Khan gave a lecture on Azad at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival.
By Prabhav Hiremath
MUMBAI: Actor-Director Aamir Khan has spent over two decades in Bollywood till date, giving some of India’s finest films as a lead actor like ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ (1988), ‘Raja Hindustani’ (1996), ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ (2001), ‘Rang De Basanti’ (2006), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Talaash’ (2012) and Dhoom 3 (2013). His first directorial venture, ‘Taare Zameen Par’ (2007), his second home production after Lagaan, too was well received by audience and critics and gave recognition for his directional skills.
But despite all this success, a biopic on the life of his great grand uncle Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is what the actor wants to make, which he considers as a dream project.
He revealed about this dream project at the inauguration of the Apeejay Literary Festival in Kolkata which began on Wednesday, spanning six days. Khan said that Azad had given his uncle and director Naseer Khan a message, ‘Just do what your heart says,’ while making films; which ultimately turned out to be a moral of his film ‘3 Idiots.’ He thanked Azad for supporting Naseer, responsible for Khan to be in film industry.
At the festival, he delivered a small motivational type of lecture titled ‘Maulana Azad: His belief in secularism and his foresight’ to mark the 125th birth anniversary of India’s first Education Minister. Doing so, he said, “My father came into films because of my uncle. Had my father not been into films, probably I would have been somewhere else today.”
Khan believes to use his art skills to make a film on life of Azad which would be a tribute to his great grand uncle. The actor said, “I wish I had met him, know him. I have read his books drinking in every word.” Khan praised Azad, saying he had a very high intelligence, integrity, high values and justice at the core of every single work he did.
Khan also read an interview given by Azad in 1946 about India, post partition, which transpired as predicted.
Khan received full support for his dream venture from the Chairman of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies Sitaram Sharma.
The festival is a blend of literature, culture, art and heritage and aims to bring out the true essence of Kolkata’s diversified culture, ideas and artistic expression. It is a platform where words communicate through the world of arts that include music, dance, theatre, cinema, fashion, design and the visual arts.
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