I didn’t know her (his daughter’s) dreams and fears and hopes, but I knew the fears and dreams and hopes of my directors.” Aamir Khan
SRK did it, now it’s Aamir Khan’s turn. It’s hard being an actor. It’s even harder not being an actor, else they would take more breaks right? In a career spanning 35 years, Aamir Khan feels he needs time with his family and children. It i but natural that the intense work a demanding acting career puts you through means you let go of personal relationships and ties, or, allow them to exist, but only on the peripheries.
“I feel I have been working for 35 years and I have single-mindedly been focused on my work. I feel that it’s not fair to people who are close to me. This is the time I feel I have to take some time off to be with them and actually experience life in a different way. I am looking forward to the next year, a year-and-a-half in which I am not working as an actor.” Aamir Khan
Not only that, but he laments not being there for his 23 year old daughter who went through childhood more or less without an ever-present father figure.
“I feel like I’d spent my life chasing my dreams and trying to fulfil them. But during this journey, I didn’t pay attention to my loved ones. My parents, my siblings, my children, my first wife Reena, my second wife Kiran, and their parents. Perhaps, I couldn’t devote enough time to them. My daughter is now 23. I am sure she must have missed my presence in her life when she was younger. She will have had her own anxieties, fears, dreams and hopes. I wasn’t there for her, I know this now. I didn’t know her dreams and fears and hopes, but I knew the fears and dreams and hopes of my directors.” Amir Khan
It is perhaps relevant to point out that the actor registered two box office under performances with Laal Singh Chaddha and Thugs of Hindustan – mega budget movies, although Laal Singh fared well on its theatrical release.
It is also relevant to point out that SRK did the same – took a 4-year break after a nonperforming film Zero at the box office.
Bollywood Without The Khans
Safe to say, Bollywood has not been the same without the Khans, For those who grew up in the rise of these Indian film heroes, it was a time of magic, dreams, and stories that spun a golden web around our childhood. Be it Aamir Khan romancing Juhi Chawla in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak or playing the wise young man in 3 Idiots, be it SRK teasing us with Tauba tumhaare yeh ishaare in Chalte Chalte or romancing Kajol and Rani Mukherjee in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, they have given us a lifetime of melodies, drama and larger than life stories.
Perhaps, while we showered them with our love and fandom, we took away a part of their lives they needed to reclaim now.
Perhaps, they will come back stronger and perhaps, they will, yet again, help change the face of Indian cinema. Only time will tell. But for now, let’s give them a break as they recharge their creative juices, lie low and leave us with a sweet nostalgia that matches the sweetest moments in Bollywood cinema!
P.S. Shahrukh Khan is very much back with Pathaan in 2023 and we hope to see him light up the screen even as we await Alia And Ranbir’s latest offering later in the same year!
They say, it’s lonely at the top. It’s also lonely when you try to stay there. Descending a mountain is harder than climbing one, ask someone who did, and they’ll tell you why.
Aamir Khan taking a break is bittersweet, but it’s a reminder of how much he’s given to Bollywood. From Lagaan to Dangal, his dedication to meaningful cinema has been inspiring. Everyone deserves time to recharge, and I hope he returns with even more brilliance. We’ll miss him, but good things take time!