Thugs of Hindostan.looking back on how Aamir Khan's

Thugs of Hindostan

Diwali hasn’t been particularly lucky for Aamir Khan. He has had three releases on the festival so far – Andaz Apna Apna, Raja Hindustani and Secret Superstar. Only one of these was a proper box-office hit.

With Thugs of Hindostan, Aamir Khan is all ready to set off fireworks at the box-office this Diwali. The mega action entertainer, also starring Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh in the lead roles, has astounding buzz surrounding its release and there is no doubt that the film will open with phenonemal numbers – most film trade analysts across the country have predicted an opening of Rs 50 crore for the Vijay Krishna Acharya directorial.

But if you go back in the past, Diwali hasn’t been particularly lucky for Aamir. The superstar has had three releases on the festival so far – Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Raja Hindustani(1996) and Secret Superstar (2017).

While Andaz Apna Apna, with lifetime collection of Rs 5.29 crore, was a box-office flop, Raja Hindustani, with total earnings of Rs 43.14 crore, was an all-time blockbuster. Secret Superstar, that did not have Aamir at the center of the story and featured him in an extended cameo appearance, went on to amass Rs 62.63 crore. Its box-office performance was termed above average by the trade pundits.

With Thugs of Hindostan, however, the dynamics are different. It is releasing in times when Aamir is considered a hit machine at the box-office. Most of his movies released in the recent years have become box-office blockbusters. In fact, it is Aamir who holds the record of having the highest-grossing Hindi film ever, Dangal, that made a staggering Rs 387 crore in its lifetime run. (Box office: Will Thugs of Hindostan dethrone Krrish 3 to become the biggest Diwali success ever?)

Actor Aamir Khan is widely referred to as a perfectionist who goes to all extremes to deliver committed performances. And what makes him worthy of such a title is his unbreakable series of hit films which he has delivered in the last eighteen years, with not a single miss. The last time Aamir failed to deliver a superhit was in 2000, when his film Mela tanked at the box office and made the female lead Twinkle Khanna bid adieu to acting. He still dominates the list of the highest-grossing Bollywood stars, ahead of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, with his latest big releases, Dangal and PK claiming the top slots. Talking about the effort that goes into his roles, the actor has pushed his limits to achieve his dream time and again.

It was no joke for a 44-year-old to play an 18-year old in 3 Idiots but Aamir pulled it off better than a youngster could. From learning swimming for the 2012 film Talaash to picking up Haryanvi for Dangal and Bhojpuri for PK, the actor continues to acquire new skills with every project. The actor didn’t blink at all (literally) while playing an alien in PK and can be seen talking and eating with his eyes wide open. Aamir, however, continues to feel insecure and is afraid of losing his creative abilities one day, according to an interview with Anupama Chopra and Rajeev Masand on the radio show Take 1.

The actor left his fans bewildered when he displayed a permanent nose-piercing while working on his 2018 Diwali release, Thugs of Hindostan. He is no Zayn Malik, but simply an Indian male actor who didn’t mind going the distance for a role. The actor plays Firangi Mallah in the film – a thug with no ethics, ready to lick the feet of the one who pays.

During the making of Dangal, Aamir had opted to shoot as the middle aged Mahavir Phogat first, in order to have a purpose for losing the weight later to play the younger version. The actor left his fans worried with his hefty look as he walked around with a towel to deal with the sweating. Though he had a ball while gorging on street food to gain the weight, the actor could be seen panting while shooting the wrestling scenes as the extra kilos slowed him down. The bigger cause for concern was his weight fluctuation from a middle-aged retired wrestler standing at 97 kilos with 38% body fat to an active wrestler in his twenties. The actor himself confessed that this was a risk which could have cost him much more than just the film’s collections. He managed to lose it all within five months to play the younger version and flaunted six pack abs by reducing his body fat to just 9.67%.

At the age of 47, the father of three trained in tap dancing under Australian dance choreographer Dein Perry for the film Dhoom 3. An Irish dance form that takes several years to master, the actor nailed a manageable version in just a month. Aamir’s two-and-a-half minute intense tap number speaks for itself in Dhoom 3 and can leave you in awe every time you watch it.