Aamir Khan, who is one of Bollywood’s most successful actors and producers has revealed that he saw his father, producer Tahir Hussain go through financial trouble when he was young. The actor spoke about it during a press conference conducted to mark 20 years of Lagaan, and elaborated how he went on to produce his first venture and opened up about the difficult time faced by his family.
Aamir said that his father was a good and enthusiastic producer who did not know how to do business. He said recalling when his father spent 8 years to produce the film Locket, “He never ended up making money, and he only had problems. He was in big debt, I have seen my father go through a lot of financial crisis. I don't know if you know this, but we were almost bankrupt and we were almost on the roads that time.”
The actor further recounted an incident that his mother had shared with him. He said, “She was up at night and the light was on, my father had opened his cupboard and he was searching for something. So my mother asked him – ‘what are you looking for, aisa kya ho gaya raat ko?’ To which he said, "I need to take a job and I have to earn money, so I’m looking for my graduation certificate." Aamir further said, “A man, in his 40s, is telling his wife that I am looking for my graduation certificate to find a job - this was the situation." It was then that the actor decided never to become a producer but fate had other plans and he turned to production with Lagaan.
Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in Lagaan
Talking about how he turned to production, Aamir said that when Ashutosh Gowariker came to him with the script of Lagaan, he couldn't think of any producer who would let them make the film at that scale and with that many resources. He said that while he had faith in Ashutosh’s directing abilities he had not delivered any hit at that time. The actor said, “I became a producer by accident and I had no intention of being a producer. Koi mujhe mila nahi toh mai ban gaya (Since I got no one, I became the producer.”
June 15, 2021 marks 20 years of his first production. The film was also India's official entry to the Oscars that year and was shortlisted in the Best Foreign Film category as well. Alongside Aamir, the film also stars Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelly, Raghubir Yadav and more.
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