Aamir Khan on Laal Singh Chaddha: I wanted the audience to experience the power of innocence

After a four-year hiatus, Aamir Khan is returning to the big screen with Laal Singh Chaddha, which was released on August 11. While the promos and songs received positive feedback, the reviews on social media were mixed, with many trolls targeting the film with hashtags like #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha and so on. Khan, whose last big screen outing, Thugs of Hindostan, had a lacklustre box office run in 2018. Having been a trendsetter at the box office, his films; from Ghajini to Dangal, have broken numerous records around the world.

The Advait Chandan directorial is an adaptation of the Hollywood venture, Forrest Gump, that was released in 1994. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this one, went on to win six Oscars, including best picture, best director and best actor for Hanks. 

The film, based on Winston Groom’s 1986 novel of the same name, follows Forrest Gump, a dim-witted man from Alabama, who witnesses and unwittingly influences several historical events in 20th century USA. Recently, the Bollywood actor was in Chennai to promote the Advait Chandan directorial, and here are excerpts from the interaction, Aamir Khan had with the press.

How did you prepare for your role in Laal Singh Chaddha?

I had to grow a beard for this character's physicality, but getting into his head was the main task. (It doesn't matter how experienced I am.) Every film is new and has its set of challenges. I'm 57; when we shot four years ago, I was only in my 50s. But playing an 18-year-old, followed by a 20-year-old was challenging. We see this character travel in different age groups, so regaining innocence after having been through so much in life was difficult. (smiles)

How do you get into the shoes of each character that you play effortlessly?

Oh, do I? Thank you! (smiles). A lot of effort goes into it. That's not an easy process. If I became the character just for the duration of the shot, that's a huge achievement, but I don't think I am perfect. I see flaws in my films. My primary goal is to try my best to give an honest performance. I am aware of the expectations but I try not to think about them. I am nervous already! (laughs)

Directors that I worked with helped me become my character. It starts with the writer. Then, the director's vision comes in. For example, Ghajini was made in Tamil first; I reprised Suriya's role in Hindi. I remember, normally, when I go out, fans come to me for photos; they smile at me, or say 'hi'. But when I was shooting for Ghajini, everyone went away from me. When people saw me at airports, they were scared. Perhaps, that happened because of my get-up!

Interesting. We saw the bond between a mother and a daughter in Secret Superstar, here comes the bond between a mother and a son in Laal Singh Chaddha.

That's right. Advait (Chandan) did an excellent job in Secret Superstar. We, as a whole team, are overjoyed that we could make the film that we desired.

What was it about Forrest Gump that drew you as an actor enough to make you want to remake it?

I liked the character's innocence, which was quite powerful. We frequently see heroes' physical strength in our films; we fight 10, 20, or 100 people. On the other hand, here is a hero whose greatest strength is innocence, but he never uses it to his advantage. That's a remarkable quality. I wanted the people of India to feel it as well. It took eight years for me to acquire the rights. I have always loved Forrest Gump, as a script. It is a wonderful story about this character. It is a life-affirming story. It is a feel-good film. It is a film for the whole family, but never in my wildest dreams, did I think I'd do this. I was never pressurised that I was remaking a great film like Forrest Gump. It felt Indian to me.

Once, pan-Indian meant just Bollywood. Now, the trend has changed. What are your thoughts?

It's great to see the pan-Indian success of KGF 2, Pushpa, and RRR. All of these films come from the south and won the hearts of audiences across the world. It is wonderful to see that cinema coming out of one state gives joy and entertainment to the whole country. That's a celebration for us when that happens! Say, ten years ago, the Hindi audience wasn't that receptive to watching films from the south. Thanks to the Covid-induced pandemic, the world has become a smaller place, and that's fascinating.

With the surge of OTT in the last few years, we experience films from different languages. Lines between regional and national content are fast disappearing. It all boils down to good content. I always believe that language is not a barrier when it comes to creative endeavours. At the same time, films and web series from other regions of the world, not necessarily in English, have become more accessible.

You're right. But why are you away from social media? We don't see you actively tweet or post photos on Instagram.

Social media is a wonderful thing, but I'm a shy person. I like to keep things to myself, mostly. When I work, I get lost in it completely. I don't know what is happening around me. I don’t feel like I miss out on something important. I'm okay with it. (smiles)