Aamir Khan details family cost and “3 Idiots” script work

By Elena Vasquez

What is Khan developing?

Aamir Khan said Rajkumar Hirani is working on the script for a “3 Idiots” sequel and hoped to hear the final version after returning in a couple of weeks.

Hirani directed the 2009 campus comedy. Khan spoke Thursday at the Singapore International Film Festival in a session moderated by Singapore comedian Rishi Budhrani.

Peter Chan Ho-sun, the Hong Kong director, presented Khan with the festival’s Screen Icon Award. Khan thanked the festival and said Chan’s presence made the moment special. Khan said: “Filmmaking is a collective art form, and a lot of people contribute to each other’s work.”

Budhrani said Khan had called Hirani in front of him the previous day. The call sought permission to share the news. Hirani did not answer the first attempt because Khan had changed his number. He later gave his blessing.

Khan said he was not allowed to disclose much. He hoped Hirani would narrate the final version once the script was complete.

Khan also said he had shut his phone off a few weeks earlier. He now avoids all apps because scrolling can swallow three hours at a stretch.

Fans shouted out their love for Rajkumar Santoshi’s 1994 cult comedy “Andaz Apna Apna.” Asked about a sequel, Khan said Santoshi was working on something. He would not confirm a title, date or commitment. He then said there was nothing more to add.

Takeaway: Hirani’s script work is the clearest sequel update, no release date was announced, and the Santoshi project remains undefined.

What did COVID-19 change?

Late Thursday evening, Budhrani asked Khan about his weakest point. Khan described himself as a lifelong workaholic who ate, slept and dreamed films. He said his family understood and left him alone.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, Khan realized that 30 years of nonstop work had cost him years with his family. He paused, broke down and apologized. The audience applauded, and one member handed him a box of tissues.

“When I was sitting in COVID and I was thinking, I said, you know, about 30 years have passed of my life. And it’s okay to work like a madman, completely obsessed with what you’re doing for one year, two years, five years.

But if it goes on for 30 years, I mean, you’ve lost your relationships. Your kids have grown up, they’re adults now. So I felt a deep sense of loss.”

He said the realization prompted a major change. For the last four years, he has deliberately set aside time for his family and close friends.

He said he was glad the realization came at 56 rather than 86, when it would have been too late to do anything about it.

Takeaway: Khan now sets aside time for family and friends, a practice he has kept for four years.

What happened after Khan’s nine-film gamble?

After his 1988 debut “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak” became a hit, Khan signed nine films within six months. He reasoned that established stars could juggle dozens of projects, so he believed that he, too, could handle 10 projects at the same time.

Once shooting began, he recognized his mistake. He came home and wept to his then-wife Reena. The films flopped one after another, and Khan was branded a “one-film wonder.”

He described that period as mental and emotional quicksand. The harder he struggled to escape, the deeper he sank, he said.

Takeaway: His early failure came from overcommitting, not from a lack of work.

Why did Khan reject Mahesh Bhatt?

Khan recalled that Mahesh Bhatt, then riding high on “Saaransh,” “Arth” and “Naam,” offered him a film. Khan had vowed to commit only when he loved the script, director and producer.

He disliked the script and declined after a sleepless night. Khan said accepting would have made his career a series of compromises. He and Bhatt later worked together on “Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin” and “Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke.”

Takeaway: Script affinity outweighed immediate employment for Khan.

How did “3 Idiots” reach China?

Khan said young viewers began passing “3 Idiots” around China and across the wider region east of India. Their interest then led them to seek his other work.

He called piracy the reason for his popularity in China, while stressing that he does not support it. Khan attributed the deeper connection to a shared “emotional key” between Indian and Chinese audiences.

Watching “Dangal” in a Chinese theater felt like watching it in India, he said.

Takeaway: Informal circulation brought Chinese viewers to his wider filmography.

How does Khan test a film?

Khan said he holds 50 to 60 test screenings for his films, with 25 people in each group. He described the first test screening for “Taare Zameen Par” as a disaster.

For smaller films whose budgets cannot absorb his usual fee, Khan skips the fee and takes a back end instead, protecting the producer if the film fails.

Takeaway: Khan tests with 25 people per screening across 50 to 60 groups.

What does Khan expect from artificial intelligence?

Khan treats artificial intelligence as another filmmaking tool, comparable to VFX, and cited a castle set that once required 200 carpenters to build.

Khan expects job losses in the short term and described that prospect with concern.

Takeaway: He sees near-term job risk alongside AI’s production value.

What happens at the festival next?

His previous Singapore International Film Festival appearance came nine years earlier with “Secret Superstar,” and he now returns for a 25th-anniversary screening of his first film as producer, “Lagaan.”

Takeaway: Friday’s “Lagaan” anniversary screening is the next fixed event, while both film projects remain without dates.