Khan vs Khan – Two Unlimited
Meera Joshi
Apart from their last names, Aamir and Shah Rukh Khan have a lot in common.
They are both 28, not too tall, married and very much in love with their own wives. They would rather be with their families than at wild parties. They are voracious readers. "One time I even ended up reading the hotel instructions because there was nothing else to do," chuckles Shah Rukh.
On a free weekend you can find them removing ticks from their dog's fur. And they love sports. Apart from tennis, occasionally Aamir finds time to play galli cricket. Shah Rukh prefers football but is yet to find a pitch in Bombay where he can kick a ball every day.
Although the two are very similar, they are also very different. Perhaps because Aamir belongs to a film family and Shah Rukh does not.
Aamir loves old Hindi film songs, Shah Rukh is tone deaf. Although MTV is on all day at home, heavy metal is too much for him.
To find out why the Khan boys get along with the janta and with each other - they have come together for a film directed by Mansoor Khan - Filmfare organised a gathering at Aamir's house on Pali Hill on a monsoon evening.
Shah Rukh arrives on time and Aamir comes, expertly carrying his 20-day-old son in his arms. "He's so small," Shah Rukh murmurs. "All babies are," he assures. "But I've never seen such a tiny baby before," he grins. "Although he looks like Reena, he's a late riser like me. And we both need to be jolted awake in the morning," the beaming dad continues. "I need to be dragged out of bed too," laughs Shah Rukh.
Reena, wearing an Aamir Khan T-shirt, comes to pick up the little one and leaves us alone to start the dialogue. But it's difficult to get dad Aamir to change his mind immediately.
Filmfare: Aamir, how does it feel to be making this transition into a father?
Aamir: It's hard to explain. I was relieved when Reena finally went through labour. I was with her from the moment she went into labour; we went through some really scary moments once because the doctor was considering a Caesarean section, but then she had a normal delivery. Tears were streaming down my cheeks when our baby was born. The birth of a baby is a miracle.
Shah Rukh: My God, I think I would have fainted.
Aamir: I used to think so too, but once you see your wife going through this, you can't leave her alone. You're scared that something might happen while you're away. Are you and Gauri planning to have a baby?
Shah Rukh: We haven't really thought about it yet. Right now Gauri is very busy with her dancing and all that stuff. I'm not completely settled down either. I would like to plan our baby carefully. Ideally I should be able to take a break for eight to ten months so that I can be with my wife. In any case, there is no room for a baby in our new two-bedroom flat. Bombay houses are so small. Delhi has spoiled me - I need a lot of space. But I would still like to have a daughter.
Aamir: Actually, I was hoping for one too. We even had a name ready. Nyssa - that's Greek and means girl with a goal. But I'm happy with my son. It really took me a few days to build a relationship with him, to establish a bond, but now I think we have a mutual admiration for each other. I used to feel jealous that my wife was closer to him.
Shah Rukh: This always happens. Look at me, even though I am the one who takes care of him, our dog is more attached to my wife.
Filmfare: Do you want your son to become an actor?
Aamir: I'm not going to impose my views on him. I'm going to help him become whatever he wants to become. It was really great to be around when we had our baby. As luck would have it, I only had 20 days of shooting since January, so I was there more or less constantly.
Shah Rukh: I realise that ten months at home might not be feasible, but ten days of work a month should be fine. And no outdoor shooting. I hate it anyway.
Filmfare: You have just returned from shooting for Darr in Switzerland.
Shah Rukh: Yes, and I took my wife with me. We took a few days off after that and went to America.
Aamir: I have also always insisted on taking Reena with me whenever I travel abroad, even to shows that I enjoy a lot. Last year, we spent a month there after the Jumma Chumma show.
Filmfare: Are they more lucrative than films?
Aamir: Definitely, considering the number of days you spend on it.
Filmfare: The situation in Bombay was quite tense recently. Emotions were running high among the people. Since both of you have Hindu wives, did you feel any apprehension?
Aamir: My reaction to the riot was normal and had nothing to do with any communal emotions. I am numb to any kind of violence and I was not afraid for myself or my wife; the people I was worried about are those living on the streets - the most vulnerable section of society. They are the ones who had to bear the brunt of the carnage.
