Mumbai: Sounds familiar? Well, that's the title of a new cinematic biography on Aamir Khan that hits the stands later this year
I've never met or spoken to Aamir." And yet, 33-year-old Bangalore-based Christina Daniels's book on Aamir Khan's films will be out by the end of this year. "It's more a look at his landmark films, than a personal biography," points out Christina.
While Aamir Khan's office has offered Christina a biography and filmography of the actor as the author has no connections with the industry, the actor's representatives pointed out to Sunday MiD DAY that the star hasn't given his consent to this project yet. "His fans shouldn't be misled. This isn't Aamir's official cinematic or personal biography," says an official source from Aamir's office.
Christina has spoken to directors Aamir has worked with and even some co-stars. "I've not spoken to him directly, but I've approached him for a meeting to discuss the book," says Christina. Aamir's office confirms this, saying, "He has said he will meet her if he can, but not for an interview. It's more out of Aamir's own curiosity he wants to understand why she wants to do a book on his films." About 80 per cent of the book, titled I'll Do It My Way, has been completed and the author is waiting now only for the meeting to fine-tune her draft.
This book on Aamir's films is a far cry from the first book that Christina authored, a novella on growing up called Ginger Lemon Soda Pop. In fact, her world is far removed from Aamir's orbit Christina is neither a film journalist who has interviewed the superstar over the years nor someone who has worked closely with him.
To think it all started with a blog. Christina, who has done her masters at the London School of Economics and communications at Bangalore University, has also studied filmmaking. Om Publishers stumbled on Christina's musings on cinema on the web and got in touch with her, asking her to come up with a couple of ideas for a book. She suggested one on Aamir's films.
"I was extremely interested in his body of work because Aamir constantly reinvents himself. I felt one needed a look into the reason behind that," explains Christina, over the phone from Bangalore.
She's been working on the book over the past year and kicked it off with extensive research that took her to FTII archives in Pune and had her cover Aamir's journey from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak to 3 Idiots. Christina is employed as a writer with Wipro's intranet portal and is based out of Bangalore so yes, she laughingly admits, that the process was difficult. "I had no connection with the industry so I had to start from scratch," she says,
"The interviewees were speaking to an outsider. But I think they saw a genuine interest in cinema. My sincerity opened doors."
Since this is cinematic biography and a look at Aamir through his films, the only family that Christina has spoken to is Mansoor Khan. Obviously, Aamir's personal life and its ups and downs are off the radar. "It's not a biography in the typical sense it's the story of his films. But there are anecdotes that are related to the shooting of some films."
So we come to the inevitable. Is Aamir Khan Christina Daniels's favourite actor?
"Ummmm," she says, pondering, "that's probably Kamal Haasan. But I definitely like Aamir's work. What's unique about him is the way he thinks about a role and does something different every time. In that respect, he's a favourite."
Excerpts from an interview with Christina Daniels:
From your research, Was there anything about Aamir that you found that surprised you?
We all know that Aamir likes the Rubik's Cube. But solving a Rubik's Cube in less than 20 seconds? Now that's a revelation!
What to you shows just how professional or driven Aamir is?
If there is one thing that stands out in the different perspectives on Aamir across time, it is his ability to give himself completely to his films. His efforts to develop a distinctive physique for Ghajini are well known. But we are soon going to hear about how he applied that same commitment to losing that carefully cultivated physique for 3 Idiots.
Aamir has a reputation for playing pranks on co-stars. While researching for the book, did you come across an interesting anecdote?
Yes, whether the film is Dil, Earth or Lagaan, this does remain a common thread. An incident that stands out is Nandita Das relating how Aamir presented her with bangles that sprang out of a box on the sets of Earth, and this as a gift to make apologies for a prank that he'd already played on her!
Your favourite film/films of Aamir Khan?
My personal favourites are his films with Mansoor Khan, Dil Chahta Hai and Earth. But this is a difficult question as Aamir's films all stand out for different reasons and I am aware that some of Aamir's most significant and even popular films are not necessarily among those that I just named.
So I'd like to mention that the book does not look at my personal favourites, but looks at his landmark films both from a cinematic perspective and their impact on a nation's consciousness.
Since this is a book through his films, is there any allusion to his personal life?
While there would be a chapter that is biographical, the focus of the book is Aamir's landmark films and his evolution as an actor across time through these films. So while it does not attempt to be the story of his life, it is definitely the story of his films and his journey as an actor.
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