As the credits rolled on Sitaare Zameen Par earlier this year, Aamir Khan found himself back in the spotlight—not just as the perfectionist actor audiences have come to expect, but as a 60-year-old navigating personal revelations and industry critiques amid a career marked by as many accolades as altercations. The film’s June 20 release, where Khan portrays a suspended basketball coach mentoring players with disabilities, grossed over ₹266 crore at the box office, marking a rebound after the 2022 flop Laal Singh Chaddha. Yet, in September, Khan stirred debate again by publicly chiding Bollywood peers for demanding producers foot bills for personal staff like cooks and trainers, calling it a slippery slope toward “unreasonable demands.” At an industry event, he emphasized that only production-related costs, such as costumes, warranted coverage—a stance that underscored his long-held reputation for fiscal prudence and artistic integrity.
Born Aamir Hussain Khan on March 14, 1965, in Mumbai’s Bandra, Khan grew up in a family steeped in the Hindi film industry’s highs and lows. His father, Tahir Hussain, was a producer whose ventures often teetered on financial ruin, leading to childhood memories of dodging creditors and school fee waivers. Khan’s paternal uncle, Nasir Hussain, was a prominent director behind hits like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, while cousins included actor Imran Khan. With roots tracing to Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia through his grandparents, Khan’s early years blended privilege and precarity. A state-level tennis champion in the 1980s, he briefly pursued sports before theatre and assisting on sets pulled him toward cinema.
His screen debut came at age eight in the 1973 family drama Yaadon Ki Baaraat, but it was the 1988 romantic tragedy Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak—directed by cousin Mansoor Khan—that launched him into stardom. Paired with Juhi Chawla, the film revived the studio’s fortunes and earned Khan a Filmfare Best Male Debut, though he later reflected on its unrequited love trope as emblematic of his early “boy-next-door” phase. The 1990s solidified his selective approach: blockbusters like Dil (1990) and Raja Hindustani (1996), the latter netting him his first Filmfare Best Actor, alternated with experimental fare such as the cult comedy Andaz Apna Apna (1994), which bombed initially but later gained a devoted following.
Khan’s evolution into a “Mr. Perfectionist” moniker came with deliberate choices. He took a four-year hiatus post-2001’s Lagaan, a colonial-era cricket drama he produced and starred in, which snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film—the first for an Indian entry in nearly five decades. Returns like Rang De Basanti (2006), a youth-activism tale that became India’s Oscar submission, and Taare Zameen Par (2007)—his directorial debut about dyslexia—cemented his pivot toward socially resonant narratives. The latter, produced under his banner Aamir Khan Productions (founded 1999), won him a National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare.
Commercial peaks followed: 3 Idiots (2009) shattered box-office records as Bollywood’s highest-grosser then, exporting Indian cinema to China where it remains a cultural touchstone. Dangal (2016), in which Khan bulked up and slimmed down to play wrestler Mahavir Phogat, became India’s top-earning film domestically and a phenomenon abroad, grossing over ₹2,000 crore worldwide, largely from Chinese markets. Yet balance requires noting the stumbles: Thugs of Hindostan (2018), a ₹300-crore spectacle with Amitabh Bachchan, drew panning reviews for its CGI-heavy mediocrity and underperformed despite hype. Khan’s aversion to award shows, deeming them “not credible,” has also rankled peers; he was overlooked for a 2017 National Award Best Actor nod for Dangal partly due to his non-attendance.
Off-screen, Khan’s activism has often eclipsed his reels. The 2012-2014 TV series Satyamev Jayate, hosted by him, tackled taboos like female foeticide and caste discrimination, drawing 500 million viewers across seasons despite modest TRPs. His Paani Foundation, co-founded with ex-wife Kiran Rao, has mobilized rural Maharashtra against drought through community-led watershed projects. Endorsements for UNICEF on child nutrition and support for the 2011 anti-corruption Jan Lokpal movement highlight his public persona as a conscience-keeper.
Controversies, however, have shadowed this image. In 2006, backing the Narmada Bachao Andolan against a Gujarat dam project, Khan’s remarks on then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s rehabilitation efforts prompted protests, a film ban in the state, and calls for his apology—which he rebuffed, citing Supreme Court backing. The 2015 “intolerance debate” erupted when he voiced concerns over rising communal tensions, mentioning his wife’s fears of raising their son in such an environment. Labeled “anti-national” by right-wing groups, he faced threats, boycotts, and lost an Incredible India ambassadorship, though liberals like Shah Rukh Khan rallied in support. Khan later clarified his words were misconstrued but stood by the sentiment.
Personally, Khan’s life mirrors his films’ emotional arcs. Married to Reena Dutta in 1986, with whom he has son Junaid (debuted in 2024’s Maharaj) and daughter Ira (a theatre director), the union ended in 2002 amid divorce proceedings. His 2005 marriage to Rao produced son Azad via surrogacy in 2011; they separated amicably in 2021, committing to co-parenting. This March, at his 60th birthday bash, Khan went public with girlfriend Gauri Spratt, a Bangalore-based professional he first met 25 years ago, describing their 18-month romance as rooted in kindness and shared values. Spratt, 23 years his junior like his Sitaare co-star Genelia Deshmukh, has faced paparazzi scrutiny, snapping at photographers in September for invading her space.
Looking ahead, Khan’s slate blends continuity and novelty. He co-produced Laapataa Ladies (2024), a rural satire on mistaken brides that streamed to 13.8 million Netflix views and India’s Oscar entry, though it missed shortlisting. Upcoming is Lahore 1947, a Partition drama helmed by Rajkumar Santoshi with Sunny Deol, slated for June 2025. At the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne in August, Khan mused on piracy’s unintended boon in democratizing access to films like his $2 digital releases, hinting at a philosophy of cinema for the masses over mere commerce.
In an industry often accused of formulaic excess, Khan’s trajectory—from child extra to global influencer—remains a study in calculated risks and unyielding principles. Whether scripting social change or courting controversy, he persists as Bollywood’s reluctant revolutionary, ever the outsider in his own narrative.
Last Updated on: Monday, October 6, 2025 10:01 pm by Outlook News Team | Published by: Outlook News Team on Monday, October 6, 2025 9:54 pm | News Categories: News
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