Shah Rukh: Riots seem to follow me wherever I go. Seriously though, I don't think the riots had a religious aspect at all, but a social and economic one. What we went through in Bombay was tragic... People in Delhi have been experiencing riots since the death of Indira Gandhi and have learnt to live with them. My friends in Delhi were surprised when I told them that in Bombay women could travel alone in taxis in the middle of the night. Now people in Bombay also avoid late nights. You don't understand the full significance of what is happening until you experience it personally.
I was very impressed by the strength of the law enforcement officers and their brilliant torchlight (torchlight?) when I first came to Bombay. They seemed more professional than their counterparts in Delhi. There it was almost a joke, you were stopped after every kilometre, we had to roll down the windows and ask the girls to stick their heads out so they knew we were not terrorists.
Filmfare: Aamir, why did you hide the fact that you were married in the beginning? Did you really think it would affect your popularity?
Aamir: How could it? I was not even known then. I did not reveal my marriage because there were too many careers at stake. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was to be Mansoor's first directorial venture, and Juhi and Anand Milind also had a lot at stake in the film. So it did not seem appropriate that I should jeopardise the film's chances by announcing that I, the hero, was married. So I had to lie blatantly. The minute the film was a success, I introduced Reena to the first journalist who came to meet me.
Shah Rukh: I was stubborn in the relationship not to hide Gauri. Since I don't come from a film background, perhaps I couldn't see the logic behind hiding the girl in my life. None of my films had released by then and I was happily handing out invitations to the producers for my wedding when I was almost hit by a blow. One of my producers asked me to postpone my wedding for six or seven months. I left the same night for the pre-wedding ceremonies - you know, the sangeet bangeet. I simply said, 'Theek hai' and one of them smiled, 'Bola tha na samajh jaayega. Let's go ahead with the shoot.' I then asked indignantly, 'Why didn't we postpone the film for six months?' I was ready to pay their money back if they let me out of the film.
Marriage does not hamper an actor's career. Look at the careers of Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan.
Aamir: I don't think it ever really mattered. Raj Kapoor was married, Dharmendra was married too.
Shah Rukh: Many of them have had really controversial marriages, yet it never mattered. If it did, then all actors who are single should be superstars.
Filmfare: How do your wives react to your success and the rumours about your 'relations' with women?
Aamir: Reena doesn't react to rumours at all. As far as success is concerned, she, like the rest of my family and friends, is amused by the way people react sometimes when they recognise me on the street. She tends to feel depressed when my films go wrong. She is full of worry if I haven't done a scene well. Then I come home and cry on her shoulder.
Filmfare: How often does this happen?
Aamir: If I do a scene badly, I get very upset. At such times, she mothers me, but at the same time she pushes me.
Filmfare: How does Gauri react to your violent outbursts, Shah Rukh?
Shah Rukh: I only react very sharply when lies are printed. Gauri comes from a very conventional background. For her, it is enough that she married a Muslim. And I am an actor on top of that. It is a very lethal combination. If I had a daughter who brought someone like me home, even if he is quite well off because of his family business and a carefree guy, I still wouldn't let her marry him, I would check him at least 100 times. Her parents must have thought more than a million times before accepting me.
Filmfare: Aamir, did you face any such problems?
Aamir: Initially, Reena's family was undecided. I was just a freshman actor when we got married. I had only a 12th class qualification... while Shah Rukh had completed his MA. I understand what my in-laws must have felt at that time, but I was always confident that I would win them over.
Shah Rukh: Thankfully, that's what happened with me too. In fact, it was very important for me that they accepted me as part of their family. My people have passed away. Except for my elder sister, they are all the family I have now.
Aamir: My father-in-law thinks I am a bigger star than Amitabh Bachchan. He feels I was the best part of the Jumma Chumma show in London. But my own family doesn't think so.
Shah Rukh: My father-in-law knows nothing about films. In fact, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. He is an army man who rarely watches films. He saw Sholay and at the end he said, "Nice film. There were none of those songs and dances."
He must have obviously fallen asleep during the songs. He even confused me with the clean-shaven Anil Kapoor on the posters of Lamhe, and Naseer with Nana Patekar. But he has the tracks of my films and thinks I am the best.
Filmfare: Does Gauri think so too?
