Bollywood icon Aamir Khan talks Secret Superstar, his Chinese following and being ‘India’s conscience’ in Hong Kong interview
Khan has become a huge star in China following the success of Secret Superstar in the country’s cinemas. But despite suggestions he could prove a key figure in Sino-Indian relations, he says he still just makes films to have a good time
Aamir Khan is one of the best known faces in Bollywood cinema and his socially conscious mega-blockbusters make astronomical profits in both his native India and the growing market in China. But the 53-year-old star of 3 Idiots and Dangal prefers to think that he has only one simple task to handle.
“I feel that my primary responsibility as an entertainer is to entertain people,” he says in an interview in Hong Kong. “When people come to a cinema hall to watch a movie, they want entertainment … If they want a lesson on sociology, they will go to college [instead]. They’ve come to a cinema hall because they want to have a good time.”
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Khan’s latest film Secret Superstar (which opened in Hong Kong on Thursday) is typical of his brand of exuberant entertainment mixed with biting social commentary. It follows a small-town Muslim girl (played by Zaira Wasim) who strives for a singing career in spite of an oppressive father at home.
Although Secret Superstar follows the lead of Khan’s last film, Dangal, in its focus on the subject of female empowerment, the actor-producer says it is a mere coincidence that they arrive so close to each other. “It is not something I had planned, but I came across both these stories at around the same time and I liked both stories,” he says.
For Wasim, who also appeared opposite Khan in Dangal, the experience of making both films have been eye-opening. “They kind of burst my bubble,” she says. “I come from a family where girls and boys are both given equal opportunities; they’re both given the liberty to make their own decisions. I could never comprehend the idea of these two genders being discriminated against each other.
“[But] when I read Secret Superstar’s script, I understood what they’re trying to bring forward is unfortunately the harsh reality of society. It happens in not just India but globally. It kind of inspires me to become a better person.”
I remember when I was a kid, Bruce Lee was very popular in India … I think it’s the creative people … that really bring people from different cultures together
That global vision in Khan’s films has recently turned him into box-office royalty in China as well. After the success of Dangal there, Secret Superstar further cemented his place in the Chinese record books when it was released on the mainland in January, becoming the highest grossing Hindi film in Chinese cinema history.