Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan is known for some of India’s most popular films, including Lagaan and 3 Idiots.
So great is his appeal, he can barely walk down the street without getting mobbed by fans.
What’s less well known is that he secretly quit films during the Covid pandemic in order to spend more time with his loved ones.
“I told my family I’m done with acting and films,” he tells BBC News.
“I [didn’t] want to produce or direct or act. I just wanted to be with the family.”
You’d imagine a major star like Khan deciding to quit the industry would have sent shockwaves through India, a nation that is fully obsessed with films.
But, he explains, his decision went unnoticed at the time because so few movies were being made due to the pandemic.
“No-one knew about it,” he says.
Fans can breathe a sigh of relief, though.
Khan didn’t quit for long. And now he’s back and is promoting Laapataa Ladies – or Lost Ladies – a film he’s produced. It is India’s official pick for the Oscars in the best international feature film category.
Khan says it was his children who convinced him to go back to work.
“They were like, ‘But we can’t spend 24 hours with you. So get real and get a life.’ So they gently nudged me back into the films,” he says.
At 59, Khan has worked as an actor, director and producer for three decades.
He’s known as one of the three “Khans of Bollywood” – the others being fellow megastars Shah Rukh and Salman.
Known for tackling social issues, Aamir’s films are widely acclaimed as well as breaking box office records.
Credit: bbc.com
