Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is gearing up for the release of his highly anticipated film, Sitaare Zameen Par. The film is set to hit theatres on December 25. However, the road to this new project was not without its challenges. In a recent interview, Khan revealed that he nearly turned down the film due to personal reasons. Following the underwhelming performance of his previous film, Laal Singh Chaddha, the actor had contemplated quitting acting altogether. It was his children, Ira and Junaid Khan, who convinced him to reconsider his decision.
Aamir Khan had a ‘mental breakdown’; Ira and Junaid urged him to find balance in his career instead of quitting acting: “You are such an extreme man”
Aamir Khan admitted that the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha took a toll on him. He felt responsible for the film’s underperformance and took the setback as an opportunity to reflect and improve. When approached for Sitaare Zameen Par, Khan approached the project with a positive mindset, determined to make a comeback. “When I started Sitaare Zameen Par, I did it with a mindset of ‘no worries.’ The film is now complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed working on it. It’s a fantastic movie,” Khan shared in an interview with Rhea Chakraborty on her podcast.
Khan revealed that he had initially planned to quit acting before even starting work on Sitaare Zameen Par. He recalled calling the film’s director, R.S. Prasanna, to inform him of his decision and find a replacement. However, before making the call, Khan discussed his plans with his children. He said, “When I told them three years ago that I am quitting films, their reaction, according to me, was, ‘Papa, how will you quit films? You’ve been involved like crazy for the past 30 years. You must be emotional right now and saying this. But you will not be able to do it.’”
However, it was Aamir’s children who played a pivotal role in changing his mind. When he announced his intention to quit acting and focus on his family, his children expressed their deep concern and urged him to reconsider. Ira Khan, in particular, created a chart to help Aamir visualize how he could balance his time between his family and his career.
Aamir’s decision to continue acting was also influenced by the support and encouragement he received from his ex-wife, Kiran Rao. When he expressed his desire to step away from the industry, Kiran broke down and expressed her fear of losing him. She emphasized the importance of cinema in Aamir’s life and how quitting would feel like losing a part of himself. Aamir said, “You’re leaving us all.” While he reassured them, Kiran had told him, “No, you do not understand this right now. If you’re quitting films, you are a child of cinema… you are made for cinema, and if you are leaving it, then you are letting go of life and the world. We are part of that world too, so you are leaving us too.”
Junaid, comparing Aamir to a pendulum swinging between extremes, urged him to find a balance between his career and personal life. Recalling what Junaid told him, Aamir said, “Papa, you are like a pendulum. When you were doing films, you were on one extreme; now that you want to spend time with family, you are on the other extreme. You are such an extreme man, and again you are taking an extreme step.”
Reflecting on this challenging period, Aamir admitted to experiencing a mental breakdown. He sought therapy to cope with the emotional turmoil and gain clarity about his future. The therapy helped him realize the impact of his absence on his children during their formative years. He added, “This incident caused a mental breakdown. I had a proper mental breakdown. I went through solid pain. I was distressed. I was broken by the time I had my first realization. The realization that when my kids were young—when Ira was 3 years old, 8 years old, 12 years old—I was never there for them. I wasn’t totally absent, like I would spend time with them like any normal working father, but even though I was with them and with my mother, I was mentally never present with them.”
Despite the internal struggle, Aamir’s passion for cinema ultimately prevailed. He decided to continue his acting career and embarked on a new project, Sitaare Zameen Par. Directed by R.S. Prasanna, the film is a heartwarming drama based on the Spanish film Campeones (2018). The film features Khan alongside Genelia Deshmukh and Darsheel Safary.
ALSO READ: Aamir Khan blames his “poor performance” on Laal Singh Chaddha, ADMITS he didn’t like Thugs Of Hindostan; speaks about working on Sitaare Zameen Par: “Bahot kamaal ki film hai”
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