Considered one of the big screen’s best actors, Aamir Khan still doesn’t think too highly of himself as a performer. “I don’t feel I’m a born actor,” he shares. “When I see other actors like Naseer or Om Puri ji, Raghubir Yadav, Zaira, Dilip Kumar sa’ab, Amit ji… I feel that they are a real powerhouse. When they are giving a shot, there’s so much belief within them and it comes out very naturally and effortlessly.”

He believes he lacks that gift and has to work himself up to that level. “But I enjoy acting, I love human nature, human psychology so it takes me a little while to get there compared to someone who would instinctively hit the right note.”

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He gives an example of what he means by this, by discussing the difference between him and Zaira Wasim in Dangal. “When we were rehearsing Zaira must have got the Haryanvi accent within a week or 10 days. It took me four months to get there and I was still struggling. Even on the day of the shooting, I would struggle but she had cracked it like it was a language she was speaking all along. I find that I need to work my way; I’m not a natural.”

This actor, who has delivered some of the most memorable performances in films like PK, 3 Idiots, Lagaan, Taare Zameen Par, Dangal and more, claims that he is pathetic in the first reading of a film. “During the first reading of Lagaan, I was actually hoping that Ashutosh (Gowarikar, director) would not drop me from the film! My first reading is always pathetic, I feel. And then I start working on it and I think one of my biggest strengths is that I am not afraid to fail. So I don’t mind doing bad rehearsals, again and again, to discover where I am supposed to finally pitch it. And I have a good sense, I think, of performance, so I can work my way there.”

…And that’s all the hard work that goes into the making of a genius named Aamir Khan!