One-third of Bollywood’s infamous Khans, Aamir Khan celebrates 30 years in the Indian film industry. His first film Qayamat say Qayamat Tak opposite Juhi Chawla was released 30 years ago on April 29. Since then, Aamir has established himself as one of Bollywood’s leading actors. From playing a chocolate hero in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander to strict father in Dangal, Aamir has evolved remarkably over the year. He has also earned the title of Mr Perfectionist.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including nine Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, and an AACTA Award, while one of his productions, Lagaan, received an Academy Award nomination. He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010, and received an honourary title from the Government of China in 2017. With a large global following, especially in India and China, it is no surprise that he has been described by Newsweek as “the biggest movie star” in the world.
To celebrate Aamir’s journey, we decided to list down 10 of his movies which have been hits and will forever remain in our hearts.
1. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander
The movie which gave us one the best love ballads of all times, Pehla Nasha, revolves around a rich brat and a poor boy, Aamir, who try to woo a girl, with their rivalry culminating in the most prestigious college event – the marathon cycle race.
2. Andaaz Apna Apna
Hailed as one the best comedy films, Andaaz Apna Apna features Aamir Khan along with Salman Khan as two slackers competing for the affections of an heiress, inadvertently becoming her protectors from an evil criminal.
3. Raja Hindustani
Another cult classic, Raja Hindustani is romantic drama which tells the story of a cab driver from a small town who falls in love with a rich young woman, played by Karisma Kapoor. For his role, Khan received the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
4. Lagaan
Lagaan, an epic sports-drama film, is set in the Victorian period of India’s colonial British Raj. The story revolves around a small village whose inhabitants, burdened by high taxes, find themselves in an extraordinary situation as an arrogant officer challenges them to a game of cricket as a wager to avoid the taxes. The narrative spins around this situation as the villagers face the arduous task of learning the alien game and playing for a result that will change their village’s destiny.
Lagaan went onto become the third Indian film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was one of the biggest box office hits of 2001.
5. Dil Chahta Hai
This coming-of-age film is one that every person needs to watch, whether they are in their teens or in their 40s. The plot of the film revolves around three inseparable childhood friends who are just out of college. Nothing comes between them – until they each fall in love, and their wildly different approaches to relationships creates tension between them.
6. Rang De Basanti
Rang De Basanti is the story is about a British documentary filmmaker who is determined to make a film on Indian freedom fighters based on diary entries by her grandfather, a former officer of the Indian Imperial Police. Upon arriving in India, she asks a group of five young men to act in her film. The events that lead the men to relive the long-forgotten saga of freedom. The film takes you on a long emotional ride. Be prepared to shed more than just a few tears.
The film features an ensemble cast comprising Aamir Khan, Siddharth Narayan, Soha Ali Khan, Kunal Kapoor, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Atul Kulkarni and British actress Alice Patten in the lead roles.
7. Taare Zameen Par
Another heart-warming film by Khan. Taare Zameen Par explores the life and imagination of an 8-year-old dyslexic child. Although he excels in art, his poor academic performance leads his parents to send him to a boarding school. Ishaan’s new art teacher, played by Khan, suspects that he is dyslexic and helps him to overcome his disability.
8. 3 Idiots
One of Bollywood’s most-loved Bollywood movies to date, 3 Idiots is about the friendship of three students at an Indian engineering college and is a satire about the social pressures under an Asian education system.
The film received numerous awards and accolades and well-received by the audience.
9. PK
Another thought-provoking film by Khan, PK is a satirical science fiction comedy film, which tells the story of an alien who comes to Earth on a research mission. He befriends a television journalist, played by Anushka Sharma, and questions religious dogmas and superstitions.
10. Dangal
Dangal, biographical sports drama film, is loosely based on the Phogat family, telling the story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, an amateur wrestler, who trains his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari to become India’s first world-class female wrestlers.
The film was a record-breaking commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film ever, the fifth highest grossing non-English film ever, and 2017’s highest-grossing sports film worldwide.
Which Aamir Khan film are you watching this long weekend?
