Aamir Khan (born Aamir Hussain Khan, March 14, 1965, in India), is one of the most prominent actors on the Bollywood scene. He rose to stardom with the film Qayamat se Qayamat tak.
Aamir was born in Mumbai into a film-industry clan. His father Tahir Hussain is a producer; his uncle Nasir Hussain was a director. He has acted in a few films directed by his cousin Mansoor Khan. Aamir's brother Faizal has also acted in films.
Aamir began his career as a child-actor in the film Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), when he was eight years old. He acted and wrote the screenplay for the film Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (1993). He has also done playback singing for himself in the successful film Ghulam.
Aamir is known for his efforts to create believable characters, rather than just playing himself in film after film. He will go to great lengths to give a convincing portrayal -- including, it is said, drinking heavily in order to play a drunken scene in Raja Hindustani, even though he doesn't drink in real life. His memorable characters include:
* Amar the inept schemer (Andaaz Apna Apna)
* Aakash the college Lothario (Dil Chahta Hai)
* Munna the street tough (Rangeela)
* Bhuvan the village idealist (Lagaan)
* ACP Rathod, a crusading police officer, Sarfarosh
Aamir is also known for working on only one film at a time, unusual in the Bollywood film industry, because he wants to give his best to each film. Detractors say that his penchant for perfection sometimes leads to clashes with directors who don't listen to his objections or let him re-shoot a scene he thinks sub-par.
Aamir's reputed perfectionism seems to have paid off for Aamir's first foray into film-production, Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India. This film was a big box-office success in India and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, 2001.
Aamir is currently working on a project called "The Rising" which is being made in both English and Hindi. He is playing the role of Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in the army of the British East India Company and a leader of the Indian rebellion of 1857 (which the British called the Indian Mutiny). The movie is now scheduled for release on June 10, 2005.
Apart from "Rang De Basanti" and "The Rising", he recently signed a deal for one more movie with director Kunal Kohli.
