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Aamir talks about the game he played!
Posted by admin | 357 Views
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Varanasi is one of the oldest, most historic cities of the world, where Raja Harishchandra, Sant Kabir and my mother (Zeenat) lived. I went there
looking for the house that had been ammi’s home till she was 10, dressed up as an old man. It was my first disguise. I knew if I could pull it
off, I could stay in the game. I did. Since I was 20, I’ve been Aamir Khan, the movie star. So it was kind of unique to be able to walk around incognito, without any extra attention. It was also heart-warming when the entire mohalla forgot work for three hours to help an old man. My visit has generated some controversy. I feel sorry for the owner of Hotel Saraswati, Vansha Narain Singh, who could lose his license. But if he was careless in asking for photo identity, he has to be answerable to the authorities. We are living in difficult times. On my part, nowhere during the trip did I lie about my identity or travel as someone else. Had anyone asked me if I was Aamir Khan I would have admitted to it. Fact is that no one did. Even this guy assumed that I was staying at his hotel. Sure, my team was there, including Akram Shah who was registered. But that’s not to say that I was there. No one knows where I stayed in Varanasi. The city is teeming with people. Yet, early morning, the Ganga, the rising sun and the sound of temple bells create an ethereal spiritual atmosphere. I loved the rosogullas I had at Dada’s home’ After UP and MP, it was time to head east to Kolkata. Since cricket is the binding force across our country and Saurav Ganguly is a cricketing icon that everyone looks up to, I zeroed in on his home in Behala. I’d met Dada a few of times. From the impression I had of him in the media, he came across as arrogant. So I was pleasantly surprised to meet a warm, down-to-earth human being with a beautiful family. My wife (Kiran Rao) was born in Karnataka but lived in Kolkata till she was 18. I’ve heard a lot about Bengali khana from her. I was yearning for an authentic meal at a Bengali home. I got to savour a vegetarian dinner at Dada’s place… aloo posto, begun bhaja, shukto, luchi, mishti doi, sandesh and rosogullas. I’ve found them too plastic before. But the rosogullas at Dada’s were great. It was almost as if I was having rosogullas for the first time. ‘The weavers had been expecting a documentary filmmaker’ Hamidah Syed who’s on the Planning Commission had spoken to me about the sorry plight of weavers in our country. Weaving is the second highest profession in our country after farming, yet many weavers are badly off, barely getting 20-30 per cent of what a saree would sell for. The stopover in Chanderi was a way of highlighting their plight, urging people to buy more handmade cloth and save the art from dying. I got Kareena (Kapoor) a Chanderi saree, and a black-and-gold saree for my mother too. Also, saris for Manjeet (Raju Hirani’s wife) and Anu (Vinod Chopra’s wife Anupama). For Kiran (wife Kiran Rao) I got a beige-and-white salwar suit. The choice was between Maheshwari and Chanderi. I opted for Chanderi because it is closer to Varanasi, just 14 hours by road. I visited a weaver’s house there. No, I didn’t go in disguise. But the weavers had been expecting a documentary filmmaker, not Aamir Khan. ‘A schoolboy in Palanpur carried my photo’ Next stop: Palanpur in Gujarat. I’d heard a lot about how important education is in this state. It’s free, even in small towns and villages, till the seventh standard, and girls get schooling too. That, for me, was a big high! I spent the day with the children, teachers and peons of a small school in Palanpur. The kids sang and recited poems for me. I was surprised at how self-assured, respectful and well behaved they are. I was told that one little boy who is a big fan carried my photograph in his shirt pocket. I thought they were kidding me till he pulled it out. Wow! ‘I attended the wedding disguised as a Mexican pardesi’ Faridkot was the original destination but we settled for a small pind closer to Ludhiana where I attended a sangeet ceremony at the house of one of the villagers. I went disguised as a Mexican and pretended to eat the haldi I was given to hand to the bride. After some singing and dancing, the bride’s father was ushered into a room. I followed and started removing my dentures and wig. He was in shock as Aamir Khan appeared before him in stages. The surprise quickly changed to delight! I went back to join the revelry in my get-up, sang ‘Pardesi pardesi…’ in a accented voice, then slowly, removed my disguise for the second time. The bride and her sister came running to me. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for the wedding that was to take place the next day. I still had one stopover left, down South, in Mahabalipuram. Hey doc, know me?’ From Palanpur, I was traveling to Ludhiana when I developed fever. So, when we reached Jaipur at around 3 am, I decided to see a doctor. After making a few calls, I landed on the doorstep of one. It was quite a shock for him to see Aamir Khan standing before him. After taking the medicines he had prescribed, I was on my way again. ‘Krishna had seen only one Hindi movie, Shalimar’ I had wanted to visit the Officers Training Academy in Chennai after learning that the number of applications had gone down over the last few years. I’d hoped to make the defence forces a viable career alternative for the youth with this visit. But I didn’t get permission from the army. No issues, I respect their decision. We settled on Mahabalipuram then because it’s a historic site and an amazing archaeological wonder. Seven structures have been carved out of a single rock or rather a mountain, each structure intricately detailed. There’s Hariharan that is a combination of Vishnu and Shiva and a merging of Shiv-Parvati among others. Awesome! I was in get-up there. But the effort was time wasted because Krishna, my guide, had seen just one Hindi movie, Shalimar, and had never heard of Aamir Khan. So he wouldn’t have recognised me even without the wig and dentures. I introduced myself to him as an actor of 20 years and invited him over to Mumbai for the 3 Idiots premiere at IMAX, Wadala. Yesterday, he watched his second Hindi film. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of Krishna and me. No one remembered to take one. Twenty-four people from across the country came for the 3 Idiots premiere. Besides Krishna, there the weavers from Chanderi, the guys who’d helped me in Varanasi, teachers, kids and the peons from the school in Palanpur and the family in Punjab who had welcomed me as a pardesi into their home with open arms. They are the friends I made on my way to a Bharat darshan. Tour India This trip has taught me just how amazingly different each state in our country is. Yet, there is unity in diversity. The phrase had lost its meaning for me with time. Thanks to this trip, I realised anew just how true it is. The common thread in this diversity was the warmth from complete strangers. Many of them didn’t know I was Aamir Khan till I was leaving. Yet, the hospitality and love that they showered on me was for real. You asked for water in UP and you got not just paani but a little bit of gur too. That’s how sweet our country is! I’ve been on the road for 14 hours at a stretch at times. And watched the physical terrain change. Suddenly, geography lessons have taken on a new meaning. Today, I can tell you off-hand where Bhatinda is or even Hanumangarh. There’s a map in my head now! - HindustanTimes
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