Shah Rukh: Not at all. She likes Sanjay Dutt, Aamir and Sunil Dutt. Strange girl. She doesn't react to my films; she is not impressed by my success. Since I am not the party type, she doesn't know much about the ways of showbiz. But sometimes she reads the gossip and is shocked by it. She read something horrible about Aamir, who she thinks is a decent guy. She doesn't understand that not everything that is printed is true. She is young, I think I married her a little too young, she is 22. It has been a long honeymoon for her so far.
She cannot differentiate between a good performance and a bad one, but she gets really annoyed if I say I have botched a shot. It will take her at least another year to get used to my work. But I can't really blame her; I don't understand the jazz dance that fascinates her.
Filmfare: How do you deal with gossip, Aamir? How have you managed to steer clear of controversy?
Aamir: I haven't really. I have been linked with Juhi, Pooja Bhatt and Madhuri. My way is not to talk to the magazines that write rubbish and not to read them either. In fact, I had banned all six magazines for two years before the Cine Artistes Association boycotted them. I consulted a lawyer who admitted that filing a case against them would be a waste of time. I have to keep quiet. It's like someone insults you on the street, the whole world is listening, but you have to walk away.
Like Shah Rukh said that Gauri read something about me that she might believe. Tell me, how am I going to start convincing everyone that the story is a lie?
The press exploits the legal loopholes. If this was America, we would all be billionaires by now. And we would have made it in dollars. However, what cannot be smoked out, learn to ignore.
Shah Rukh: I am yet to reach that level of indifference. One lawyer even suggested that I go to London to file the case, which I thought was quite stupid.
Aamir: We spoke earlier about violence. Violence can be of two kinds – physical and mental. The press in India indulges in mental violence.
Shah Rukh: (Angrily) Exactly. The journalist sits in his glass booth and hurls gaalis (abuses) at them.
Filmfare: Keep calm. Shah Rukh, how would you rate Aamir as an actor?
Shah Rukh: I enjoy watching Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit's films. As part of the audience, I would say Aamir is one of the best actors we have. His timing and underacting were wonderful in Dil Hai Ke Maanta Nahin. I feel Filmfare did him an injustice when they didn't give him the Best Actor award for Dil Hai... in 1991. It's hard to keep a low-key performance; it's easy to overdo it, which I tend to do. He's one of the best actors we have, someone I expect to develop like Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. Or just like Tom Cruise does today. Rajesh Khanna couldn't. But if Aamir never falls victim to his own image, I know he has no limits.
Aamir, I feel that you should start playing someone else other than Aamir Khan. You are good for another six or seven years and you will be remembered for your performance for another ten. Dustin Hoffman is never Dustin Hoffman in any of his films despite his set mannerisms. However, Robert De Niro is now falling victim to his mannerisms. Aamir... since you have a choice, shouldn't you get out of the rut? You have to experiment.
Aamir: (Embarrassed) Shah Rukh, toone to kuch zyada hi bol diya. But thank you, I am really touched. I am trying to do different roles in all the new films that I have signed.
Shah Rukh: I get the impression that you have held back in every film after Qayamat Se... Perhaps it is because of instant success, you are reluctant to break away from the image in case it goes wrong. So don't be so cautious. There should have been a little more haramipan in Sanjay Lal's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar.
Aamir: What you are feeling is the aftermath of Qayamat Se... it is not intentional. I have never thought about it, maybe you are right. Sometimes there are scenes where you are not quite sure how to handle them and so you end up playing them safe. Ultimately you feel bad about it but in that moment you are unsure of what to do. That is where experience counts.
Shah Rukh: Become more of a risk taker.
Filmfare: Aamir, how would you rate Shah Rukh?
Aamir: Everything I am about to say will sound forced. But I really feel that he is an actor who is fresh in his approach to a role. He is innovative. There is something outstanding in every performance he does. And since he has not worked with directors of the calibre of Rajkumar Santoshi, Shekhar Kapur, Mansoor, the full credit for that goes to him.
Filmfare: He has worked with Mani Kaul, Ketan Mehta and now Yash Chopra.
Aamir: I haven't seen any of those films. What I meant were directors who have established themselves in mainstream cinema.
Filmfare: Do you consider each other as competitors? What do you dislike about each other?
Aamir: We are of the same age group, we are decent actors but it has never been a case of 'Mein iska kaise band baja sakta hoon'. There is room for everyone. I feel good when I see a good representation. It makes me happy that there are more people around who are interested in doing good work. I really enjoyed watching Govinda in Aankhen. He is a really good actor who has not been bothered with choosing films.
