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Chandrima Pal
If you think this will give you an idea of who I really am, you are mistaken! Read on if you must, but don't say I didn't warn you!
Does Aamir deserve a title too?
Mar 14, 2008
We love bestowing titles on the people we love, who rule our hearts and the box office. And perhaps it all started with Amitabh Bachchan,who defined 'stardom' like no other. There was a time when 'star'dom was hard won. Not just anybody could stake claims to this elusive title. But now, anybody who has faced the camera for more than 24 hours is a star. So you have a super star and a mega star in some order of hierarchy.
But then came Shah Rukh Khan, who turned the very notion of stardom on its head. Much as Amitabh Bachchan tried to convince the world at large that 'Bollywood' is a bad derivative of Hollywood, a poor attempt at aping our Western counterpart, it is how we love to call one of the biggest money churning dream machines in the world's largest democracy. And SRK is all that defines Bollywood, including the titles he has earned for himself: King Khan, Baadshah so on and so forth. This penchant for bestowing titles is unique to us, consumers and creators of Indian cinema.
But what about the others who perhaps do not quite figure in this hierarchy of sorts, and yet command an equally incredible fan following? To be precise, where does Aamir fit in? How come, one of the most charismatic actor-directors of our times, immensely successful and yet strangely un-star like has no title 'bestowed' upon him?
At two successive press conferences, both Aamir and SRK took friendly jibes at each other at being the number one and two. But maybe there can be no comparison between a successful smart business minded actor who is now emerging as a commercial force to reckon with, and an actor-director who continues doing what he does best: win our hearts, entertain us, move us, inspire us. Each unique in their ways, their creative vision.
But fans would be fans, and us, the media, will forever be rummaging through our poor vocabulary to come up with titles and sobriquets that make for catchy headlines, exciting Sunday reads.
And so we ask: if SRK is King Khan, Baadshah of Bollywood, Bachchan is the Shahenshah, what title befits Aamir Khan? Or is it absolutely impossible to 'label' this man? Straitjacket him, pin him down under sobriquet which could perhaps shadow him for the rest of his life? Is it because he knows a title can return to haunt you, when lady luck may not be on your side? Or is it simply because Aamir is and always be an actor first, and a star, later? Maybe a title is merely a 'measure' of success, and Aamir and his kind of success should not be quantified....
Well, you will have to excuse me at this point. Like most 'impoverished' journalists, I have run out of ideas now.
But then came Shah Rukh Khan, who turned the very notion of stardom on its head. Much as Amitabh Bachchan tried to convince the world at large that 'Bollywood' is a bad derivative of Hollywood, a poor attempt at aping our Western counterpart, it is how we love to call one of the biggest money churning dream machines in the world's largest democracy. And SRK is all that defines Bollywood, including the titles he has earned for himself: King Khan, Baadshah so on and so forth. This penchant for bestowing titles is unique to us, consumers and creators of Indian cinema.
But what about the others who perhaps do not quite figure in this hierarchy of sorts, and yet command an equally incredible fan following? To be precise, where does Aamir fit in? How come, one of the most charismatic actor-directors of our times, immensely successful and yet strangely un-star like has no title 'bestowed' upon him?
At two successive press conferences, both Aamir and SRK took friendly jibes at each other at being the number one and two. But maybe there can be no comparison between a successful smart business minded actor who is now emerging as a commercial force to reckon with, and an actor-director who continues doing what he does best: win our hearts, entertain us, move us, inspire us. Each unique in their ways, their creative vision.
But fans would be fans, and us, the media, will forever be rummaging through our poor vocabulary to come up with titles and sobriquets that make for catchy headlines, exciting Sunday reads.
And so we ask: if SRK is King Khan, Baadshah of Bollywood, Bachchan is the Shahenshah, what title befits Aamir Khan? Or is it absolutely impossible to 'label' this man? Straitjacket him, pin him down under sobriquet which could perhaps shadow him for the rest of his life? Is it because he knows a title can return to haunt you, when lady luck may not be on your side? Or is it simply because Aamir is and always be an actor first, and a star, later? Maybe a title is merely a 'measure' of success, and Aamir and his kind of success should not be quantified....
Well, you will have to excuse me at this point. Like most 'impoverished' journalists, I have run out of ideas now.
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Chandrima Pal
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26 } Comments
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comments
Please someone give me mail id or cell no of aamir khan or his accquitances, cos i got a perfect song for the film ghajni
Now amir has started scceptn awards. What is gr8 abt it.
Phew! Some of you guys need to give sooo much explanation that aamir deserves a title where as neither his fans nor the masses have given him any title. That's because they know deep inside that aamir is not what he projects to the media. He can never be a role model to his fans.
as for his projection that he is a perfectionist, like some sensible folks have rightly pointed out, aamir is basically a very incomplete and incompetent actor which is why he needs so many retakes and he disguises them in the name of getting a perfect shot but if you notice closely, his acting is no where near perfection. So we give him the title, 'retake khan'!!
Well if u say king khan and shenshah in every country a king came and replaced after some time by another king so as in bollywood.
but aamir khan is perfectionist he will be always remain perfectionist no one can replace him with this title.
he is the best
Is there a comparison?Aamir is aamir .Who is srk?
I don't think amair really needs a name like that. His name aamir khan is enough.
srk or his fans call him "king khan" only because they like him and may be they think that among all khans or in bollywood he is the only one whose acting is best apart from ab , but they also know the fact that it's wrong.
every actor has his own style of acting. We can't compare them and say who is best. Srk has the habit of boasting and so he says that he is best actor. But if he really compares aamir's acting with his acting we and also srk know well that it is aamir who acts well, but being an actor himself how can srk say that aamir's acting is much much and much better than his.
when it comes to aamir people are not concerned about his acting rather they look at his personal life and decide that he is not a nice person as if they know him very well.
if aamir does only one film and takes time to do his next film then it is only because he concentrates on the character and that's the reason he is perfectionist.. He cannot do like srk who concentrates on too many films and dosen't act well in any of those films.
aamir's acting will always get recognised by his fans whether other people like his acting or not.
Someone hear suggested to call aamir khan "#4" which might be more appealing than #2 which he deserves. He's overrated and arrogant and i wouldn't cross the street to see one of his movies.
For a guy who's got no character in real life - he ditched his wife and kids, had extra-marital affair, drove his brother to brink of madness etc. Etc., there is no title expect besharam khan.... I hate such people who show themselves to public as very nice and in real life they are losers.... I also call him loser khan...
well, the masses have not chosen to give any title to aamir like they've given many to srk....
It is simply ridiculous to compare aamir the great with shahrukh the pauper. Srk is undoubtedly a pauper as far as acting talent goes. Pls. Do not ever compare him to great actors.
Though i am a king khan fan,i believe that he deserves a title like,dilip(king of tragedy),ab(big b) and srk(king khan and salman(bad boy)!As aamir can transform into any character except for romance,he should be named the chameleon!He is almost all-round actor!He is the completed actor!
it is officially "the chameleon!