Mumbai, 24 February 2025: “Cinema and storytelling transcend language and territorial barriers. Ironically, piracy made me a star in China! ‘3 Idiots’ went viral there because of piracy. The credit goes to the Chinese audience for accepting a film from a different culture and giving it love and respect. It was all organic and I had no role to play in it,” celebrated actor Aamir Khan said at ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 in a session titled “60 and Not Done- The Screen and Spotlight”.

Reflecting on his decades-long journey in the industry, Amir Khan said, “I think I’m really blessed and grateful for the opportunities I’ve had over the last 37 years in my film career. I love my profession as my work and play are the same. I’ve worked with great actors and directors and have been fortunate to be a part of some amazing films. My professional journey has been more successful than my personal one.”

Amir Khan further added, “The films I choose reflect who I am. I feel drawn to certain themes, but I am clear that I’m an entertainer, not a social teacher. Any story I tell must be engaging and entertaining. If it also makes people think, that’s a good thing. Creative people have a lot of power—if a story is impactful, it shapes minds. That’s an opportunity in nation-building.”

On Being Called ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ he said, “I don’t like the term ‘perfectionist.’ I’m more interested in magic. In a creative field, there’s no such thing as perfect—it’s always evolving. I do believe that God lies in the details. I enjoy going in-depth because that’s where something special happens. Many actors work within a set image, but I never liked that. I always wanted to do something new, something that challenges me. I’m naturally drawn to non-conventional roles. This tag actually came from a chance encounter with Shabana Azmi. She once asked me how much sugar I wanted in my tea, and I was particular about it. That’s where it all started!”

On Winning Over China, Turkey, and Japan, Amir Khan said, “Cinema and storytelling transcend language and territorial barriers. Ironically, piracy made me a star in China! ‘3 Idiots’ went viral there because of piracy. The credit goes to the Chinese audience for accepting a film from a different culture and giving it love and respect. It was all organic—I had no role to play in it.

On box office success, he said, “All of my films have had their own journey. We never set out to find an audience outside India because we already have such a diverse audience within the country. Yet, over time, our films have organically traveled across the world. I made ‘Lagaan’ for the Indian audience—it was already a four-hour film, and most people worldwide don’t even know cricket. But the film took on a journey of its own. It wasn’t in our control. I was in Switzerland once and saw that it had been running in a theater for six to eight months. During a Q&A session, the projectionist told me he had never seen this kind of response, even for an American or European film and this was an entirely European audience.”

On the business aspect of Filmmaking, Amir Khan added, “Business plays a crucial role in filmmaking because every film is an investment. I believe a film should be economically viable and that’s always my goal. For the last 20 years, I haven’t charged upfront fees. If my film succeeds, I earn. I follow the old way of performing arts like passing a cap around after a show, where the audience pays if they like the performance. This gives me creative freedom to work on different subjects.”

He further added, “I’m an emotional person, so when my films don’t work, I feel sad. Filmmaking is tough, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. In ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ my performance was a bit too high, and it didn’t work as well as Tom Hanks’ version. When my films fail, I go into a sort of depression for two to three weeks. Then, I sit with my team, analyze what went wrong, and learn from it. I really value my failures because they push me to do better.”

Speaking on his inclination towards societal issues in his films, he highlighted, “Over the years, I’ve realized that our society faces many challenges, and understanding them is not always easy. If we try, we can find solutions, but implementing them on a large scale is tough. Experts in different fields can guide us in making our lives better. I’m happy that the show created an impact and it was an extremely satisfying and learning experience for me.”

On Personal Life and Future Goals, he remarked, “I don’t use my phone much. I love books and reading. Over the past two to three years, I’ve been spending quality time with my family. I want to do more work as I grow older, not just as an actor but also as a producer. I want my production house to become a platform for new talent, to make it more vibrant. One of my dreams is to make the ‘Mahabharat.’ Another area that excites me is children’s content as it shapes young minds.”

On the Future of Bollywood, he highlighted, “We need more cinema theaters. Also, as creative people, we should give a lot more value to writers.”

ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025, centred around the theme ‘Humanity’s Next Frontier’, will bring together thought leaders and innovators to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by India’s rise in a rapidly changing world. In the face of climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and technological advancements such as AI, the summit delved into India’s role as both an ancient civilisation and a demographic powerhouse in shaping the future. The two-day summit gathers a confluence of ideas from global thought leaders, intellectuals, and change makers, covering transformative possibilities in science, medicine, social contracts, and global leadership, with experts from diverse fields offering bold visions for a better, more sustainable world for all.