Filmfare: Would you make a film like Aankhen?
Aamir: The vulgar parts? No, but there is much more to the film than that.
Shah Rukh: Govinda is a very good dancer and a very capable actor. There is a certain oomph in him.
Aamir: He is another actor who has not worked with established directors. What I want from Shah Rukh is that he should deliver his dialogues at a slower pace.
Shah Rukh: (Grins) I can dub at double speed. Yes, tempo is a problem with me. I also try to control my hand movements. I thought working with Mani Kaul (in Idiot) would help me slow down, but by the time I got to working with him, his style of filmmaking had changed. I tend to be easily excitable. So I would particularly like to work with Aamir to watch his scale and technique. I have no block to work with other good actors. I don't think Amitabh Bachchan outdid Shashi Kapoor in Deewar or Tom Cruise outdid Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. You can learn so much from working together. I think Aamir is brilliant in romantic scenes which drives me crazy. How do you manage to look into the girl's eyes and say 'Tumhari aankhen kitni khubsoorat hai, tumhare honth phool ki pankhadi ki tarah hai'? I can't say such idiotic sentences.
Filmfare: Do you call it that to your wife?
Shah Rukh: She would faint if she heard me say that. That's not my style.
Aamir: I know what you mean. In the beginning, I faced the same problem. I didn't know how to handle the heroine. I mean, whether she would feel that I was taking advantage of the scene if I touched her cheek while saying romantic lines. But I got over that. Now I get lost in my lines - I don't put names with a face. And no, I don't think of Reena when I say them.
Shah Rukh: I also get lost in my character. I get so engrossed in it that when I'm done, I have to double check whether I've said my lines correctly.
Filmfare: What’s the latest about the project you are doing together?
Aamir: Mansoor will be directing a project with both of us for Venus.
Shah Rukh: Help, back to strict vegetarian shooting schedule. You are vegetarian so we are being forcibly put on healthy diets...
(Suddenly) I don't want to continue acting. I will quit when I no longer need the money or the popularity. Don't take me seriously... I will continue to go through these phases. I want to work with familiar filmmakers. Since I injured my shoulder in Switzerland, I have only been doing patchwork and dubbing since the last ten days. That is what is getting me down. I go home and complain every night. Gauri must be fed up with me. Basically, I hate the speed at which people work. Can you imagine a script writer coming and telling me a story in just three minutes? I can't work like that, I often cry silently in the bathroom.
Aamir: It's okay. Everyone has the right to be upset and process it emotionally. Just wait until you get a role that brings out the actor in you.
Shah Rukh: But I am working double shifts. I have had to take all your rejections.
Filmfare: How long can you continue making the kind of films you do? Where do you see yourself in the era of returning violence?
Aamir: I am comfortable with handling violence on screen. I have managed to look vicious and bad in some of my films. Perhaps it is because of my height that I have not been asked to do fights till now.
Shah Rukh: Every film has a fight and the hero always wins. Just like every heroine has to cry at least once in the film.
Aamir: Shah Rukh can do action roles easily. He also dances well; I liked him in the Loveria song in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman.
Shah Rukh: It was very natural.
Filmfare: Aamir, would a Maya Memsaab-type role appeal to you?
Aamir: I don't know if Shah Rukh is aware of this, but Ketan had offered the role to me first. I was not excited about the script, so I turned down the film.
Shah Rukh: That is a matter of opinion. It was one of the first films I was offered and I knew absolutely nothing about the goings-on in the film industry. But Kundan and Aziz convinced me to accept Ketan's film. Ketan must have known that I could live up to expectations. It was a role that required awkwardness, which comes easily to someone who is completely unpolished. I am much more confident today, I don't know if I would accept the same role today.
Filmfare: Do you both see yourself turning to directing?
Shah Rukh: Why not? If and when I can raise the finances. I have directed on stage, I have been an assistant in commercials. But I will not act and direct at the same time.
Aamir: I don't plan to direct at least for the next three years.
Shah Rukh: Not even if Mansoor becomes an actor?
Aamir: I felt the urge three months ago, but then I realised that I still have a hell of a lot to achieve as an actor.
Shah Rukh: Will you act as well as direct?
Aamir: I don’t think so.
Shah Rukh: Mujhe lele. Come on, Aamir, you have to take me as your film hero.