Aamir Khan Productions : Cinema at its Best?

The name Aamir Khan needs no introduction and that’s precisely why I would not waste time by giving an introduction for him and then listing the milestones he has achieved in his glorious career so far.

After watching Delhi Belly, I suddenly had the urge to write something about Aamir Khan and his sensibilities as an actor and as a producer. We all know that he is a terrific actor and probably the best in the business. In a career spanning over two decades, Aamir has done it all, dabbled in every genre and always came out as a winner. Apart from being a great actor, Aamir is an intelligent producer too. Every film under his banner, ‘Aamir Khan Productions’, is a quality product. He supports films which are different and help take stories which need to be told to a wider audience.

Below is a list of the films under the banner. Read on.

Lagaan: Aamir started his journey as a producer by Co producing this film with Ashutosh Gowarikar. Making a period drama with cricket as its background is not an easy endeavor. It takes a man like Aamir Khan to believe in such a film and going ahead to act as well as co produce it. With its Screen time running over to about 3 hours 30 minutes, Lagaan was a huge Critical and Commercial Success and also India’s Official Entry for Oscars that year.

Taare Zameen Par: Out of dozens of films made every year which try and tackle serious issues, only a handful of them get noticed and appreciated by a larger section of the audience. They somewhere get lost in all the glitter and glamour of the commercial Masala films. So a Noted Producer is a must if you want such a film to generate right publicity. The same happened with TZP. The story of a child suffering from Dyslexia and the pressure the students feel from their parents to perform academically, needed to be told. The subject was so close to Aamir’s heart that he decided to direct it himself when he realized that the former director is not handling the project with the kind of sensitivity it demanded. He handled the subject so delicately, and the film was so heart felt that every person who watched the film did shed a tear or few. Also, kudos to him for making the child actor, Darsheel Safary, as the STAR of the film and he completely bowled everyone out with his stellar performance, with him winning the Best Actor- Critics’ at the Filmfare Awards.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na: JTYJN had every Romantic Hindi movie cliché you can ever think of. The film was based on the tried and tested formula of ‘Ek ladka ur ek ladki kabhi dost nahi ho sakte’. So, we have Jai and Aditi who are BFFs, who later realize that they are in love with each other. It was a predictable film; still it left an everlasting impression on everyone who saw it. The film worked because of its sheer simplicity. There were no OTT Saree Flowing Sequences in Exotic Locations (expected of a Romantic film). None of the actor in the star cast was a known face except for Genelia (who had done a few forgettable films by then). The only hype around the film was that it marked the Debut of Aamir’s Nephew Imran Khan. It was only because of Aamir’s credibility as an actor and as a producer, that the audience came to packed houses at the cinema halls and made it a huge success. AR Rahman’s gorgeous music was the cherry on the cake.

Peepli Live: Who could have though that a film which is a social satire with no big names involved would do so well at the BO? Again it was because of the name ‘Aamir Khan Productions’ tagged along it that this film got a wider release and also ended up being India’s official entry for Oscars that year.

Dhobi Ghaat: Aamir played the doting husband and stepped up to help his wife, Kiran Rao when she decided to direct her debut film. The film targeted the niche audience. The film was felicitated with a lot of awards and appreciation at numerous International Film Festivals. Apart from being the producer, Aamir played a pivotal role in the film too. He made sure that the other actors like Pratiek Babbar, Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra were not over showed by his star persona. And they all were phenomenal in the film with some great performances.

Delhi Belly: A film like Delhi Belly turning into a huge hit says a lot about the changing taste of the audiences and that the producers are willing to take up risks and encourage such cinema. Delhi Belly is one of the wittiest and cleverly made films in the recent past. Toilet Humor and use of swear words were never so much fun. Trust Aamir Khan on how to make Toilet Humor look sophisticated. The film also saw some great performances from actors like Vijay Raaz and Poorna Jagannathan. Truly a film to match Hollywood Standards. Also, it takes a great producer like him to release a promo clearly telling people that it’s an Adult film and kindly not come to theatres if such cinema is suitable to your aesthetics.

All the films are as different as chalk and cheese, but are big successes in their own right. Aamir, truly is a PERFECTIONIST.

Here’s wishing to witness many more Brilliant Films from this Banner.

What do you think about this Production House and which amongst these is your favorite film?