Bollywood actor Aamir Khan on Saturday appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show which was streamed on Netflix. It was among those rare occasions when 'Mr. Perfectionist' Aamir Khan made an appearance on a TV show. Aamir Khan has remained away from the media and movies ever since his movie Laal Singh Chadha became a major flop at the box office. The 59-year-old actor spilled multiple beans on Kapil Sharma's show, including why he refused to play the character of 23-year-old Shaheed Bhagat Singh but accepted to play the character of an 18-year-old student in 3 Idiots. Below is what Aamir Khan said-
"Look, Bhagat Singh Ji is a real historical character, and he is a very important character. He was a very unique and rare person. The feats he achieved when he was in his early twenties ( 21, 22, or 23) are unimaginable to us. His courage..how do I say this? He was fearless. And, that's a very rare quality. The beauty of it is a young 23-year-old man on the witness stand, whose mustache has not sprouted, is making such prominent statements. So, if I stand there..I was already 40, I mean I was turning 40 at that time. It won't look that good. It should make people think, 'What is this boy saying?' That quality never comes from me. I told Raj to cast some young boy in his early twenties. That is Bhagat Singh. That's why I did not do it."
Notably, Aamir Khan was approached by film-maker Rajkumar Santoshi to play Bhagat Singh in the movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh that was released in 2002. Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn later accepted to play the role of Bhagat Singh that later turned out to be a Bollywood classic movie.
Why did Aamir Khan accept the role of student in 3 Idiots?
Aamir Khan said, "I was not going to do 3 Idiots either. I thought people would laugh at me. I was 44 and I was asked to play an 18-year-old. I mean going to college with books. It will seem weird. I tried to convince Raju (Rajkumar Hirani). I said, 'Raju, you have such a fantastic story. You should cast three youngsters who are actually of that age. Why do you want me? But, he would not budge. He insisted, 'No, I want only you.' I had never worked with Raju."
"He made Munna Bhai, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. I was a big fan of him. I wanted to work with him a lot. I said, 'Raju I cannot do this, now you are forcing me'. But, he kept insisting. So, that one dialogue in my film..Don't chase success, instead be capable. If you are capable, success will chase after you. So, this was the thought of Raju's film. He said, 'Aamit, you did films that could never have been a hit. You did Taare Zameen Par, you did Lagaan. All these films were considered flops upon announcement. So, why did you think of doing them? It certainly was not for success. You did it because you were passionate. Your entire career has been like this. So, when you say this line, people will believe you.' Then, I thought of one more thing. I thought Raju is such a good director. And, I don't trust anyone. If I am not sure, I do not commit. So, literally for the first time, I went in blindfolded because of him," added Aamir Khan.