Aamir Khan on his strengths, vulnerabilities and 25 years of being a superstar!
Anuradha Choudhary (TIMES LIFE; April 23, 2017)

What's your current state of mind?
I'm calm now. Just before the release of any film, I get stressed.

It's been 25 years in the industry and you are only getting bigger and bigger...
I guess somebody up there is looking out. Usually, stardom lasts for about seven-eight years. Ten years is a long time, 15 years, a very long time. But 25 years is unusual. I can't explain it. There's no logical explanation for this.

It's been the same with all the three Khans ­ Salman, Shah Rukh and you...
Yeah, all three of us are distinct in our philosophy of work and the work we choose. All three of us have been going strong for 25 years. Shah Rukh ka alag style aur raasta hai, mera alag style aur raasta hai, Salman ka alag raasta hai. There's no logic. You can't pinpoint why we're still there.

You have a filmmaker at home as well. How much do you agree/disagree with your wife Kiran (Rao) when it comes to film making?
Kiran and I share a healthy relationship. It's not that we don't have disagreements and arguments. We have them all the time because both of us come from different creative spaces. But what works for us is that I have high respect and regard for her mind and creative instincts, and vice-versa. A disagreement is not a matter of fear or a matter of proving her wrong or proving myself right. We're happy to disagree also.

Does she give suggestions with regard to your scripts?
No, she's in her own world. She's doing her own stuff, so she doesn't have time to listen to my scripts, unless I ask her to do so. I wanted her to hear the script of PK. She didn't know the script of Dhoom 3. When she watched the film she realised, 'Oh there are two of them'. It's not like we don't bring work at home. Hum bindaas kaam ki baat ghar pe karte hai. Because both of us love filmmaking.

Is she planning to direct a film?
She's working on something. It's been a while since she has written and directed. In the meantime, she has been working as a producer with me on the films we've been making.

Is it deliberate that you have kept your kids out of showbiz?
No, not at all. I've not tried to keep them out nor have I tried to bring them in. It's entirely their choice. Junaid is learning theatre. And Ira has just begun to work as an AD with an ad production company.

How was it becoming a father again? Was it different from before?
Yeah, it was different. The first child gets the most attention. You are extra cautious, extra involved. When Junaid was born in 1993, I shot only for 36 days that year. For 328 days, I was with him. That excitement, that nervousness wasn't there with Ira nor with Azad. Haan theekh hai ro raha hai, roney do. With the first child it's arrey roh raha hai, kya ho gaya! Also, I have to admit I'm not someone who's fully there mentally most of the time. Kiran is a hands-on mother. Reena was also a hands-on mother. I was not such a hands-on father except for Junaid during that first one year.

But do you make it a point to spend some time with Azad?
I only do two things for him. I used to take him every day at 4 pm to play tennis. I'd sit for one hour while he played. Whenever I'm in Mumbai, I make sure I'm at home latest by 7 pm so that I have dinner with him or rather he sits with me and has his dinner. Then Kiran and I, alternately, read to him every night. So three of us are in bed together when we read to him. That's an effort I've been making. I'm not involved in his day-to-day activities like Kiran is. I only go once in a while to drop him at school when Kiran asks me to. I'm not there when he comes home for lunch. I've no idea where he's right now. He goes to play at his friend's house. I don't know his daily activities. So that's not hands on. Hands-on is when you're sharing equal responsibilities with your partner in bringing up the child. Honestly, I'm not sharing that. I'm afraid I'm a self-obsessed person. Self-obsessed means I'm more in my work, in my own world. And I'm more excited about the things I'm doing, the world that I'm in. You can give it a fancy word but the bottom line is that I'm obsessed with my own life.

What's is your downtime like?
When I'm not shooting, I like to wrap up work by 6.30 pm. Then I like to be home with Azad and Kiran. Azad goes to sleep by 8 pm. Then Kiran and I have dinner. I don't go out much at night. Kiran likes to go out. She likes to dance, attend music festivals, some gig. I hate dancing, so she goes out with her friends.

What makes you feel vulnerable?
I don't believe in safety nets in any area of my life. When I believe in something and when I am into something, I don't think of the consequences. I throw myself in the deep end, if it's going to affect me, so be it. If you look at the kind of films I pick, they are scary. Jab Lagaan ban rahi thi, I was vulnerable. Jab Dangal ban rahi thi I was vulnerable. Even during PK and 3 Idiots. I was extremely vulnerable. In the latter, I was a 44-year-old man playing a 18-year-old boy. I was shit scared. Everything I do makes me vulnerable.

Are there any fears?
The biggest fear in life is losing someone close to me. So I constantly check on people who are dear to me.