Aamir Khan is often referred to as a perfectionist but the actor has also faced his share of box office flops and may have gone wrong with his choices sometimes. In a recent interview, Aamir Khan opened up about the way he chooses films, thus adding that the story always matters more to him than the character he plays.“For me, what character I’m playing comes secondary,” Aamir said during the session for Screen at Whistling Woods. “So, when I say yes to Dangal, it’s because I love the script. It’s a great story with all parts having wonderful stuff to do. Then I focus on my character, Mahavir. But I haven’t said yes to the film because kya character hai Mahavir ka (what a character Mahavir is!).” Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal featured Aamir as former wrestler Mahavir Phogat, who trains his daughters to become champions. Produced under Aamir Khan Productions, the film went on to become one of Indian cinema’s biggest global successes, crossing the Rs 2000 crore mark worldwide. During the conversation, Aamir admitted there was one occasion when he prioritised his role over the script — and it did not work out well. Referring to Thugs of Hindostan, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, he said the decision “bounced very badly.”“Thugs of Hindostan has a very normal story. It’s Sholay,” Aamir remarked, drawing comparisons with Sholay. He went on to explain the similarities between the two narratives.“In Sholay, you have Sanjeev Kumar’s Thakur, who needs to take revenge for his family being wiped out. And two people come in and help him, Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) and Veeru (Dharmendra). Over here, it’s Zafira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) whose family gets wiped out. She needs help, and Firangi (Aamir) comes in,” he explained. “It’s a very similar format. So, Jai and Veeru are the heroes of the film, but it’s not their story. It’s Thakur’s story. Similarly, it’s not Firangi’s story. It’s Zafira’s story. So, in terms of its formula, it was more similar to a film like Sholay.”Aamir also revealed that the final version of Thugs of Hindostan was significantly altered from its original script because of casting-related changes. “For casting reasons, we kept changing the script. I wouldn’t know I’d do a fundamental error, but sab se hota hai (it happens with everyone). We should not have changed the script even if we didn’t get the casting we wanted. So, when you’ve seen Thugs, you haven’t seen the original script that Victor (Acharya) had written because it went through a lot of changes,” he shared.The actor admitted that while he considered the film’s story average, he was deeply drawn to the character of Firangi. “Firangi is such an unreliable character. You don’t know when he’s speaking the truth and when he’s not. He’s only about himself. I found him to be a very attractive and engaging character. He’s got some great moments,” Aamir said during the masterclass, which was organised in collaboration with Lodha Academy and Sivasailam Foundation.This is not the first time Aamir has spoken candidly about the film’s shortcomings. In an earlier interaction on Zee Music Company’s YouTube channel, he admitted that he had reservations about the film even before its release. “When the film was made, Adi (Aditya Chopra, producer) and Victor really liked it, the way it was made, but I didn’t like it at all,” he had said.“I felt that structurally, we went wrong with the writing, and I tried to tell them about it, but they were confident that the film is good. I tried to convince them for around eight months, but ultimately, they are the director and producer, so whatever they decision they took, I accepted it because I have to follow what they are saying,” Aamir added.Reflecting on the film’s failure, he concluded, “I know this won’t work, and I believe if I don’t like it, why should I expect the audience to like it? So when Thugs didn’t work, I didn’t feel bad because I didn’t like it too.”
