Like countless fellow Indians, I felt disappointed when Lagaan didn't win the Oscars. Not due to a sense of patriotism - at the present, I am enjoying my chocolate banana crepes in New York, thank you very much - but because I had a vision. A vision where Aamir was sitting in a dark room on a rickety wooden chair, hand in head and a cartoon bubble saying, "Oh God."
As a decent human being of good upbringing and upright disposition I like to see my friends happy. How could I then not feel sad, when some of my friends over the last many years have included Munna from Rangeela, Raj from QSQT and Sanjay from JJWS?
All these years a sneaking suspicion that the real Aamir Khan would be a soft spoken man who was more into his work than his image was proved right when, during the screening of Lagaan, I had the good fortune of running into him at the Film Forum theater in New York City.
Following a spate of good reviews in publications such as The New York Times and The Village Voice, the hall filled up rapidly on the first Friday of the movie. When the last few seats at the very front had been filled up by some brave people, who had seldom watched a three and a half hour movie before, the show began. The audience was very taken instantly by Amitabh's deep baritone and the cinematography, which brought the deep brown earth right into their hearts and homes. Incredulous peals of laughter that accompanied the start of every song hushed themselves as naked eyes took in the choreography and music. And then, right on cue was the intermission. An air of awe sat on every seat in the auditorium, the kind of atmosphere that results when tiredness disappears as a result of complete severance with anything remotely real and routine. I was quite pleased, being of the opinion that a good dose of Bollywood is what the world needs, what with the depressing headlines in the newspapers everyday.
As I stepped outside, inhaled some nicotine and exhaled some satisfaction, I saw a man slouched against the wall. "He looks a lot like Aamir Khan," I thought to myself. After another drag my tired mind had the situation completely figured out. He looks like Aamir Khan because he is Aamir Khan. I began to approach him with the objective of saying "Hello" or something novel like that. But I think I saw him slouch further as he eyed me from the corner of his eyes. I didn't want to be one of those intrusive fans; he would talk to his wife about at the dinner table. One reads frequently of human shields being employed in places like Jenin, when approaching unpredictable targets. To drag my girlfriend out of the restroom line and flutter harmlessly behind her as she approached him was the work of an instant. She was viddying her first Hindi movie and found it quite difficult to conceal dreamy looks of lust as she approached him.
"I have come to New York to check out the reaction," Aamir explained. "Very nice, excellent," we reassured him. (I was going to add "Exquisite," but controlled myself.)
Tow became four. And four became a crowd. After that Aamir held floor with very down to earth, factual answers. The number of people around him grew at a steady rate, but as is borne out by the dialogue below, his answers were soft spoken, not indulging in needless mediocrity or grandiose hyperbole.
Me: I have loved all your old movies since QSQT.
Aamir: Thank You.
Me: I don't want to appear like one of those fans who intrude on your privacy, but.(how do I complete this sentence?)
He completed it for me by laughing.
Girlfriend: The dances were so beautiful.
Girl 1 of Bevy Of Girls Around Him: We are members of an African dance troupe. What type of dances are these?
Aamir: It varies, some parts the dancing is classical, just like the Radha dance.
Girl 2 of B.O.G.A.H.: Do you sing your own songs?
Aamir: No, I have a singer.
Girl 1 of B.O.G.A.H (to me): Are you the producer?
"No, no, just a fan," I said reassuring her (and Aamir), as I felt around in my pockets for the dollar fifty that would pay for my subway home.
Girl 3 of B.O.G.A.H: How is this movie different from other Indian movies?
The correct answer to this might have been, "Its very well made," but Aamir pointed to me quite graciously and said, "Maybe you should ask him."
Me: "No, no" (accompanied by empty fencing moves with hands to signify protest).
Aamir: "It's a period film. And deals with sports too. This is quite unique in India. Also the clothes are very traditional. Indian audiences prefer actors with modern clothes."
"Like Dil Chaahta Hai," my girlfriend said in an exhibition of shameless namedropping. (What she knew about Dil Chaahta Hai would not fit on the back of a postage stamp).
Aamir laughed and tried to look suitably impressed. And that was his demeanor. Like a nice gentle breeze, pleasing and devoid of any overbearing image.
We stepped back into the theater to watch the rest of the movie. Needless to say, in such a race divided society, the audience clapped when Kachra was included in the team. They nearly sang "O Palaanhare" and cheered vociferously every time a shot from a village made bat sailed over the boundary ropes. After the movie, when we stepped out the bevy of girls around him had grown larger.
He took the time to sign a Lagaan postcard, "Lots of Love: Aamir."
I noticed the "t". Round, tilted to the right and crossed equidistant on both sides. I made one suggestion and cheesy dialogue. "Subtitle all your old movies for wider audiences," followed by "Thanks for the perfection."
Now to end, I must take the liberty of digressing. I digress only to provide a moral. Aesop would have done the same, as he did when we saw a tortoise outrun a hare.
There is indeed a moral for all artists, as well as super artists like Amitabh Bachchan. One should always be more interested in the work, not the image. In Amar Akbar Anthony Amitabh gets beaten up on two occasions. Is it below his stature to suffer the same fate now?
We do like superheroes. But even Superman needs to rest and sleep. And his pillowcases are not stuffed with kryptonite. Just cotton. Aamir had hinted that he is considering a couple of scripts that evening. We can only look forward to his next character. With character.
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