The Serious One. Review on Aamir Khan

Once upon a time, in a land called Bollywood, there lived three young men. These three men all had the same surname and were the same age, but they weren't triplets because they weren't even related.

Each of them dreamt of being an actor - and each one's dream came true. Each of them rose to prominence in the Mumbai film industry. One became King (SRK), another a Bad Boy (Salman) while the remaining one...

Aamir stand out of the 'trio' as it is known because unlike the other two, he is the only one it seems that doesn't buy into the whole CELEBRITY ideal. He seems so unassuming for an actor who is hailed as being one of, if not the best actor in Bollywood.

I'm new to Bollywood so please forgive me if there are any inaccuracies in my review of Aamir. From what I read about him, he started out his career as a child actor then dropped out to pursue a career in tennis.

Returning to movies, he gradually built up a solid reputation in the industry. His most memorable roles include:-

Raj, the lover in Qayamat se Qayamat Tak

Amar, the inept schemer Andaaz Apna Apna

Aakash, the college Lothario (Dil Chahta Hai)

Munna, the street tough (Rangeela)

Bhuvan, the village idealist (Lagaan)

ACP Rathod, a crusading police officer, (Sarfarosh)

Raghu Jaitly, an affable news reporter (Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin)

DJ , the cheerful youth (Rang De Basanti)

Raja, the simple yet kind hearted taxi driver Raja Hindustani

Apparently, he only does one movie at a time because he wants to devote all his energy to one role, which leads me to believe that Aamir is more interested in acting than in being a star. He will even clash with directors to redo a scene if he feels that it is not a 100% perfect. Aamir in my opinion is a rare species in Bollywood - he's a star and he's a character actor.

My favourite Aamir movies are Ghulam, Raja Hindustani and Lagaan in which he gave an Oscar-worthy performance. The last I saw of him was in The Rising where he is reunited with the brilliant Rani Mukherji whom he romanced last in Ghulam. I have yet to see Rang de Basanti, which I'm hoping to see very soon.

Few actors in Bollywood are really worth their salt. Most just have good looks and no decent acting skills. Aamir is an exception.

May he grace our screens for years to come!