chosen you.' I am very proud of this film. It is a great script. My role has two definite shades... one is that of a romantic lover boy and the other is of a tough guy, who goes through a transformation in life and becomes powerful. We have finished shooting the film. I didn't want to talk about it when shooting was underway because I landed the project with great difficulty. I didn't want to jeopardise it in any way. The shooting started long after I was signed. I was patient. The film went through its own process and difficulties, but that is a story for another day.

Does Aamir give you career advice?
No one in our family gives anyone any advice. We are all independent. I rely on my own judgement. I joined movies because of Aamir. Though my father (Tahir Hussain), my uncle (Nasir Hussain), my cousin (Mansoor Khan) and my brother (Aamir) were all involved in films, I had no desire to join Bollywood. I wanted to pursue hotel management. When I was in my third year of college, Aamir asked me why I didn't think of becoming an actor. He said they could guide me. I even assisted my cousin on three films including Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (QSQT) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (JJWS). When my uncle was scripting QSQT around 1986-87, I'd sit with him at the scripting stage as well. I was in college then, but I was a keen learner. I started out as a third assistant - a clapper boy actually. When you are from a film family, everyone gets involved in cinema in some way or the other. I have done a bit role in QSQT. I played one of the goons who chases Juhi Chawla in Ooty. When I was assisting Mansoor on JJWS, he made me wear a coat and eat ice-cream in one scene. When you are an assistant director, you are game for anything. From cleaning the place with a broom to lifting a light, you cannot shy away from doing any job, however menial it may be.

God, after all this you became a script doctor.
That is quite a journey. But I must say that being a script doctor for Aamir's production house has been an enriching experience. Sitting with him and hearing narrations has helped me tremendously. I will continue to work as a script doctor till I start getting more work as an actor. Currently, I have just signed two films. Chinar and one more that is to roll sometime at the beginning of next year. It is tentatively titled Mental Khan.

Why Mental Khan?
This news about me being mental was the most interesting part of my life. People will not let me forget it. Even today, they are wondering whether I am normal or mental. Sharique is directing Mental Khan (tentative title), which is being produced by MNS Films. It should roll early next year. I play the main lead. It's a challenging role for most, but not for me because I am already slightly mental. All creative people should be crazy. Otherwise they will not be able to put the punch in their performance.

Did you know Salman had initially decided to title Jai Ho as Mental?
Yes, of course I know that. I think Salman's father, Salim saab didn't want him to use that title. (Laughs) Salman chickened out of calling his film Mental, but I won't.

Why aren't you doing theatre any more?
I have been busy with my script doctoring work. I used to sit at Aamir's office every day going through scripts. However, once my office space started being used for Satyamev Jayate, I shifted the meetings to my home. These days, I prefer to hear a narration from directors rather than reading scripts. This takes up a lot of time and energy. Hence, I have not been able to do theatre.

Are you close to Aamir?
Frankly, all families living in a city like Mumbai get busy with their own work. We don't meet frequently but we love each other. We celebrate birthdays, Eid and other important occasions together. Aamir calls me over sometimes when he is listening to a script. There is a natural rift that happens with most families who have working people. I meet my sisters - Nikhat and Farhat - occasionally. One has so many things in life to deal with on a day-today basis, it becomes hard to spend too much time with family.

Are you in touch with Dharmesh Darshan, the director of Mela?
I'm not in touch with Dharmesh. He is a great director. After my film didn't work, I didn't want to be in touch because they shouldn't think that I was piling on for work. The nice thing about Mela is that though it flopped, it has kept me alive in public memory because it plays at least twice a month on satellite television.

What are your future plans?
I would like to direct. I think I can become a good director as I was an assistant director earlier. Even now, I give inputs to directors. My experience as a producer's son, as an actor, assistant director and script doctor comes in handy. Luckily, I am not in a financial crunch where I should do things only for money. I am in a position where I can choose my work. I want to be known as an actor who performs. I am in no hurry.

One hears you are also a good cook...
My first love was hotel management. I cook quite well. I have learnt to cook the Mughlai dishes from my grandmother and some dishes from my mother. I have written down recipes. Vegetarian food is also decent at my mother's home, but I prefer to cook heavy non-veg dishes for my family and friends. I'm a learner. From the day I was conceived, I have been a learner. And I hope I stay a learner till I die.