Branching out: Aamir Khan turns director

Bollywood star Aamir Khan made a sensational debut with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak about two decades ago and his emergence as a director for the first time with Taare Zameen Par, released on December 21, is on its way to become a hit.
Having received high praises from the critics, Taare Zameen Par also got a big response from fans on the first three days of is release across India, raking in an estimated Rs 15 crore at the box office.
The film is about a dyslexic child (played by Darsheel Safary) to fit in the world where competition is the buzzword. The youngster is subjected to derision by his parents and teachers for getting his spellings wrong or forgetting his homework. It takes an unconventional art teacher (played by Aamir Khan) to help the child come out of his predicament.
This has made Aamir a happy man. The massive marketing drive saw the actor-director giving interviews to all leading television channels and dailies, ahead of the film's release.
How was it for Aamir as a director? “I enjoy creative work -- whether acting or directing. But I must confess that directing is very stressful,” he said in an interview. He admitted that it was not easy to direct the child actors in his movie but he stuck to his task and fulfilled his long-held desire to make a movie with them. Incidentally, this was his only release in 2007.
Is the actor content with the pace of his work? “I don't know if I can work any faster. I can work in one film at a time. I am a family man. I value my personal relationships and after every film I feel I need to spend a couple of months with the family,” Aamir said.
In fact, if one looks at films released featuring him, the count is four movies in nearly six and half years. His last film Fanaa was released one and half years ago.
Like Taare Zameen Par, Aamir's production house is going for more co-productions with PVR Pictures and UTV in near future. In fact, soon, Aamir's fans will find him in the role of a producer in another co-production Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na which will launch his nephew Imran Khan.
Aamir returns as an actor in a Hindi remake of a Tamil movie where he will be paired with South Indian actress Asin.